Web Development in Linux

[undoIT]

There are a lot of great tools available for web developers in Linux. I recently put a fresh install of Kubuntu on my laptop. After getting Quicken and some other programs working in Wine, I decided not to install Virtualbox with Windows XP. However, I would like to test websites in Internet Explorer or other native Windows browsers, because the fonts generally appear bigger in Windows and this can sometimes screw up a layout. I know about ies4linux and also, I am able to run IE6 after getting it installed with winetricks.

So, the crux of the situation is that I want to keep the default fonts that come bundled with Linux so I can see what most Linux visitors see (this rules out installing msttcorefonts). But, I also want to see a pixel-perfect rendering of what most Windows visitors will see, without going through the whole rigamarole of installing Virtualbox with Windows XP.

Is there any way to test and see what a website will look like in Windows while without installing a Windows emulator?

[oz]

Is there any way to test and see what a website will look like in Windows while without installing a Windows emulator?

I personally think the easiest and best way to be exact with it is to dualboot between Windows and Linux so that you can see exactly what other users see under each OS, and you can try out other native browsers for each OS. Maybe not a very elegant solution, though.

[undoIT]

I personally think the easiest and best way to be exact with it is to dualboot between Windows and Linux so that you can see exactly what other users see under each OS, and you can try out other native browsers for each OS. Maybe not a very elegant solution, though.

Wouldn't this be the same as running Windows full screen with Virtualbox?

[oz]

Wouldn't this be the same as running Windows full screen with Virtualbox?

I've never tried running any Windows emulator or any kind of virtualization software so can't say for sure how similar it might all be. From what I've read about them, I would think there are some differences between virtualization and the real thing, but maybe someone that's fully up to speed on both will reply with more info.

[undoIT]

In my experience, running Windows in Virtualbox is exactly the same as dual-boot, except for driver support and performance. If you don't need windows for gaming or other performance intensive tasks, there are several advantages: i.e. I can continue working in Linux while running Windows apps, I can create a dynamically growing virtual disk to save space, and the entire windows install can easily be wiped out if it is no longer needed.