Looking for application to preview content in a range of browsers

[Ben Jessel]

I am developing a web site, and I want to make sure that it works o.k
on a range of platforms

eg, Netscape 4.X -> Mozilla, I.E 4-I.E6, Opera etc.

The trouble is that I don't really want to have to install 10
different browsers on my laptop ( certainly if I have to
uninstall/reinstall one after another ). Also, I can't test I.E on
Mac, neither can I test Netscape/I.E on Unix as I am only using
Windows.

Is there such an application as an emulator which will enable me to
flick between versions/platforms of I.E / Mozilla / Opera. Maybe some
kind of preview program that dynamically loads in the rending .dll
components ( or their UNIX/Mac equivalent ), depending on a menu
choice.

Would there be a demand for a program like this? How feasible would it
be to write?

[Brian]

Ben Jessel wrote:

I am developing a web site, and I want to make sure that it works o.k
on a range of platforms

eg, Netscape 4.X -> Mozilla, I.E 4-I.E6, Opera etc.

The trouble is that I don't really want to have to install 10
different browsers on my laptop ( certainly if I have to
uninstall/reinstall one after another ).
You can install Lynx, Netscape 4.x, Mozilla 1.x, Opera 7.x, and IE 5.0
all on one windows machine. I know, because I have all of them on my
Windows 2k box. You could, of course, have different versions than I
have, e.g., IE 6/win.

If you have these browsers, you have a good start for cross browser
testing.
Also, I can't test I.E on Mac,
A problem, that's true; while IE/Mac is a good browser, with good
support for standards, it does have some unique css bugs. I'm
fortunate in that a sibling is Mac user, so I can bug her for a
report. Still, it'd be nice to have a actual Mac.
neither can I test Netscape/I.E on Unix
If you're talking about a newer version of Netscape, i.e., 7.x, then
it's based on Mozilla, and I don't think there will be any substantial
rendering differences compared to a Windows version. Now, IE for
Unix. Hm. IE for unix? Does such a thing exist?
Is there such an application as an emulator which will enable me to
flick between versions/platforms of I.E / Mozilla / Opera. Maybe some
kind of preview program that dynamically loads in the rending .dll
components ( or their UNIX/Mac equivalent ), depending on a menu
choice.
I've never heard of such a thing.
Would there be a demand for a program like this? How feasible would it
be to write?

I imagine it would be quite a bit easier to download the browsers
themselves, and more reliable, too.

--
Brian
follow the directions in my address to email me

[Peter Jenkins]

"Ben Jessel" <be********@morpheme.co.uk> wrote in message

I am developing a web site, and I want to make sure that it works o.k
on a range of platforms

eg, Netscape 4.X -> Mozilla, I.E 4-I.E6, Opera etc.

The trouble is that I don't really want to have to install 10
different browsers on my laptop ( certainly if I have to
uninstall/reinstall one after another ). Also, I can't test I.E on
Mac, neither can I test Netscape/I.E on Unix as I am only using
Windows.

Is there such an application as an emulator which will enable me to
flick between versions/platforms of I.E / Mozilla / Opera. Maybe some
kind of preview program that dynamically loads in the rending .dll
components ( or their UNIX/Mac equivalent ), depending on a menu
choice.

Would there be a demand for a program like this? How feasible would it
be to write?

I should imagine this would be quite a useful thing to have, more
particularly a Mac/IE/Safari emulator. Netscape and Opera can be
loaded along with IE on one PC
Regards
Peter J

[Philipp Lenssen]

Ben Jessel wrote:

Is there such an application as an emulator which will enable me to
flick between versions/platforms of I.E / Mozilla / Opera. Maybe some
kind of preview program that dynamically loads in the rending .dll
components ( or their UNIX/Mac equivalent ), depending on a menu
choice.

Would there be a demand for a program like this? How feasible would it
be to write?

If there would be an online tool where you can upload your HTML + CSS
and return a little preview gallery of say 30 different browsers, then
I would say there's definite demand. However what also often breaks is
the JavaScript and since those dynamic portions of a page can't be
shown in a simple image, it would not be all you need. Personally I
download a bunch of browsers at <http://browsers.evolt.org/>, I can
test on a Mac, and I also got IE5, IE5.5 and IE6 running on the same
machine with a little hack thanks to our sys-admin. Then we also got a
virtual machine running on one of our machines with different types of
operating systems. But the most important basis for cross-browser (and
cross-media) web pages is certainly experience as well as knowing and
following the W3C standards. Plus, you should restrict all gimmicks
(such as dynamic menus) to the minimum (if it'd be my own site I
wouldn't even do dynamic menus, or any JavaScript for that).

[Rijk van Geijtenbeek]

On 15 Dec 2003 09:17:06 GMT, Philipp Lenssen <in**@outer-court.com> wrote:

Ben Jessel wrote:

Is there such an application as an emulator which will enable me to
flick between versions/platforms of I.E / Mozilla / Opera. Maybe some
kind of preview program that dynamically loads in the rending .dll
components ( or their UNIX/Mac equivalent ), depending on a menu
choice.

Would there be a demand for a program like this? How feasible would it
be to write?

If there would be an online tool where you can upload your HTML + CSS
and return a little preview gallery of say 30 different browsers, then
I would say there's definite demand.

There is such an online service:

http://www.browsercam.com/

You can (for a price) get screenshots of your online pages in lots of
different browsers on various operating systems. There is also a free demo.

--
Rijk van Geijtenbeek

The Web is a procrastination apparatus:
It can absorb as much time as is required to ensure that you won't get any
real work done. - J.Nielsen