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Microsoft's New Multiple-Browser Tester
Z80xxc! writes "Microsoft recently announced a new product called Expression Web SuperPreview, which lets developers view their web pages in any browser installed on their system, as well as in different versions of IE, all from the same interface. The product has one genuine innovation — a built-in tool for overlaying the rendering from one browser over another to compare (referred to as 'onion skins'). There are also HTML debugging aids and other helpful tools for web developers. A beta version is available for download. However, the current build only has support for IE — it will compare rendering in IE6 with either IE7 or IE8, whichever is installed. An internal build shows Firefox and Safari on Windows as well. The final product will appear as part of MS Expression Web Studio 3 when it is released later this year. (It will not be available in the Expression Mac suite.)"
You mean the W3C is not compatible with the dominant browser?
Isn't it great how modern technology can do things like this? Back in the old days, we had to make do with defining a standard and ensuring that everything displayed things according to it. But now, we don't need the stifling constraints of consistency; browsers can be creative in their interpretation, and every developer can use a tool like this to see the amount of expression browsers put into rendering. I foresee a future where this innovation will be carried to things like simple desk calculators, where 2+2 is no longer shackled to equal 4, where one will have a "multi-calculator" that gives a range of results. I can't wait!
You can't count on bitmaps either, because of Gamma Correction and similar issues. That's why I always directly stimulate my user's optic nerves. But even that isn't perfect.
This is a lot like someone kneecapping you and then expecting you to be thankful when they offer you crutches.
---Technology will liberate us if it doesn't enslave us first.
I have to admit I was tempted and looked for the Expresion Studio product page, once there, any demo obviously require Silverlight. since I'm on the Linux machine and Silverlight will not touch the windows machine EVER. I clicked on the install and prompt me to the Moonlight page. I have to admit again that I was waiting for the "zomg you're using Linux what the hell are you doing here? chu chu" but no. I'm confused == Microsoft delivered. Bah I did not install Moonligh.
I'm not a big fan of Dreamweaver, I do most of my coding on Notepad++ or TopStyle and go retro and use Adobe GoLive to manage batch changes in links and files. But if Dreamweaver delivers what MS promises I'd try it.
Do you know what version of DW will bring this functionality? I don't test my webpages on the same machine I develop them, I have and "old" machine: Athlon XP 512Ram 1024x768 on 15" crt with IE from 5 to 7 Mozilla 2 and Safari xx. Flash v5 and Java 4 If I remember correctly. The page should work on that, thats my acid test.
It's naive to test the website on a wooping quadcore with huge ram and rather good video card @ 1900x1200 21", I have to think in my local demographics and not everybody have that kind of machine, I have to do this also because I do a lot of Flash (clients ask it can be helped, also I like it) and it's honest if you develop thinking not just in the render engine but taking care in not raping the CPU on the visitor. That said I do very minimal and friendly promotional websites.
Sigh I always roam this articles and see all kind of weird arguments for the render engines and most of you do not even care to make a page that takes a visitor and lead it to the buy. Visitor is not looking for standard compliance or pixel perfect display, nor the visitor is going to fire 3 different browsers just to decide if it's ok to trust in that company. The visitor is looking for something: they want to find it asap in a clean and friendly format, easy to read meaningful texts, images, animations or demos; then they will want to get in touch with you to close the deal or to know more. My pages close more deals in relation to the amount of visitors than any other that I've know working in design shops in the past. Thats because I think of the future visitor like a potential buyer/subscriber/vendor and not like that lazy ignorant scum using IE6 that doubles my workload.
You forget that you're doing an actual piece of marketing and not a technical dissertation about web standards. Try to make a 50/50 with both of them and everyone will be happy.
What's the big deal? Microsoft has provided this feature in Windows for a long time now. Whenever I open a URL from a Microsoft product, there's a good chance it's going to "allow me to preview the output" from the URL in Internet Explorer, despite the fact that IE hasn't been my default browser for about ten years.