Test a site in Mac Firefox

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+3 Q:

Test a site in Mac Firefox

I need to test a site with a dynamic menu in Mac Firefox, but I'm running in Windows. A simple browsershot.com test won't help; I need to actually use the site.

How can I acquire a method of doing Mac emulation without physically having a Mac? Is there some kind of remote VM product out there?

+1 A:

Check out the OSx86 Project. I've used this before, it works quite well and is pretty easy to understand.

Anders 2008-10-07 12:54:14

Beware of this route. It is not something that the OS X EULA allows, and as such you will not be within the law (although IANAL). The decision is yours, though. If you're happy with illegal software, then go right ahead.

ZombieSheep 2008-10-07 12:56:09

I would caution against this approach. In addition to legal questions, there can also be possible interactions with what ever code and drivers which get added to the OS to make it run on alternative hardware. So, while very close, you aren't really testing against what a Mac user would see.

Rob Allen 2008-10-07 13:31:17

Fair enough, I only suggested this because his question involved VM and not physically having an apple. Keep in mind I did not imply it was legal, just a possibility :)

Anders 2008-10-07 21:00:38

+3 A:

We use BrowserCam for exactly that.

Paul Dixon 2008-10-07 12:56:19

+4 A:

I realize that the original question asked for a virtual solution, however, as of this time there isn't a legal way to emulate a Mac on non-Apple hardware.

A service like BrowserCam is the best bet if you are entirely opposed to purchasing a Mac. Remote access from BrowserCam is about $400 a year and they have cheaper packages that may suit.

Depending on how often (and on what browsers/platforms) you need to test, you may want to consider purchasing a Mac Mini. A refurbished Mini runs between $500 and $600 and may be cheaper over the long run.

If cross-platform testing is central to your company's business, a full size Intel-based Mac running both OS X and Windows (with Parallels, BootCamp or VMWare) for testing may be a better option.

Rob Allen 2008-10-07 13:25:10

Can browsercam do more than "snapshot" the screen? Can I actually "use" the browser there to run through a site, particularly the CSS nav?

Caveatrob 2008-10-07 19:39:15

If you get the "remote access" service, you can term serv into whatever you need - linking to the site fails because the URL never changes from default2.aspx (BAD Browsercam People!) but if you scroll below the screen capture description and click on Remote Access, you should see what they offer.

Rob Allen 2008-10-07 20:20:39

+1 A:

http://browsershots.org/

is free and has mac firefox

Colin Pickard 2008-12-19 16:03:11

ansaurus

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Test a site in Mac Firefox

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