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)."

Comments

Alpa PNG in other IEs?

[Kelson]

One of the problems I've had running IE6 through WINE (not through ies4linux, just a stock Crossover install) is that the filter-based workarounds to trick IE5.5 and IE6 into displaying alpha-transparent PNG images correctly just doesn't work. IIRC, it's because those methods force IE to display the image through an ActiveX control which isn't present on Linux systems. It replaces the image with a blank one, but doesn't display the alpha-blended background.

This shouldn't be an issue with IE7, but it does make it difficult to test layouts that use alpha PNG and rely on the IE6 workaround.

It's good to know that they've got conditional comments working, though. That's always been the trick with running multiple IEs on Windows. You have to tweak the registry, or else each IE engine will parse them as if it were the most recent one installed on the system.

Re:Alpa PNG in other IEs?

[Kelson]

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.)

Just use a VM

[Anonymous Coward]

I only test on the actual OS it will be running on. Even the summary mentions different behaviour on Linux. Sheesh, I would never trust that setup.

I use VMware or similar to run on the target OS. It's the only way to be sure it will work as intended.

Woot!

[Maliron]

This is awesome! Now if we can only get people coding html in Winblows to test their pages on firefox we'll be in business!

Can I ask an obvious question without being flamed

[djh101010]

Seriously. WHY? Why would I want to do that? 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?

Jokes aside here guys, but what's the point?

Insanity

[Bogtha]

I just don't see how anybody can think this is a good idea for debugging websites. If you see problems with a design, how on earth are you going to be able to tell which are caused by bugs in Internet Explorer and which are caused by bugs in WINE? I know Internet Explorer is exceptionally buggy, but in my experience, WINE is a hundred times worse.

If you're going to need to test in Internet Explorer on Linux, then full-machine virtualisation with a genuine copy of Windows is going to be far more reliable than a partial implementation of the Windows libraries. Yes, it uses more resources, but at least it's not likely to make you chase phantom bugs. The article points out that there are already problems with displaying GIFs - how many other problems like this are lurking waiting to be discovered?

This hack is useful if you really need to use an Internet Explorer-only website, but it just seems crazy to think this is useful for debugging websites.

Re:Can I ask an obvious question without being fla

[99BottlesOfBeerInMyF]

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.

You can even get an obvious answer!

[Kelson]

From the article summary:

you will be able to develop and test webpages across almost all major browsers (IE 5-7, Firefox, Opera) on one Linux box!

If you do your main development on a Linux box, and want to test minor changes in IE as you make them (major changes and final testing should still be done on a native system if possible), it's a lot more convenient to fire up a copy of IE in WINE than to move over to another box or reboot into Windows.

Re:You can even get an obvious answer!

[djh101010]

If you do your main development on a Linux box, and want to test minor changes in IE as you make them (major changes and final testing should still be done on a native system if possible), it's a lot more convenient to fire up a copy of IE in WINE than to move over to another box or reboot into Windows. OK, right, I see that, but - how much confidence are you _really_ going to have in an artificially constructed pretty-good-emulation running a Windows binary under Linux? I mean, fine for "does it look OK", but to really validate, I think anything other than the real thing running on the real thing, is iffy at best. In the QA environments I've set up, we had a stable of systems in our QA lab, initially each with a different version of 'doze and IE on them. Later, we went to a vmware setup with virtual machines running the OS and browser to be tested, all repeatable golden clean builds and so on. If it were up to me to design something, I'd rather go with a vmware solution and different OS images to boot into.

But, I suppose, if it's just to keep on eye on the site as you go along, fine. So is IE7 really _that_ broken that this is needed? Again not trying to flame, it just boggles the fark out of me that they're still doing that.

isn't IE7 on Linux kind of like,

[cavehobbit]

Pat Buchannon humping on Charlize Theron?

Nuts. Now I need brain bleach.
Can't believe I even THOUGHT of that...

Re:I have a much easier way

[AJWM]

3) /bin/rm removes all files, including /lib/libc.so and /bin/rm (remember they are run from memory not disk..

Yes on one, irrelevant on two.

The 'rm' just decrements the link count to the file. As long as a process (any process) still has an open file descriptor for that file, the file is in fact still there. It only really disappears when the link count is zero and no processes still have the file open. True for all 'nixes, AFAIK.

(You probably know this, other readers may not.)

Re:I have a much easier way

[dreamlax]

step 1: rm -Rf / step 2: install windows

That's so cool. But you left out the real problem: How to get Windows to run long enough to view a web site?

You have to download it and save it locally while still running *nix, burn it to a CD with mkisofs -R -J . . .| cdrecord, then rm -Rf / then install Windows (might have to wait overnight for it to finish). Once installed, disable all network adaptors, physically remove any CAT 5/6 cables just in case, then boot into Safe Mode, and view it from the CD. You should have about 4 minutes before you get the W32.Blaster worm.

Better check the EULA first guys.

[fluffy99]

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.