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Internet Explorer 7 on Linux
An anonymous reader writes to mention WebExpose is running a quick guide to get Internet Explorer 7.0 running on Linux. From the article: "Microsoft conditional comments do work, unlike the standalone version of IE on Windows, so you will be able to develop and test webpages across almost all major browsers (IE 5-7, Firefox, Opera) on one Linux box! Also note that we will avoid Microsoft's Genuine Advantage download validation checks, so pure-Linux users will be able to finish the process without having to find a genuine Windows machine to download the IE7 setup file (the check is avoided legitimately, by the way)."
What is so compelling about IE7 that I'd want to go through any effort at all? I'm using Firefox 2.0something, it meets my needs. If I were to jump through hoops to install this on my linux box, what would that get for me?
Assuming you, like half of the people here, end up doing some Web development at some point, you get the ability to test those pages in IE7, which has about 50% of the market right now. Being able to do that without having to buy a copy of Windows is a pretty big deal to a lot of people.
There are ways to force IE 5.5 and IE 6 to display a PNG through another image library which does handle alpha transparency correctly. The one I usually use is PNG Behavior, because it's unobtrusive -- the only change it requires is assigning a class to alpha PNGs and adding one proprietary CSS rule.
Basically, it replaces the image with a blank one, then loads a filter which displays the actual image in the background. Since the filter can display alpha transparency, you get an alpha-blended image. This works on native installations of IE 5.5 and IE6. On WINE, though, the filter doesn't work, so all it succeeds in is replacing the image with a blank.
(Oddly, I found the same thing happening to the stand-alone copies of IE on my Windows box when I upgraded from the IE7 release candidate to the final version. It prompted me to finally set up VirtualPC.)
For those who have not read the IE7 EULA:
PLEASE NOTE: Microsoft Corporation (or based on where you live, one of its affiliates) licenses this supplement to you. You may use a copy of this supplement with each validly licensed copy of Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003 SP1 software (the "software"). You may not use the supplement if you do not have a license for the software. The license terms for the software apply to your use of this supplement.
So you need to have a licensed copy of WXP or W2K3. Looks a little vaque whether you have to be running under the validly licensed OS, though.