I need to test my website on Windows, now and in the future. I don’t yet have Windows. I just need the software, but don’t mind purchasing hardware to get the software. What’s the cheapest ethical way to do this?
Some options:
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buy a used computer on eBay. Will I be able to upgrade to future versions of Windows if I also upgrade the hardware, including everything but the hard drive? I’m considering a $100 box on eBay with Windows XP Pro.
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buy Windows XP Pro (about $140 on eBay), and pay for upgrades as time goes by.
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use a screen capture service on the web. (These are either too expensive or don’t offer enough control, in my experience).
UPDATE: I bought a sealed version of XP Pro from a reseller on Amazon.
VMWare Server is available for free, and is available for Linux. You’ll still have to pay for Windows, but you won’t need additional hardware.
Also, consider that in addition to XP, you may also want to test on Vista and Windows 7. Virtualization is a good way to go here.