Xenocode Browser Sandbox - Run any browser from the web
Posted on June 16, 2009 | 2 Comments | No TrackBacks
I've blogged before about services such as BrowserCam which you can use to test your websites across browsers and platforms. Screen capture services are increasingly hard to use since many websites these days rely on JavaScript and AJAX functionality which can't be tested by a screenshot. Remote access solves that problem but that can often be time consuming and tedious. Wouldn't it be great if you could just run the browser on your machine?
Thanks to Xenocode's browser sandbox you can do just that. Xenocode is an application virtualization system that allows developers to make their applications available in virtual executables that can be deployed pretty much anywhere, such as via the web or on a USB key. It's pretty cool technology and as a showcase, they currently have a browser area where you can run multiple browsers simultaneously without having to install them on your machine.
This browser sandbox doesn't have the myriad of browser/platform combinations that BrowserCam offers but let's face facts... most of us developers spend the majority of our time trying to make sure that our sites and apps work in IE6. Xencode will let you open IE6 (as well as 7 and 8) right on your desktop so that you can easily test, tweak, and troubleshoot your code. It's a great asset to any developer's toolbox.
Visit the Xenocode Browser Sandbox
I have just started to play with the browser sandbox and I am truly impressed! I was about to develope a test browser sandbox for my Content Development Team, but instead I have given them the Xenocode sandbox. I haven't fully tested to make sure that the browsers are displaying exactly as they would from a full installation - but I have played a little and it seems they are. The Xenocode Browser Sandbox - is a must have for any web developer that cares for cross-browser compatability.
Nice technology, but as far as cross browser testing is concerned - why bother if you can actually install all these browsers locally using, for instance, our free BrowserSeal.BrowserPack package?