Browser Testing at its Best: Kyle Haskins

Browser Testing at its Best

Browser Testing

With the upcoming release of Internet Explorer 7, it is time to add this browser to the web development testing process. The difficulty is that Microsoft is not supporting developers in running both IE6 and IE7 Beta on the same computer. Thanks to the developer community it is now possible to run both versions simultaneously.

It's also important to test Flash development in the recent Flash player, a previous version like Flash player 7, and a browser without the Flash player installed. This is especially important if you are experimenting with any of the new features in Flash 8.

Like many Web designers, I work primarily on a Mac. I have a PC at my desk for testing purposes and I use Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection software for Mac to remotely connect to the PC. Recently I was able to update the PC with this setup:

IE7 Beta 3, Flash 9
IE6 (standalone), Flash 9
Firefox, Flash 7
Opera, No Flash

Here's how I did it:

Install Firefox and Opera
Download and install IE7 Beta 3
Download the IE6 standalone
Close all running browsers
Uninstall the Flash player using Adobe's Uninstaller, in most cases this will also leave Opera without the Flash player
Download and run the Flash player 7 installer, select only the latest version of Firefox during the install
Open IE7 and visit the Flash player update page. Proceed to install the Flash player in IE7 through the online installer. This installation will also apply to the standalone version of IE6

Update: I'm now using Parallels Desktop to run Windows XP on my MacBook. If you have an Intel-based Mac I'd highly suggest using this. It is much faster than VirtualPC, and allows you to quickly run XP in full-screen mode.

Comments

#1 SpitGray on October 23, 2006 2:02 PM

"IE7/Flash 9 issue"
Ok Guys

Here is the one the worked for me:

1. If you have non-working flash currently installed procede to step 3
2. If not, install the flash player from the adobe web site:
http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer
3. After installing the non-working flash player, I use CrapCleaner -
http://filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/
4. Once you open the Crap Cleaner software, click the "Applications tab and uncheck everything except for the "Multimedia" and the "Macromedia Flash" boxes.
5. Click the "Run Cleaner" button to delete any left out registry of previous installations of players.
6. This should get it working, but if not, run this file:
http://docxp.mvps.org/b1n/FlashRepair.exe patch
...seems to repair problem with registry key changed by antivirus / antispyware software.

....I know it was long, but this is what worked for me....

Good Luck

#2 Mike on November 8, 2006 11:46 AM

I'm running the same setup -- Intel MBP running Parallels. It's a Godsend when it comes to testing, having both platforms on one machine, and XP runs faster than it ever did on my work PC!

Something that caught me out for a moment when running the IE standalones (I run IE7, 6, 5.5 & 5 via Parallels) is that when I installed the final IE7 version it overwrote my previous conditional comments fix, so I had to go back and re-apply it.

Sightings

iPhone Wallpapers by Garrett Murray //
David Lanham : Bad Comma // Wonderful artwork by artist David Lanham. Much of it he has avalible as desktop or iPhone wallpaper.
IPhone Users Love That Mobile Web // 85% of iPhone users accessed the moblie Web, compared to 13% in the entire mobile market
Apple Pushes Safari on Unsuspecting Windows Users // As an Apple user I don't really like this, but as a web designer I think it's great.
Remove .Mac menu bar icon (10.5.2) // Hold the Apple key down and drag the icon out of the menu bar
FlickrFan // Mac OS X application that pulls high-def photos from flickr and displays them as your screen saver. Can pull photos using any RSS feed.
Getting Emotional by Design // SXSW panel site and slides
Veer: Products: OJP0003600 // Searching Veer for a business presentation, I came accross this very strange image.
Reference for EVERY Character Key on a Mac //
Democratic Debate, February 21, 2008 //
LiquidText // ActionScript that lets text flow around an object. I sure wish that CSS could do this.
Bring Some Bling to Your Web Galleries With FancyZoom // I predict that this, or something like it, will replace lightbox.
Economic Development & Engagement: Indiana University // Recent site launch. My porfolio is long overdue for an update.
End of Support for Netscape browser // Netscape dies. Can IE6 be next?
Democratic Debate, January 31, 2008 // Here is a playlist I made of videos already on YouTube.
Man wakes up at his own wake // Spooky
Fluid // Treat online apps as if they are desktop apps. Requires Leopard.
Recovery Stories // This Undercover app for OSX takes photos of a laptop thief. I'm still not sure how well this could work, but this story (with photos) is great.
NSI Registers Every Domain Checked // Keep away from Network Solutions if you are looking for a domain. They'll lock the domain the minute you do a search.
Ipod Nano Feist 1234 Commercial // Must see parody of the iPod commercial.
NSW Police Department: Body // Ads target iPod users.
Vinyl Wallpaper //
Web Drifter // Comedy show by Martin Sargent that is odd, funny, and sometimes disturbing. Martin profiles oddballs from the internet in a Daily Show interview style.

More sightings >