Saturday, January 14th, 2012
Shim uses node.js to test sites on multiple browsers
Category: Browsers, JavaScript
, Testing
Shim was developed within the Boston Globe’s media lab as a way to study how Web sites look on various devices and browsers. A laptop intercepts all wifi traffic – this is redirected to a custom node.js server – which inserts a javascript, or “shim,” at the head of each web page that is visited.
The shim, once loaded in a device’s browser, opens and maintains a socket connection to the server, according to to Shim’s developers. Shim was written in 2011 by Chris Marstall, Creative Technologist at the Boston Globe. The software has been open sourced. Write the Shim originators on git.hub:
Whenever a new page is requested, the page’s URL is broadcast to all connected browsers, which then redirect themselves to that URL, keeping all devices in sync. Shim info is available on git.hub.
Here’s an article on Node.js everyone should read: http://teddziuba.com/2011/10/node-js-is-cancer.html
After reading the poorly written article by Ted Dziuba (linked by Vordreller) you should then check out these replies:
http://blog.brianbeck.com/post/10967024222/node-js-cures-cancer
http://joshuakehn.com/2011/10/3/Diagnosis-No-Cancer.html
Ted Dziuba is heavily opinionated but relies far more on his opinion than actual fact.
Good news that node.js enters the realm of UI testing. Cross-browser issues are the first problem in the world of web development (IMHO), and having more tools to cope with them is not bad at all.