Viewing how your website looks in different browsers is very important if you are a webmaster or a webdesigner. But you can’t possibly install all browsers on your system, some of which may be meant for a particular operating system only. This is where Browsershots comes in. Browsershots creates screenshots of your website as seen in different browsers.

Browsershots is a free open-source online service created by Johann C. Rocholl, a 28yr old from Rostock, Germany. Its been around for quite a while now. The public beta was started in February 2005 and the first public release came in March 2005. Their Mission statement - “In our dreams, the web looks good for all users. So we let web designers view screenshots of their pages in different browsers, at different screen resolutions and with different plugins. We’re trying to make this service easy to use, open for all (including access to the source code) and 100% free, as in free beer.”

Browsershots allows you to take screenshots of any website in five different resolutions ranging from 640×480 to 1600×1200, with JavaScript versions 1.3 to 1.6 turned on or off. Further options include Java, Adobe Flash, Media Plugins and also the color-depth. The available Windows browsers range from Firefox 1.5-2.0, Internet Explorer 5-7, and Linux browsers comprising of a huge list that include Galeon, Opera, Firefox, Konqueror, etc. Also included is Apple’s Safari. To further spread the service, it is offered in six languages.

What sets this project apart from other similar online services (1)(2)(3) is that the screenshots are made on computers that are run by volunteers, most running on normal desktops with domestic broadband internet.  You too can help by running a screenshot factory or by helping improve the software. Johann has promised to keep the service free even when a paid service is started.