One of the biggest frustrations for anyone creating Web pages is the fact that what looks fine in one browser may look terrible in another. Many designers view the pages they have created in just one browser ... and are then surprised when visitors to their site tell them that they've seen strange problems on the Web site. It's an unfortunate fact that not all browsers are equal.

How Do You Avoid Browser Display Problems?

HTML knowledge and experience helps, but even the most experienced Web designers are sometimes caught unawares. Really the only way to be sure is to check your work in different browsers. Which? Well, there's the problem. There are so many different browsers, versions of browsers, and operating systems, that there's no way you'll be able to check all the possibilities. It's a good idea to load Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer, and America Online on your system, and look at pages in all three. But unfortunately you really need multiple versions of the browsers; for instance, although Netscape Navigator 6 is now available very few people are using it, so you should also try Version 5, too.

Recently, I ran across another way around this problem, though. NetMechanic has set up a new service called Browser Photo (I've talked about other NetMechanic testing services in earlier newsletters).

This service tests your pages on 14 different browser/operating system combinations, a combination of AOL, Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, WebTV, and Opera (including 11 different Explorer and Navigator versions), a variety of different screen sizes, and three different operating systems: PC, iMac, and WebTV.

Browser Photo takes snapshots of a Web page in different browsers, then lets you view the snapshots online, so you can see what's going on. Never seen your Web site in WebTV? (You might be shocked.) Don't have all those old versions of Explorer and Navigator available? Don't want an AOL subscription? This service can help you.

You can use this system once for a small fee, or get unlimited use for an annual fee. For more information, visit http://www.NetMechanic.com/