Testing Your Web Applications on Windows 8.1 in Linux

  • S07E06
  • November 5, 2013

We take you through the process of obtaining a free Windows 8.1 virtual machine to deploy via VirtualBox in order to test your web applications or web sites for compatibility and UX.

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This episode is sponsored in part by: Eco Alkalines.

Topics Covered:

  • {play 3:18}Taking a closer look at the amazing Chromatte chromakey technology from Reflecmedia.
  • {play 8:23}Nostalgic Gaming: Windows 95's Hover game has made its way to the web browser, and it's multiplayer. Check out cat5.tv/hover.
  • {play 10:51}Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far to our Indiegogo campaign to build Studio D and enhance Category5 Technology TV. Please visit cat5.tv/studio to contribute.
  • {play 11:47}Welcome to our newly registered viewers this week!
  • We will be giving away some Eco Alkalines batteries on Episode 322.
  • {play 14:03}Feature: Virtualizing Windows 8.1 with Internet Explorer 11 on Linux (for free) to test your web application
    • VirtualBox is the free virtualization platform we'll use for this feature. It is available on their web site, or through your favorite package manager.
    • Obtaining a virtual machine containing Microsoft Windows Preview Edition and Internet Explorer directly from Microsoft: http://www.modern.ie/en-us/virtualization-tools#downloads
    • Using wget -i in Linux to load the text file with the list of links in order to ease the download process.
    • Making the .sfx file executable so you can run the self extractor.
    • Extracting the .ova file from the RAR self extractor and using the F5 (refresh) key to monitor the progress.
    • Understanding what an .ova file is: a compressed version of .ovf - the Open Virtualization Format.
    • Deploying an .ova file is as easy as a double-click if you have VirtualBox installed.
    • Before you boot your virtual machine: configure your network adapter to be attached to a Bridged Adapter. Also, you might want to enable 3D acceleration (optional).
    • Booting our Windows 8.1 virtual machine for the first time.
    • Making your Windows 8.1 display fullscreen by pressing the right CTRL key and F simultaneously.
    • Launching Internet Explorer 11 within the Desktop View on Windows 8.1.
    • {play 30:11}Viewer Question: Can you install Firefox on the Windows 8.1 virtual machine?
    • {play 31:26}Viewer Question: We know this is a test machine for developers, but do you actually have Windows 8 without having to buy a copy?
    • {play 32:57}Give Linux a try if you're considering switching to Windows 8.
  • {play 35:52}Top Stories from the Category5.TV Newsroom
    • Netflix has started testing “ultra high definition” 4K video.
    • Debian is threatening to switch to XFCE if Gnome 3 doesn’t bring back a “more comfortable” interface.
      • {play 41:45}Viewer Question: As a n00b Linux user moving over from Windows, what Linux distro do you recommend?
    • A robot has been developed that can win Rock-Paper-Scissors every time.
    • And BlackBerry shares have plunged after they announced they’re abandoning their sell-off plan.
  • {play 47:24}Viewer Question: I signed up for a Google+ account so I could use the VOIP and video chat services that they offer for free. What is the difference between Google Voice and Google Hangouts?
  • {play 50:41}Viewer Question: I carry a flash drive back and forth between home and work, and sometimes put sensitive files on it. On Linux, what encryption option do you recommend in order to protect the files if I should lose the drive?
    • Installing gnome-disk-utility and cryptsetup on Linux to allow you to format USB Flash drives (or other partitions) as encrypted volumes.
    • Running Gnome Disk Utility. NOTE: Following the show, we found it: it's under Applications→Accessories→Disk Utility. But the terminal command as demonstrated on the live show is palimpsest. Make sure you run it with gksudo or sudo depending on your environment (GUI or Terminal, respectively).
  • {play 56:08}Viewer Question: How can I use the dd command to copy a mini DVD to my hard drive to burn to a regular sized DVD disk?
  • {play 59:10}Support Category5's Indiegogo campaign and recieve a netTALK DUO II with 3 months free service!

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