So as a developer, which browsers do you feel you need to actually test in, to ensure that most users will see your site correctly? I just found a way to test IE 6 in vista (http://www.my-debugbar.com/wiki/IETester/HomePage), and I have firefox 3, opera 9.6, safari 3, IE 7. Is it worth it to test with opera 6, 7, and 8? What about like firefox 1, 1.5, and 2? I want to make sites that look best on the latest browsers, but at least degrade well on older browsers. I know IE 6 is WAY different, but should I test older firefox/opera just for little css2/javascript differences? (and I only use a little javascript).
What do you do personally to test sites?
| snowboardalliance wrote: |
So as a developer, which browsers do you feel you need to actually test in, to ensure that most users will see your site correctly? I just found a way to test IE 6 in vista (http://www.my-debugbar.com/wiki/IETester/HomePage), and I have firefox 3, opera 9.6, safari 3, IE 7. Is it worth it to test with opera 6, 7, and 8? What about like firefox 1, 1.5, and 2? I want to make sites that look best on the latest browsers, but at least degrade well on older browsers. I know IE 6 is WAY different, but should I test older firefox/opera just for little css2/javascript differences? (and I only use a little javascript).
What do you do personally to test sites? |
I personally develop in Safari, the latest version, just cause it's easiest to have an uncluttered browser window for me. I then check it in Firefox 3, and 2, (I have both installed, so it's not a big problem to test it, and I have encountered a few bugs in FF2 that aren't in FF3).
I then test it in IE 6, and IE 7 (and I'll start testing IE 8 soon). I don't usually test it in any other browsers unless the client requests it. Hitting Safari, FF3 and FF2 pretty much guarantees it will be fine in most other browsers.
I hate testing it in IE 6, but you almost have to because if you don't, it will be so bad that it is unusable.
Also, I don't know if it has a Vista version, but for installing multiple IEs, look up Multiple IEs. It's great, I have quite a few installed, and use IE 6 and 7 for testing quite regularly.Star Wars Fanatic: Just so you know, most people do not use Internet Explorer 4-6 for obvious reasons, but a lot of people do use Internet Explorer 7 (not so much 8 since its still beta). So, my suggestion is to test in both at the same time, you can also do some IE hacks by making a seperate stylesheet for IE Version # and adding using HTML commenting if statements.
But, it's up to the developer, thats just what I do.
| BillysProgrammer wrote: |
Star Wars Fanatic: Just so you know, most people do not use Internet Explorer 4-6 for obvious reasons, but a lot of people do use Internet Explorer 7 (not so much 8 since its still beta). So, my suggestion is to test in both at the same time, you can also do some IE hacks by making a seperate stylesheet for IE Version # and adding using HTML commenting if statements.
But, it's up to the developer, thats just what I do. |
The market share of IE 6 is still almost as much as the market share of FF 3. While IE 7 is used more than both, it is prudent to test in IE 6, and if there are errors that would make it unusable, to fix them. 19% of web viewers is too much to ignore.
And I am aware of IE hacks, thanks. 
And I was speaking of 8, which is in it's public release, as a browser to start testing in once it is in wide release.I am testing in IE6, IE7, Opera9, Safari3, FF2, FF3 and Crome. I think only IE users are slow in updating their browser because they have lot of troubles when they switch from old to new version. Other (FF, Opera, Safari, etc) are in most situation updated version but I see sometimes FF2 have little difference from FF3.
Sonam
I'm only testing in IE6, IE7, Opera9, Safari3 and FF3. I should test it in IE8, FF2, Chrome, Safar4 too and maybe not just the newest Opera, but one older too... With firefox I don't feel the urge to test it in 2, mozilla was realy succesful with induce people to switch to the newer version.
FF3 and FF2 support and display the same way. So you can test in either or.
| BillysProgrammer wrote: |
| FF3 and FF2 support and display the same way. So you can test in either or. |
Not always, I have had some trouble with display issues in FF2 and not in FF3. Very few, but a few.FF and IE... but I also use BROWSER SHOTS to see if I can find some other errors on other broswers...
For me just Firefox and Opera.... if it doesn't work in IE that isn't my problem.... people who want to view my webpages can get themselves a proper browser...
Malcolm
Browser shots is a brilliant tool to achieve this.
I test in a number of browsers but the main ones are:
Firefox - Windows and Linux versions
I.E 7
Opera
Safari
Google Chrome
| malcolmpreen wrote: |
For me just Firefox and Opera.... if it doesn't work in IE that isn't my problem.... people who want to view my webpages can get themselves a proper browser...
Malcolm |
Thats not good to say, because a lot of people still use IE, but FF still uses some files from IE, so you need IE to have FF most of the time, but IE is built in on most computers, except for Macs and Linux.
