Cross-browser theme development for multilingual websites, like Amnesty International, is a lengthy process. Not only must the site look great in 7 or more browsers (IE 6/7/8,Firefox , Safari, Opera, Chrome) but all that work is multiplied by each language. Translated text changes length, forms get messy, and you would not believe the bizarre voodoo invoked by right-to-left layouts, like Hebrew or Arabic, in IE6. While we at CivicActions have a stellar team of QA Engineers to ease the pain of testing themes in upwards of 40 permutations, it's not always efficient to have to send each small change through ourQA process. For developers, having their own system to quickly check over a change in multiple browsers is vital. That's why I built myself the ultimate test system. Using VMware Fusion on my MacBook, I'm now able to test each browser on every platform, and it's as easy to use as launching and closing an app. Here's how.

1. Download and install VMware Fusion. It costs $79.99 but there's a trial version. Definitely worth the money as it's the bestvirtualization package I've seen, including a "unity" mode that runs Windows apps like native Mac apps.
2. Create a Windows virtual machine. I'm currently only running WinXP SP2, but if you've got the space, you can add Vista and Windows 7. You can add a Linux one too if you're feeling frisky.
3. Launch Windows and upgrade Internet Explorer to version 8.
4. Install Multiple IEs to get IE6. It can also go as far back as IE 3.0, but if you need to test on those, you have my deepest condolences. To get IE7, install IE7 Standalone. Thanks to Stella's great blog post for this tip!
5. Grab and install the latest Firefox, Opera, and Chrome browsers.

All set! Now between Firefox and Safari on my MacBook, and the other browsers in VMware, I can rapidly develop and test on all browsers from a single computer. And when I'm done, I simply suspend VMware and it saves its state, ready to rock the next time I need it.