No other properties in the JSON have $ in them. Why is $ref? Why is it abbreviated?
Looks like JSON Reference http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-pbryan-zyp-json-ref-03
Fair enough.
Seems like it is not being used correctly though: A JSON Reference is a JSON object containing a single member "$ref", whose value identifies another JSON value via a URI [RFC3986]. Maybe we should just rename our use and not confuse things?
Closing as invalid, as this bug pertains to the old inspector UI and/or its tests. Please file a new bug (https://www.webkit.org/new-inspector-bug) if the bug/feature/issue is still relevant to WebKit trunk.