IE is a very good browser, just the way it interprets CSS is different then the later versions of FF because IE is a more proper browser and its good to work off of that, if it works in IE, it'll definitely work in every other browser. | BillysProgrammer wrote: |
| malcolmpreen wrote: | For me just Firefox and Opera.... if it doesn't work in IE that isn't my problem.... people who want to view my webpages can get themselves a proper browser...
Malcolm |
Thats not good to say, because a lot of people still use IE, but FF still uses some files from IE, so you need IE to have FF most of the time, but IE is built in on most computers, except for Macs and Linux.
IE is a very good browser, just the way it interprets CSS is different then the later versions of FF because IE is a more proper browser and its good to work off of that, if it works in IE, it'll definitely work in every other browser. |
Totally agree. This ties in with my reply on this thread - http://www.frihost.com/forums/vt-90245-3.html#871959 | welshsteve wrote: |
Browser shots is a brilliant tool to achieve this.
I test in a number of browsers but the main ones are:
Firefox - Windows and Linux versions
I.E 7
Opera
Safari
Google Chrome |
I did use Browser Shots, but it's no good if you're trying to fix a problem, because it's too slow. Coding for 2 minutes and then taken a screenshot in 30 is way to long for a little problem. It's good if you're site is already coded, however, and you want to make sure it looks fine in those browsers, but no good if you're actively trying to fix a problem, and you don't really know how, you're just trying random things.Good to check on with browsershots but you can't test everything with a screenshot...
| malcolmpreen wrote: |
For me just Firefox and Opera.... if it doesn't work in IE that isn't my problem.... people who want to view my webpages can get themselves a proper browser...
Malcolm |
That's fine for a more tech-savy audience maybe, but I'm hoping to do some freelance jobs this summer and I don't think any company is okay with ignoring the majority of users.
| kacsababa wrote: |
| Good to check on with browsershots but you can't test everything with a screenshot... |
True, it's slow and non-interactive.
Thanks for all the replies. So as for old versions of Firefox and Opera, just test FF2 and FF3 along with the latest Opera? Is that a safe assumption? Should I test FF1 and say Opera 7 or 8?If you're look for looks, http://browsershots.org/ does that very simply. It might show errors, I am not sure though. | Diablosblizz wrote: |
| If you're look for looks, http://browsershots.org/ does that very simply. It might show errors, I am not sure though. |
I know of that site, but it's not very useful (slow to get shots, only a screenshot so you can't test interaction). Since I can do a lot of testing on my computer faster and more efficiently, I'm opting for that.I'm running on Windows Vista. I test websites in the Mozilla Firefox 3, IE 6 and 7, Opera and Safari.
Since IE6 won't run on Vista, I use Microsoft's Virtual PC.
thanks for the info bout browsershots
I test in
Firefox ,I.E 6 and 7 both,Opera 9
Testing the latest version of Firefox, Opera and Safari should be enough. For IE, you might want to test in at least 6, 7 and 8. Most IE-users don't know enough about computers to update, and you probably don't want to miss them.
I develop in IE8/7 and Opera and test pages regularly (which means after finishing another day's work) in Firefox, Chrome and Safari, though I sometimes develop in Safari because it's really a great browser. However, since Chrome has been released I tend to use it more often than Safari (as it is the same engine just faster 
)
And after I did a great lot of changes I check the pages in IE6 and 5.5, though I only look at the latter one because it's fun looking at it, struggling with all the css and javascript and transparency and and and *g*
When I developed the website for my father though I regularly checked changes in IE6 as many of his customers still use that browser, but otherwise... forget it... people don't deserve my content and time if they're using software that is basically more than 8 years old 
| snowboardalliance wrote: |
So as a developer, which browsers do you feel you need to actually test in, to ensure that most users will see your site correctly? I just found a way to test IE 6 in vista (http://www.my-debugbar.com/wiki/IETester/HomePage), and I have firefox 3, opera 9.6, safari 3, IE 7. Is it worth it to test with opera 6, 7, and 8? What about like firefox 1, 1.5, and 2? I want to make sites that look best on the latest browsers, but at least degrade well on older browsers. I know IE 6 is WAY different, but should I test older firefox/opera just for little css2/javascript differences? (and I only use a little javascript).
What do you do personally to test sites? |
I used to test sites with Windows Virtual PC (with IE6). Then I discovered IE Tester couple of months ago and it was waaay waaay better because it has multiple versions of IE from 5.5 to 8. 
I test sites on other browsers too, like Firefox 3, Safari, and Opera. It's sometimes, I mean most of the time, a pain to make your site cross browser compatible. Hehehe... But that's a part of being a web designer and developer.
I use that too and it's awesome, seeing as you really need to test IE6 and you can't from vista normally.
