IE6, IE7 and Apple Safari - Together
Tuesday, August 21st, 2007 at 11:00 am
Being able to test your blog designs in several browsers without having to switch computers definitely makes life easier…
The debate about how long web designers will still have to cater for Internet Explorer 6 users was recently sparked again by an entry on Web Designer Wall (the new eye-candy on the block). Judging by the numerous comments on that entry and responses in other blogs, there are two distinct camps, though the group supporting the abolition of IE6 is dominating WDW’s poll.
Blogsolid launched at the beginning of August 2007 and statistics reveal that 9.5% of the visitors use IE6. This is not a large percentage, but in my opinion it represents a lot of individual visitors, so I believe it is still important to test your designs for IE6.
Since installing IE7 overwrites IE6, I found myself running around between several computers - my PC, an older one that still runs IE6 and of course a Mac, when I could lay my hands on one. This is obviously laborious. Now, I don’t know if I am the last person on earth to realise this, but you can run both IE6 and IE7 on your PC at once! I came across this great news via a link on Spoon Graphics.
Evolt.org has an archive of older Internet Explorer versions and Tredosoft allows you to install them all at once. I was only interested in IE6 though.
In addition I have also installed the Windows version of Apple Safari, which is now available.
Please post your cross-browser testing tips in the comments!
redwall_hp Says:
August 21st, 2007 at 4:18 pm
I’ve heard of the Evolt archive. I use Firefox, then I test in IE7. After that I open up my folder of Evolt standalones and test in IE6. Oh, I test with the Safari beta as well (and Opera, but that’s virtually the same as Firefox).
It’s become a lot easier to to test sites in multiple browsers.
Miguel Vera Says:
August 21st, 2007 at 6:12 pm
I haven’t test safari, but I think I’ll take a look, though I don’t receive many visits from that browser. What I use to test IE is the IE Tab for Firefox.
Jordan Says:
August 22nd, 2007 at 3:36 am
I use a PC and a mac also, and I know they have safari for windows, but in the past I have test safari out by going to http://www.browsercamp.com . Not sure if that will help anyone but I figured I would throw it out there.
Majd Mash Says:
August 22nd, 2007 at 11:46 am
for me..Firefox is like a base. In my web designs, I care more if it works well on Firefox rather on IE. and since i don’t have a mac, testing on safari is a new thing for me, as new as the safari beta for windows.
What makes Firefox so good for a web developer is Firebug; an addon that simply eases your life and helps throughout the whole process! have a look here: http://www.getfirebug.com .
besides, you need to put in mind the targeted audience of your website, if you aren’t expecting alot of visitors from the US for example, it’s sort of safe not to test on safari.
…..and sorry for the lengthy comment :)
redwall_hp Says:
August 22nd, 2007 at 3:27 pm
Majd Mash, that’s exactly what I do. I make it work in Firefox (which means it will work equally well in Opera, and it will generally work in Safari as well). Then I go and try to get it to look okay in IE. Generally it looks close enough that non-designers won’t notice that it’s too different, but there are generally a couple of slight goofs (IE’s fault!).
Blogsolid Says:
August 23rd, 2007 at 5:04 pm
Thanks for the tips! I use the web developer toolbar for Firefox, but I’ll definitely check out the IE tab, Browsercamp and Firebug…
Rob F Says:
August 24th, 2007 at 12:44 am
On my PC, which is my primary machine, I start in IE7. Don’t know why, its just habit I guess. Windows is soo tied to IE. Then i check it out in Firefox and Opera.
I also have a mac mini for testing in Safari and Firefox on the mac. I’ve found occasionally that Firefox on the mac and firefox on the PC sometimes don’t act the same. Safari beta for PC, i have not tried but I am interested to see if it works the same way as Safari on the mac…
Jonathan Says:
August 24th, 2007 at 3:59 am
I like reading about browser issues. Thanks for helping us!
A. Mad. Says:
August 24th, 2007 at 6:28 pm
Remember that Safari for Windows does not render the same as the Mac version…
Ryan Says:
September 14th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
Be wary of conditional comments in those standalone IE installs as they assume that they are whatever the current version of IE on your PC happens to be. There are ways of messing with your Windows registry to fix this problem but I usually avoid messing round with that stuff in case I break something.
Mark Eagleton Says:
November 28th, 2007 at 7:16 am
The web development company I work for is an all Mac shop. We run Windows XP in VMware Fusion with the Evolt IE stand-alones. One computer, all browsers.
If you develop in a modern, standards compliant browser like Safari or Firefox, then make accommodations for IE via IE’s conditional comments, you’ll have a much easier time wriggling things into shape. Design for Firefox, and Safari will pretty much fall into place, or vice versa.
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