Web developers: Multiple versions of IE *installed concurrently*

[charlie]

Why oh why didn't this happen years ago?

Some clever fellow figured out how to install all versions of MS Internet Explorer on a single instance of Windows.

I've had, at times -- 3 PCs, VM software, and/or multi-booting hard drives -- for the SOLE PURPOSE of checking web pages in different flavors of IE. None of that is necessary any more:

http://www.insert-title.com/web_design/?page=articles/dev/multi_IE

He provides the details on how he made the discovery, how to prep the files so they'll behave. At the bottom of the page are links to pre-configured sets of IE5.01 and IE5.5. And as a bonus, there are no installation routines to mung your system -- just drop the files into a folder and make a shortcut.

Here's a German page with pre-rolled files for IE4.01 and IE3.1:

http://www.nachtarchiv.de/Webdesign.html?reportage=25

NOTE: IE5.5 will say it's IE6 when you raise the About dialog. But checking navigator.userAgent confirms it's IE5.5. Also, IE4 will not accept URLs into its location bar, so you'll either need to browse locally or make a page with outbound URLs you want to check.

I've got IE 3.1, 4.01, 5.01, 5.5, and 6 set up on my PC. Supremely cool :):):)

[Rooktoven]

1. Mozilla is cooler ;-)

I have no IE on any of my systems...

[TreasonousBastard]

2. If the page works in Mozilla or Opera...

it will work in IE.

Not the other way around.

If a web developer wants EVERYONE to be able to see their pages properly, stop testing in IE.

And stop using nonstandard code just to impress us how proficient they are. We go to web pages for the content, not the arrogant designers' art-- which often as not gets in the way of content.

http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/

[charlie]

3. Wrong-O

If you'd said stop testing exclusively in IE, I'd agree. But it's boneheaded to not check your work in a brand of browser out of fidelity to some sort of creed of purity, especially when it's the browser of choice for the majority of your visitors. Compliant markup does not render identically in all browsers and you will hear about it from IE (and Opera, and iCab, etc) users when it doesn't. What are you going to tell your client when his inbox fills with complaints because they can't get at some form fields because of IE's nonstandard box model? Or someone has a double-width screen in IE4 because you didn't explicitly set a width for positioned elements? Say la-la-la, I don't sully my work ethic by viewing it in IE?

Also, In the past I've had to do stuff like menus and games in DHTML, with virtually all the markup generated through the DOM and Javascript. With the rats nest of differences in comformance to the DOM in all browsers, I'd be hosed without being able to view my work in as many of them as possible.

I'm all for sticking to the standards and wholly agree with the primacy of content over form. But refusing to check your work in IE is foolish. This new ability to have IE 3-6 at hand is a godsend.

Rooktoven: No argument here. I browse with Firebird and only keep copies of IE, Opera, Mozilla, Netscape, etc to check page rendering.