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Virtual Machines – Lots of browsers, lots of operating systems

Virtual MachinesWhen you’re trying to test your website with many different web browsers, you often run into problems. In particular, Windows really isn’t designed to have multiple versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE) installed at the same time. You could setup multiple platforms and maybe use a KVM to save space, but most of us don’t have the room for all that equipment just sitting around all the time.

As we mentioned in a previous post, a good solution to the issue is to setup multiple “virtual machines” (VMs) on your computer. Each VM has it’s own operating system and storage so you can install a version of Internet Explorer in each virtual machine. We also have previously discussed how you use VMs to learn how to use Linux and try out the various distributions (distros). Many of the distros already have pre-rolled VMs available (via VMware’s site or various image sites like this one for Virtual Box), but sometimes there’s that one distro you want to try without a VM. What do you do? Easy – roll your own.

Rather than going into the details of setting up your own VM, however, Lifehacker has a great article on how to setup, configure and install operating systems into a virtual machine using Virtual Box. Give it a read – it’s a very well done article!

The Browser Parade Continues…

Web Browsers

We’ve previously discussed the various web browsers that are currently popular and should be covered when you’re testing your website. Just a quick update on the latest browser releases:

Don’t forget to test your website with the latest browsers as they come out! In particular, focus your attention on IE8. According to at least early estimates from Microsoft, a large number of websites (over 2400+) have problems with the new brower because it is MORE standards compliant, while many website expect the older LESS standards compliant browser.

What Web Browsers Should I Test With?

Web BrowsersIn a previous post, we discussed the importance of testing your website with older web browsers. MaximumPC has a very informative article on the latest browsers of today and tomorrow (for Windows primarily) which makes a good starting place if you want to be comprehensive in the compatibility testing you perform. Here’s a summary of the list, along with the January 2009 stats for each from W3Schools:

Stable/Current Releases

Upcoming/Beta Releases

And don’t forget, you can use BrowserShots to generate quick screenshots of your website for review. All of the above browsers, except for Opera 10, are among the browsers that you can get screenshots of.

Website Compatibility Testing

websitelogosIf you’re putting up a new website, it’s common practice to test your website with older versions of popular web browsers and your “required software” (e.g., Flash, Java, etc.) to make sure it is backward compatible. Even if your website is fully compliant to the latest W3C and CSS standards, it still may look very different in different browser/operating system configurations. For example, if you’ve just put up a new website, you may want to try it out using an old version of Internet Explorer or Firefox, maybe Flash 7 or 8, or an old version of Java. Only one problem – where do you find old versions of the software to install?

If you’re looking for older versions of web browser, try the Evolt Browser Archive. Started in 1999, the Evolt Archive has a large variety of older browsers (including little known ones like Cyberdog and iCab) and older versions of many popular browsers (including Internet Explorer all the way back to 1.0).

You can also find older Windows versions of web browsers and other software (including the Microsoft Java VM and Adobe Flash) at OldVersions.com. If you’re trying to find out what most people are using today, you can visit the Browser Statistics from W3C for the latest browsers, operating systems, display depths, etc.

And rather than trashing your current desktop installation of MSIE or Firefox, grab a copy of VirtualBox and create your own virtual machines to test different web browsers.