The RSPB required a web application through which they could provide learning material to people interested in birds and birdwatching. Once a user has logged-in they are presented with 6 different modules as well as access to the resource library which contains the RPSB Handbook of British Birds and Where to Watch Birds - Britain.
I came across a really useful website earlier this week, Browsershots. Working as a Web Interface Designer it is the highest importance that everything looks shipshape across all platforms and browsers when designing websites although it isn’t always easy, accessible and affordable to do so.
That’s where this web app comes into its own. You simply enter your website address, select which browsers you want to test against across Linux, Windows and OS X platforms and you can also configure screen size, colour depth, Javascript, Java and Flash options.
After configuring all your options you simply hit the submit button and let it do its magic. Your request is put into a queue with an initial expiration time of 30 minutes (I expect they hope to process all requests within this period). Refreshing the page allows you to see whether or not any screenshots have been produced and the remaining time left before your request expires. If you are concerned that your request will expire before any screenshots have been produced, simply click on the extend button which reset the expiration time back to 30 minutes.
There are alternatives to this solution, such as BrowsrCamp, BrowserCam and BrowserPool. Though I haven’t had chance to compare any of these offerings, there is little need for me to do so seeing as Browsershots offers a complete and more importantly, free service.
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