Web Design with HTML and CSS

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Tools to identify browser problems

Web Design with HTML and CSS Digital Classroom

Tools to identify browser problems

The fi rst step in testing your page design is to view it in the desired browser; however, this

isn’t always easy, for various reasons. For example:

• You might not have access to the browser, which is a common problem when testing
  for cross-browser compatibility.


• Diff erent Windows operating systems might not allow multiple versions of Internet
  Explorer to be installed on the same system.

Microsoft provides guidance on their website for users who need multiple browsers on a single machine.

A common solution is to have access to a separate computer. Many web designers invest in

an inexpensive computer mainly used for testing. However, this option may not be practical

for several reasons:

• Ineffi ciency. There might be a time lag involved in continuously changing computers.


• The debugging process involves making many small changes. It could become tedious
  to change computers after every change.

Virtualization solutions for the Mac OS.

One way to avoid the time and investment of a separate computer for browser testing is to

install software on your primary computer that allows you to switch operating systems. This

ability is known as software virtualization and refers to the ability to add secondary operating

systems to your computer. For example, recent Mac OS X versions have this capability built

in with Apple Bootcamp.