Adobe Community: how can i test different versions of a browser?

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1. markerline,

Feb 20, 2012 8:45 AM in reply to ossaioputa

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Although I haven't got it to work properly you can use Adobe's Browser Lab to test different browsers. Check it out and see how you like it. There is also a product called IETester which you can search for on the internet to install on your computer. You CANNOT install more than one version of IE with the exception of one 32-bit and one 64-bit of the same edition on a single computer (if the computer is 64-bit) unless you install different versions of Windows within a virtual machine which can get costly.

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2. ossaioputa,

Feb 21, 2012 6:31 AM in reply to ossaioputa

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thanks

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3. markerline,

Feb 21, 2012 7:16 AM in reply to ossaioputa

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You're welcome. I wish you luck. My experience with Browser Lab has been that I haven't gotten the CSS3 interactivity to work too well so I have access to other browsers via a virtual machine or different machines altogether to test their interactivity. If you were fortunate to download Windows 8 Developer Preview you could test IE10 also which works best on a separate partition rather than within a virtual machine (although it slightly works within a virtual machine). IE10 has full support of html5 and CSS3 from what I can see and there are 2 versions of IE10 on Windows 8: one with plugins the other without. This version of Windows 8 will expire in March but Microsoft from what I have read on blogs is scheduled to release a new preview version of WIndows 8 after their upcoming event or conference which is supposed to be happening pretty soon.

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4. Marian Driscoll,

Feb 21, 2012 7:37 AM in reply to ossaioputa

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ossaioputa wrote:

...For instance IE 6 - 9...

First, dump the idea of designing for IE6. Unless you have an expected audience in Asia, there is no need to bother with IE6. (details: http://www.ie6countdown.com/ )

If you are running IE9, you can view IE7 and IE8 as well with no extra installation. Just hit F12 to bring up the developer tools (and the switcher for the browser version). This is probably the one thing that Microsoft got right with IE.

The only reason to use Browser Lab is if you are not running Windows Vista or Windows 7 (the only two platforms that can run everything: Chrome, Safari, Opera, Firefox, IE7, IE8, IE9). As we move to a more interactive web, static screenshots from Browser Lab just don't cut it anymore.

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5. Nancy O.,

Feb 21, 2012 4:00 PM in reply to ossaioputa

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If you're on Windows, get Multi-IE Tester. It contains the JavaScript and rendering engines for IE5.5 - 10.

http://www.my-debugbar.com/wiki/IETester/HomePage

That said, Pre-IE8 browsers are waning in popularity (thank goodness). And IE5.5 and 6 are obsolete. I don't know anybody who still supports them.

I totally agree with Marian about Browser Labs and Browsershots. Static screenshots don't tell you anything useful about your site's usability and performance.

Nancy O.

Alt-Web Design & Publishing

Web | Graphics | Print | Media Specialists

http://alt-web.com/

http://twitter.com/altweb

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6. markerline,

Feb 21, 2012 7:07 PM in reply to Nancy O.

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I guess as far as Browser Lab is concerned when I tried to test an html5/CSS3 site the other day I discovered I couldn't get any interactivity going. That must be what Marian was talking about.

And as far as what I was talking about with IE Tester that is what you, Nancy, pointed me to many moons ago. I'm not sure if I still have it installed but I will certainly need to reinstall it if not to make the best use of my computer to test sites. Does IE Tester also work on Mac's in case anybody needs to test? (My guess is why would they build that great tool if Mac website developers couldn't make use of it.... so probably yes?)

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7. Nancy O.,

Feb 22, 2012 1:24 PM in reply to markerline

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Multi-IE Tester is for Windows only.

If you're on a Mac, use Parallels (virtualization) or Boot Camp to run in Windows OS.

http://www.parallels.com/

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/guide/windows

Nancy O.

Alt-Web Design & Publishing

Web | Graphics | Print | Media Specialists

http://alt-web.com/

http://twitter.com/altweb

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8. ossaioputa,

Feb 24, 2012 1:54 AM in reply to ossaioputa

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Thanks for the replies. The question that now remains for me, is whether it's important to test, individually, for the earlier versions of the non-IE browsers. And if there is need, can i have different versions of them (firefox, chrome, opera and safari) on my computer (i'm using Windows Visa).

Also, I don't have a mac. Can the same version of a browser deliver pages, which look and behave significantly different on a Mac than on Windows?

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9. markerline,

Feb 24, 2012 7:56 AM in reply to ossaioputa

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I'm not sure if you can have different versions of the browsers you mentioned. The most reliable way would be to run a Virtual Machine such as VMWare and install different copies of Windows and then install the different versions of the browsers in each version. Some browsers now auto-update and I'm not sure that this feature can be disabled, so you might not be able to use "older versions" of a browser.

I would check the internet if they have a product out there similar to the IE Tester which was mentioned above for the other browsers or contact support for each browser in question.

As far as a Mac is concerned it is entirely possible that someone with a different machine might display differently because by default there are a few fonts installed on Macs that aren't installed on Windows and vice versa. See if you can find a friend with a Mac or invest in one if it means that much to you. There are even some browsers which are Mac-only.

And that's not to say anything about the third OS: Linux.

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10. Marian Driscoll,

Feb 27, 2012 6:44 AM in reply to markerline

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I don't think the version differences in non-IE browsers are an issue. Browsers auto-update so most people are using the most recent versions. And the differences between the versions of a non-IE browser is not as great as the difference between versions of IE.

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11. Noel Carboni,

Feb 27, 2012 10:29 AM in reply to ossaioputa

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And while you're at it, don't forget to check your work on portable devices and tablets (e.g., iPad, iPhone, Android, various other tablets).

The way things are going, full-fledged computers are losing ground to these things fast; web designers will be wise not to ignore them.

-Noel

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12. John.P.Ramos,

Apr 21, 2012 1:52 PM in reply to ossaioputa

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Hi,

Try: http://browsershots.org/

What is Browsershots?

Browsershots makes screenshots of your web design in different operating systems and browsers. It is a free open-source online web application providing developers a convenient way to test their website's browser compatibility in one place. When you submit your web address, it will be added to the job queue. A number of distributed computers will open your website in their browser. Then they will make screenshots and upload them to our central dedicated server for your review.

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13. mytaxsite.co.uk,

Apr 21, 2012 10:09 PM in reply to ossaioputa

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ossaioputa wrote:

Hi

I was wondering, is it possible to have all previous versions of a browser stored on my laptop in order to test my websites? For instance IE 6 - 9. Could someone please suggest an efficient way to
test all the main browser and all their versions on a laptop.

Thank you

Oputa.

If you want to test your site in IE6, IE7, IE8 and IE9 then Microsoft's free download of Expressionweb SuperPreview is what you need:

http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=2020

Hope this helps.

Good Guy

Website: http://mytaxsite.co.uk

Website: http://html-css.co.uk

Forums: http://mytaxsite.boardhost.com

Email: http://mytaxsite.co.uk/contact-us

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how can i test different versions of a browser?

Feb 20, 2012 8:22 AM

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