Browser Testing

#1

I currently have IE6 and Firefox installed on my machine, and I switch
between the two when testing web sites I am working on. It is my
understanding that IE5 is still pretty common. Is this correct? Should
I be testing my web site with IE5 as well? If so, does anyone know
where I might be able to download a copy? Is it possible to install IE5
on a machine with IE6?

I know that there are many browsers out there, and that each has it's
own quirks, but are the differences significant enough to merit
installing one or more additional alternate browsers? If so, which
browser(s) would you recommend testing with?

Thanks,

Don

#2

On Wed, 02 Mar 2005 15:04:50 -0500, Don G wrote:

Quote:

I currently have IE6 and Firefox installed on my machine, and I switch
between the two when testing web sites I am working on. It is my
understanding that IE5 is still pretty common. Is this correct? Should
I be testing my web site with IE5 as well? If so, does anyone know
where I might be able to download a copy? Is it possible to install IE5
on a machine with IE6?

I know that there are many browsers out there, and that each has it's
own quirks, but are the differences significant enough to merit
installing one or more additional alternate browsers? If so, which
browser(s) would you recommend testing with?

Thanks,

Don

If you do a google search for ie5setup, you should be able to find it
quite easily. I don't know how to, or even if it is possible to install
the two side by side.

I use Konqueror in linux, I don't think there is a windows version of it.
Opera is an idea that is available for windows.

Carolyn

#3

On Wed, 02 Mar 2005 15:04:50 -0500, Don G <mail4dag (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote:

[Users with IE5 for Windows still common; browser questions]

Don't know about that bit, but no doubt other people do

Quote:

I know that there are many browsers out there, and that each has it's own
quirks, but are the differences significant enough to merit installing one or
more additional alternate browsers? If so, which browser(s) would you
recommend testing with?

I can greatly recommend Opera[1]. Not only is it _the_ most standards compliant
browser for Windows afaik, it also gives you a box full of 'browsers' to play
with. It has all sort of views, like emulating a text browser or a browser with
large letters or high contrast.

[1]Not affiliated with them in any way; just a happy user.

--
,-- --<--@ -- PretLetters: 'woest wyf', met vele interesses: ----------.

Quote:

#4

Quote:

If you can get your hands on a Mac, use that for testing as well. I was
given a 4 year-old Mac, and I was amazed at how messed up 2 of my sites
were when viewed in IE for Mac and Netscape/Mozilla for Mac.

Interesting... I don't suppose anyone has any clue as to why the
rendering for the same program would be different between the Mac and
the PC version.

Don

#5

Gazing into my crystal ball I observed Don G <mail4dag (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> writing
in news:422623a0$1_3 (AT) newsfeed (DOT) slurp.net:

Quote:

If you can get your hands on a Mac, use that for testing as well. I
was given a 4 year-old Mac, and I was amazed at how messed up 2 of my
sites were when viewed in IE for Mac and Netscape/Mozilla for Mac.

Interesting... I don't suppose anyone has any clue as to why the
rendering for the same program would be different between the Mac and
the PC version.

Don

Because they are two completely different operating systems. There are
some things that IE Mac supports the IE Win does not, and vice versa.

--
Adrienne Boswell
http://www.cavalcade-of-coding.info
Please respond to the group so others can share

#6

On Wed, 02 Mar 2005 15:34:26 -0500, Don G <mail4dag (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote:

Quote:

If you can get your hands on a Mac, use that for testing as well. I was
given a 4 year-old Mac, and I was amazed at how messed up 2 of my sites were
when viewed in IE for Mac and Netscape/Mozilla for Mac.

Interesting... I don't suppose anyone has any clue as to why the rendering for
the same program would be different between the Mac and the PC version.

Well, what if it is _not_ the same program?

--
,-- --<--@ -- PretLetters: 'woest wyf', met vele interesses: ----------.

Quote:

#7

Quote:

I can greatly recommend Opera[1]. Not only is it _the_ most standards
compliant browser for Windows afaik, ...

How different is Opera's rendering from Firefox's? I am just getting
started, so I would like to keep things as simple as possible for the
time being. If the differences are significant, then I will need to
check it out though.

Quote:

... it also gives you a box full of 'browsers' to play with. It has all
sort of views, like emulating a text browser or a browser with large
letters or high contrast.

These sounds like an interesting and useful features. I might end up
checking Opera out just for these features.

Thanks,

Don

#8

Quote:

Well, what if it is _not_ the same program?

I guess this might very well be the case. I assumed that IE for Mac was
simply a port of IE for Windows. If that was the case, then the core of
the program would be the same, and only the parts specific to the
operating system would be different. I don't really know anything about
programming for Mac and Windows, so I don't know if this is really doable.

Don

#9

Don G wrote:

Quote:

I currently have IE6 and Firefox installed on my machine, and I switch
between the two when testing web sites I am working on. It is my
understanding that IE5 is still pretty common. Is this correct?

http://www.thecounter.com/stats/2005/February/browser.php (like most
statistics not so reliable :-)

Quote:

Should I be testing my web site with IE5 as well? If so, does anyone
know where I might be able to download a copy? Is it possible to
install IE5 on a machine with IE6?

Yes (I have IE4, 5.01, 5.5 and 6 on my Win PC). Read:
http://labs.insert-title.com/labs/article795.aspx and/or
http://www.mezzoblue.com/archives/2003/11/06/ie_x_3/index.php

Quote:

I know that there are many browsers out there, and that each has it's
own quirks, but are the differences significant enough to merit
installing one or more additional alternate browsers? If so, which
browser(s) would you recommend testing with?

IE 5.5 and 6; Firefox, Opera and Lynx (or Lynxviewer on
http://www.delorie.com/web/lynxview.html)

--
Nico
http://www.nicoschuyt.nl

#10

On Wed, 02 Mar 2005 15:39:32 -0500, Don G <mail4dag (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote:

Quote:

I can greatly recommend Opera[1]. Not only is it _the_ most standards
compliant browser for Windows afaik, ...

How different is Opera's rendering from Firefox's?

Very. :-)

Just kidding. Their rendering is mostly alike. The difference is largely that
Opera does more than FireFox, like correct rendering of the :before and :after
pseudo selectors. There are differences also (like the use of padding on lists
by FireFox, which neither Opera or IE use).

Quote:

I am just getting started, so I would like to keep things as simple as
possible for the time being. If the differences are significant, then I will
need to check it out though.

With Opera being the superior Windows browser as far as conformaty to standards
goes, you do yourself a favour using _it_ to be your first browser for testing.
If a page is well written en has a good use of CSS and works fine in Opera,
chances are, it will work in most anything. Anything except IE for Windows that
is. For that silly old thing you will have to add a few hacks to you css.

Quote:

... it also gives you a box full of 'browsers' to play with. It has all
sort of views, like emulating a text browser or a browser with large
letters or high contrast.

These sounds like an interesting and useful features. I might end up checking
Opera out just for these features.

<http://www.opera.com/download/> :-D

--
,-- --<--@ -- PretLetters: 'woest wyf', met vele interesses: ----------.

Quote: