modern.ie, developed by Microsoft consists of free tools and resources used for testing code and sites using various versions of Internet Explorer. It includes a code detection wizard which addresses common coding problems that result from supporting older versions of IE. The engine scans the requested website for HTML5 compatibility problems and also provides the hints and tips to enable your site to work properly across various browsers and mobile devices.
modern.ie includes free access to BrowserStack for a period of three months till January 10, 2014 that enables you to test your site on any browser. It also provides BrowserStack add-ins for Google Chrome or Firefox, which give you single click access to the virtual testing service from within these browsers.
The site also features an article authored by Dave Methvin, President, jQuery Foundation and Rey Bango, Technical Evangelist, Microsoft which examines nearly 20 tips for building modern sites while supporting old versions of Internet Explorer. The tips are divided into four topic areas such as cross browser fundamentals, HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
InfoQ had a chat with Microsoft Spokesperson for Internet Explorer to know more about modern.ie.
InfoQ: Can you share with us the main purpose behind the launch of modern.ie?
The main purpose of modern.IE is to provide a new resource for developers that provides tools to create modern sites and easily test across browsers and platforms. Today, the site includes a wizard that helps developers scan for common coding practices that might prevent users from having their best experience on a site as well as a three-month free trial of BrowserStack, a virtual testing tool that allows developers to test across scenarios.
InfoQ: Is it possible to scan sites developed in all platforms - PHP, ASP.NET, ColdFusion
The scanner focuses on common patterns that affect browser compatibility. The choice of server-side technologies shouldn't affect the scanner's ability to evaluate a site.
InfoQ: How accurate are the results displayed by the scanning tool?
We're looking for common patterns that might affect browser compatibility, and the report is meant to help developers make decisions about potential areas of concerns. In our tests, and based on the feedback we’ve received, the results have definitely been helpful to developers.
InfoQ: Does the scanner points out HTML, JavaScript, CSS coding errors?
Yes - there is a great write-up of the different tests performed by modern.ie scanning engine.
InfoQ: Can you share the main reason for partnering with BrowserStack?
Recent virtualization improvements have enabled companies like BrowserStack to offer many virtualized and hosted browser versions to customers. We wanted to raise awareness of these services and let developers know that access to a wide variety of browsers was available from whichever operating system or browser they use for their daily work. This means that they can test their web sites across all of these browsers easily - no installation necessary.
InfoQ: What is the need for providing VMs? What purpose does it serve?
We want to make browser testing easy regardless of which OS developers use. This is why we've partnered with BrwoserStack.com to make browser testing as easy as accessing their site. For developers that need local access to IE versions, virtual machines are commonly used for testing, especially in OSX and Linux. We've made it easier by providing VMs for you target OS and most common virtualization software used by web developers.