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I've been doing web design for a while now and really can't seem to find the fastest way to check and fix browser compatibility issues when finishing off sites.
Currently, I just upload the site to a test server and have to make css changes in a kind of hit-and-miss way in order to make things work in IE 5+ and occasionally Firefox (I work on an Intel Mac so can check FF and Safari using my MAMP installation). Part of the reason it's hit-and-miss is that Internet Explorer doesn't have the option to install Firebug, so i can't try changes out in realtime.
What's the easiest way for me to check browser compatibility between all my target browsers? Should I use 'Multiple IE' on Parallels along with other browsers I want to check against? And if so, is there a way of checking the site as hosted on my MAMP installation rather than uploading the whole site to an online test server?
Any insights grately appreciated
For an idea how your work looks (although not feels (presentation: yes, functionality:no (?)) ) in wide variety of browsers on Linux, Windoze and Unix machines, you could use browsershots.org [browsershots.org]
Test your web design in different browsers
Browsershots makes screenshots of your web design in different browsers. It is a free open-source online service created by Johann C. Rocholl. 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 the central server here.
'Multiple IE' on Parallels
This is an excellent approach on the Mac - you'll be able to check both appearance and functionality. Any virtual machine for the Mac will work, but using either of the paid products - Parallels or VMware's Fusion - offers some usability advantages over Mac's native Boot Camp VM.
