Help Create the Acid3 Test for JavaScript Compliance

With the announcement late last year that IE8 passes the Acid2 test for CSS rendering (or will pass, when it’s released), the Web Standards Project have their sights set on the next phase of their mission to encourage browser-makers to provide a consistent experience for web users.

While the Acid2 test focussed on the static rendering of HTML and CSS, the Acid3 test (which is still under development) will put browsers through their paces in terms of how well they implement the Document Object Model and ECMAScript specifications. If you’ve ever spent any time trying to work out why even the simplest script doesn’t behave consistently across multiple browsers, then this is bound to be good news.

What’s even more exciting is that you can contribute the test!

Ian Hickson is the primary driving force behind Acid3, and to date has compiled 84 scripting tests. In order for there to be an even round number of 100 tests, Ian has asked for the public to contribute an additional 16 tests. He’s even created a simple test development console, which you can use to verify that your test returns the value that it should. You’ve still got a few days to submit, and the author of any tests that are accepted will get credit in the comments of the final script.

If you know your JavaScript (and, more importantly, you know your browser bugs), then this could be your opportunity to contribute to an interoperable web. Get cracking!

John Resig has published screenshots of how each of the browsers perform against the (still incomplete) test. All of the browsers have some work ahead of them in order to pass the test, but it’s fair to say that IE has more work to do than most. I’m sure this comes as no surprise to many of you.