Local web testing on Mac, Windows and mobile devices

If you do web development you need to test across multiple devices, browsers and operating systems. My primary development machine is a Mac however I also run Windows 7 via Bootcamp/Parallels for browser testing locally (and for the occasional .Net based project that I take on). Now that mobile has become such a factor in the web development process it is also critical to test across devices. Being able to quickly test web sites and web apps without having to push files to a staging server is a huge time saver.

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I don't want to be your rockstar developer or your ninja

It's become a common phrase in developer job posts and interviews, "rockstar". Are you a rockstar developer? Do you want to be the next rockstar developer? What do you need to do to become a rockstar developer? I have no idea how or why developers ever got labeled with "rockstar", but personally it's a label I never want and something that when asked for I take as a negative (a recent phone interview led to this post). To me it says the person asking does not understand their target audience ... developers. Have you ever seen a posting for a rockstar lawyer, doctor or teacher? Not likely, it sounds ridiculous. So why do people seek out rockstar developers?

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