Operating System Platform Testing – How to test your web site on different operating system platforms


When designing a web site on your own computer it’s easy to forget how it appears on other computers because of the screen size or the operating system platform. If your building the web site on a PC it may not display the same as on a MAC. This means you could be losing visitors to your web site and missing out on potential sales.

operating system platforms

To read my article on “What screen size should you test your web site for” visit: Screen Display Resolution

To read my article on “What browsers should you check your website for?” visit: Cross Browser Compatibility

Operating system platform statistics
http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp

These include WinXP, W2000, Win7, Vista, W2003, Linux, Mac.

Looking at the chart above, Windows XP is the most popular operating system and the Windows family counts for about 90% of all Internet users.

Ways to test your web site for different Operating system platforms

Browser Cam
http://www.browsercam.com
This is a paid service (although you can get a free trial) that enables you to view your web design on any browser on any operating system. It checks javascripts, DHTML, forms and other dynamic functionality on any platform.

It also allows you to test your site on different devices such as Iphone OS, Android, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile.

Install Multiple Operating Systems
Create 2 partitions on your hard drive then install an operating system on each drive. For example install Windows on one drive and Linux on the other. You can boot to either operating system for testing. Installing the MAC operating system on a PC is not recommended as it’s not PC compatible.

Check Mac Browsers
You can check how your web site will appear on a MAC by using the MAC browser versions of Opera, Firefox and the Windows version of Safari. These three browsers share the same rendering engine across platforms. If you validate your HTML it will reduce display errors. The only other way to test is to view your web site on a MAC computer.

Ask Other Computer Users
If you design your web sites on a pc and your customer owns a mac, just ask a friend to view your design on their MAC before sending it to the customer. Do the same to test for other operating system platforms.

If you can’t find a friend visit web design forums. You’ll find many friendly folks willing to help you out.

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To receive a free quote for professional web site design that
will correctly display across multiple operating system platforms,
screen resolutions and browsers visit:
Professional Web Design

Comments

  1. For me, the best operating system is Linux because it rarely hangs.’:,

  2. operating systems can either make or break your system that is why it is wise to choose a vey stable one.*-“

  3. with regards to PC operating system, i love Windows XP and Linux~,;

  4. the best operating system is always Linux, after Linux it is Windows XP. Vista sucks;:.

  5. Linux is still the best when it comes to stability and Windows for ergonomics’~:

  6. there are many different operating systems but of course i would still prefer to use linux for stability `:.

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