Cross-Browser Testing (So Happy Together)
One of the issues with web design these days is cross-browser testing. What looks good in one browser tends to be a bit off (or downright broken in older, temperamental browsers) in others, even with the common use of XHTML and CSS coding. A key to cross-browser compatibility is having a wide selection of browsers available for testing purposes.
Firefox
My favorite browser. Not only do I find it the easiest to use, but it also seems to be the most standards compliant. A huge range of extension add to its functionality. If you’re a developer, be sure to pick up the Firebug and Web Developer plug-ins. I always start my design work in Firefox and then tackle the issues with other browsers.
Internet Explorer 7
IE7 is a definite improvement over previous versions of the browser, but is still mighty flawed. It still has a commanding market share (for now), so it’s good to pay attention to it while developing.
Internet Explorer 6 (and earlier)
I blight on the existence of web standards, IE6 breaks nearly trick in the book. There are a ton of CSS hacks and work-arounds out on the ‘net for common compliance problems. The problem is that installing IE7 overwrites earlier versions. A company named Tredosoft has an extremely useful resource available (it’s free!) which allows the older versions of IE, all the way back to 3.0, to be installed along side each other (and alongside IE7). Statistics show that just under 10% of web users still use an older version of IE.
Safari
Originally for Mac platforms only, there is now a version available for Windows.
Opera
I’m not sure how this one manages to hang in there, but it’s still a useful addition to your blog arsenal. You can download Opera it for free.
I know I should probably be the last person to be writing about this since I have yet to thoroughly test my new Wordpress theme in anything other than Firefox. I’ve checked it out in IE7 and it looks decent, but not perfect. It’s completely hosed in Safari, Opera and IE6. I guess I’d better get cracking.
Qwaider قويدر November 23rd, 2007 8:29 am
If I may, I I would like to add couple of things.
Opera (not Firefox) is the most standards compliant of the bunch. It’s also the fastest and the one with most forward thinking innovation. It’s pretty darn good.
Safari is a piece of Crap, but with the rising share of Mac and Mac enabled devices (Aka iphone) you must take it into consideration (or a Mac user will start a punch dave in the face campagin)
FireFox and IE both suck. IE is TOOOOO LOOOOSE on the standards, while Firefox is too strict. The greatness lies somewhere in between.
IE runs faster than firefox (thanks to loading almost half of it in the kernel) but that doesn’t mean that the overall experience is better.
I think Firefox 3 and IE8 are going to have one hell of a fierce battle in 2008.
A good design on one will -more than I like- break in the other.
For what it’s worth, this blog looks awesome in IE!