unicode-bidi:-webkit-plaintext is supposed to be on by default for <textarea dir=auto>. However, currently (at least in Chrome 15.0.874.106 and 17.0.919.0), it is also on by default for <textarea dir=ltr> and <textarea dir=rtl>. This breaks backwards compatibility. test case: data:text/html,<textarea dir=rtl>the period should be on the left.</textarea> According to the HTML spec (http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec/Overview.html#bidirectional-text), the correct default stylesheet as relating to unicode-bidi is supposed to be: [dir] { unicode-bidi: embed; } bdi, bdi[dir], output, output[dir], [dir=auto i] { unicode-bidi: isolate; } bdo, bdo[dir] { unicode-bidi: bidi-override; } bdo[dir=auto i] { unicode-bidi: bidi-override isolate; } textarea[dir=auto i], pre[dir=auto i] { unicode-bidi: plaintext; } Also see https://bugs.webkit.org/show_bug.cgi?id=70373 for another bug due to an incorrect default being set for unicode-bidi. Kudos to Amir Aharoni on finding this bug.
Kudos also to Ofekalef and Eran from the Hebrew Wikipedia, who noticed this.
Thanks for catching and filing this! I'll get it resolved.
Thanks! If, while working on this, you happen to resolve https://bugs.webkit.org/show_bug.cgi?id=70373, I promise not to complain. :-)
Fixed in http://trac.webkit.org/changeset/101268.