Browsing through the looking glass
 
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One of the longest running and most pernicious problems in the world of Web apps is browser compatibility. The difficulty of creating cross-browser content is enormous and short of running Windows, Macintosh, Linux and WebTV platforms with all versions of IE, Netscape, AOL, Opera and all the other HTML browsers, making sure that your content can be seen correctly no matter what the user is running is, well, tricky.
Here's a solution: Browser Photo from NetMechanic, which tests your Web site using 14 different browsers. For a list of all supported browsers, versions and platforms go to: www.netmechanic.com/browser-photo/tour/BrowserList.htm
Check out the examples of errors at: www.netmechanic.com/browser-photo/errors/WebTVWoes.htm and the Browser Compatibility Tutorial at: www.netmechanic.com/browser-photo/tutorial.htm
When you use Browser Photo to test a Web site, you get screen shots of how each browser/platform actually renders your site - a far more powerful technique than emulating the browser output (emulation is only an approximation - Browser Photo supplies an image of what the real browser outputs).
The Browser Photo service costs $135 a year per domain or $15 for a one-time use.
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Mark Gibbs is a consultant, author, journalist, and columnist. He writes the weekly Backspin and Gearhead columns in Network World.
Mark Gibbs is a consultant, author, journalist, and columnist. He writes the weekly Backspin and Gearhead columns in Network World. Gibbs is also co-conspirator of the Vitally Important Information Web site.
Gibbs can be contacted at webapps@gibbs.com. Press releases to pr@gibbs.com.
Netmechanic
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