Browser Testing

D

Don G

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
 
C

Carolyn Marenger

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
 
B

Barbara de Zoete

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

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

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.


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S

saz

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
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.
 
D

Don G

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
 
A

Adrienne

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.
 
B

Barbara de Zoete

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?


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| webontwerp | http://home.wanadoo.nl/b.de.zoete/html/webontwerp.html |
|zweefvliegen | http://home.wanadoo.nl/b.de.zoete/html/vliegen.html |
`-------------------------------------------------- --<--@ ------------'
 
D

Don G

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.
... 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
 
T

Tim

A program for a mac and for windows might have a the same name and serv
the same purpose but you can hardly compare them since the foundatio
they are built to work on is a great deal different
 
D

Don G

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
 
N

Nico Schuyt

Don said:
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 :)
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
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)
 
B

Barbara de Zoete

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).
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.
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


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,-- --<--@ -- PretLetters: 'woest wyf', met vele interesses: ----------.
| weblog | http://home.wanadoo.nl/b.de.zoete/_private/weblog.html |
| webontwerp | http://home.wanadoo.nl/b.de.zoete/html/webontwerp.html |
|zweefvliegen | http://home.wanadoo.nl/b.de.zoete/html/vliegen.html |
`-------------------------------------------------- --<--@ ------------'
 
H

Harlan Messinger

Don said:
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.

Because it's not the same program. It's a Mac program and a Windows
program both of which Microsoft labelzed "Internet Explorer".
 
S

Stephen Poley

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?

Depends a bit on what your site is, but probably for now, yes. At least
to make sure the site is readable. I wouldn't worry about getting the
layout beautiful. Note that 5.5 and 5.0 are rather different. 5.0 makes
a pig's ear of CSS, 5.5 manages to get a bit more of it right.

But note also that there is no single browser called IE 6.0. There is a
host of browsers calling themselves IE 6.0, all with a different set of
bugs. I've had a page which looked fine in my copy of IE 6.0 display two
different bugs in the browsers used by two colleagues, both of which
also claimed to be IE 6.0.
If so, does anyone know
where I might be able to download a copy?
http://browsers.evolt.org/

Is it possible to install IE5 on a machine with IE6?

According to Microsoft no, but some genius did find a way of doing it,
and I've got IE 6, IE 5.5 and IE 5.0 all on my machine. Unfortunately
I've now lost the link to the method of doing it, but a bit of googling
on the c.i.w.a.* hierarchy should find it.
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?
Yes.

If so, which
browser(s) would you recommend testing with?

Opera; if possible Safari on the Mac. At least one text browser, though
you could use one of the Opera styles which does a good imitation of
that. I suspect IE 5.2 on the Mac can probably be ignored by now, but I
could be wrong.

If wide readability is important to you, you probably should check the
site is readable in Netscape 4, which still clings on in certain corners
of the Web, but don't bother about making it look good there. That way
lies madness.
 
W

WebMaster

Don G said:
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.

Actually, and contrary to popular belief, it's just that they are not the
same version. You can very well implement the same functionality regardless
of the platform you are working on (although that might take considerable
efforts). But ie on mac just isn't the same version as ie on windows,
regardless of them having a same version number...
 
W

WebMaster

Don G said:
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.
... 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.

only thing is, it's not free :)
Well, you have a banner if you don't pay, that is :)

Rudy
 
S

Stan Brown

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.

IIRC, they're "the same program" only in name. My understanding is
that Mac IE5 and Windows IE5 were different code bases.

By the way, to answer another of your questions, I've been told
that you can't have two releases of IE on the same machine if one
of them is IE6. I haven't tested that myself.

As always, you should test in Lynx or another character-based
browser, and you should validate every page.
 
M

Mark Parnell

Previously in
comp.infosystems.www.authoring.stylesheets,alt.html,comp.infosystems.www.authoring.site-design,
Stan Brown said:
IIRC, they're "the same program" only in name. My understanding is
that Mac IE5 and Windows IE5 were different code bases.

More than that - they use completely different rendering engines.
By the way, to answer another of your questions, I've been told
that you can't have two releases of IE on the same machine if one
of them is IE6. I haven't tested that myself.

Depends who you ask. I have IE 4.01, 5.01, 5.5 and 6 all installed on
this machine here. It does have a few strange side-effects, but nothing
major - good enough for testing.
 

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