Filed under: Software, Internet Tools, Open Source
Webkit gets a perfect 100 on Acid3
In the rather rarefied atmosphere of web standards compliance, the Acid3 suite of browser tests is like a pro wrestler's chair to the back of the head: if you can take it and keep standing, that's very impressive. The Acid3 suite, first released at the beginning of this month, pushes browsers to the very edges of their rendering, SVG, CSS and DOM scripting capabilities -- all necessary for a consistent and interoperable Web 2.0 experience.
As with the earlier Acid2 test, there's been a bit of a horserace among browser development teams to be the first to the finish line with Acid3, including the WebKit squad responsible for Safari's underlying engine; Acid3 dev Ian Hickson gives major props to Apple and the WebKit devs on his blog, including efforts to clear bugs in the test suite itself (he had to work quite hard to find standards compliance issues in WebKit). On Wednesday evening, both the Opera and WebKit teams declared a 100% score -- not a full pass, as there are minor issues to clean up, but nevertheless the test looks like it should. With the Mac nightly build of WebKit available for download, you too can feel the power of this fully operational web standards battle station.
[A quick clarification: While both Opera and WebKit have claimed 100% on Acid3, only one of the browsers -- WebKit -- has a publicly downloadable version right now that can make that score. Opera's build won't be released for another week or so.]
Thanks Adam
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Will said 12:44AM on 3-27-2008
Just a reminder, Acid3 is more focused on 100 specific bugs, most of which are relatively minor. As much as we may wish it wasn't true, this doesn't mean Safari renders perfectly now. It doesn't. Neither does any other browser, but having a perfect score doesn't mean we should stop pushing for further improvements. Same goes for FF and Opera, even if they hit a "perfect" score. Same would go for IE if that were even a remote possibility.
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Viper007Bond said 3:19AM on 3-27-2008
IE8 actually passes the Acid2 test:
http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2007/12/19/internet-explorer-8-and-acid2-a-milestone.aspx
No clue about Acid3...
Brent said 6:46AM on 3-27-2008
IE7 actually got a 12! :)
Michael Rose said 8:50AM on 3-27-2008
Also, to be clear, the shipping version of Safari 3.1 for Windows and Mac is NOT passing the Acid3 test -- only the WebKit nightly build is passing it.
TydalForce said 10:27AM on 3-27-2008
IE8 got 18. Compared to Brent's 12 for IE7, I'd say Microsoft really is becoming more standards-compliant!
Ryan Trevisol said 11:50AM on 3-27-2008
I got 51 on Firefox 2.0.13, and 52 on Camino 1.5. Safari 3.1 got 75. I can't install Opera 9.25 or 26 on my iMac (Late 2006), Tiger.11
Ed said 1:25AM on 3-27-2008
Opera claimed to have 100/100 but a bug was found in Acid3 after their claim that will reduce their score to 99/100. As such WebKit wins :)
http://ln.hixie.ch/?start=1206578003&count=1
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sxtxixtxcxh said 3:10AM on 3-27-2008
I have a video of webkit passing acid3 here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=e2SLuJK6M_E
Part of the test is the "smoothness" of the animation as well.
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Erichd said 3:59AM on 3-27-2008
Yeah, so why won't Safari 3.1 work with my bank's Web billpay?
More the point, why won't Apple provide an easy way to downgrade Safari (Safari runs on webkit) for those of us who can't really use it?
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James Madley said 4:39AM on 3-27-2008
Either they don't stick to standards or they're actively blocking WebKit browsers from working.
MySpace, for example, stopped Safari users from using the advanced editor for a while even though it would have technically worked back when Safari 3 first came out.
Loweded Wookie said 5:08AM on 3-27-2008
Actually the new version of Safari has a User Agent list (go to Preferences/Advanced and turn on "Show Develop menu in menu bar" and it is there.
It may be possible to view the site properly by identifying itself as IE or FF.
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DistortedLoop said 9:08AM on 3-27-2008
That user agent setting doesn't seem to work for some sites. Back when Yahoo Mail's "advanced" inbox didn't support Safari, no matter what browser I selected in the user agent menu, I'd get the "unsupported browser" message.
adammhaile said 7:28AM on 3-27-2008
Did Safari for Windows pass as well or just Mac?
I saw tons of rendering issues in the Windows version...Especially with Bank of America's site.
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KeynoteKen said 7:58AM on 3-27-2008
Yes, Safari for Windows passes ACID3 as well. BUT, most existing sites are designed for IE, so rendering issues you may see are likely related to the site providing non-standard HTML specifically for IE.
Michael Rose said 8:51AM on 3-27-2008
Safari has not passed Acid3, on either platform. WebKit's latest nightly build passes. Safari != WebKit. :-)
Chris Coleman said 9:04AM on 3-27-2008
I love Opera, despite the fact that I never use it, and rarely even test my sites in it. My process for making web sites is as follows:
1. Start with Safari and have a perfectly working site.
2. Fix things for Firefox's bugs.
3. Pull my hair out wondering why IE6 and IE7 suck so hard.
4. Open Opera and see what I was expecting.
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Cyril said 11:55AM on 3-27-2008
Well, my freshly downloaded Webkit gives me 99/100 and not the perfect 100... :(
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Allan MacKenzie-Graham said 12:28PM on 3-27-2008
"feel the power of this fully operational web standards battle station."
LOL, I almost snarfed!
Honestly, the best aspect of TUAW is the sense of humor of its contributors. Makes it a pleasure to read. Thanks, Mike. You made my day! :)
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Nikax said 12:32PM on 3-27-2008
68 for Firefox 3.0b4
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MrG said 2:12PM on 3-27-2008
Do not forget "test" #101 !!! ;) The animation must be smooth.
I am sure that Opera will score 100/100 when they get their Opera 9.5 Beta out...
Thus, let's wait and see which one has smoother animation - Opera or WebKit. Only then we will have a true winner!
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