Are you doing cross-browser compatibility in your UI layouts? CSS? Javascript? Would it surprise you to know that IE7 and Firefox 2.0 don't render things the same way? No, you say. That's scarcely believable. Well, yes, unfortunately it is very true.

I blogged recently about some tools to assist with navigating CSS and the DOM for Internet Explorer. Now it's time to give Firefox equal (or a little less than equal) space. Yes there are genuine Microphobes out there who refuse to touch a browser that is attached to Microsoft's name. We have to code for accommodating them.

Firefox has a develop add-in called Firebug. This is a cool little plug-in that allows you to examine hierarchical CSS settings as it affects elements on your screen. In my opinion, it actually is a little cooler than the IE Dev toolbar, because it lays out the order in which CSS is inherited – like first in-line style, then local CSS settings, then global CSS settings, etc. You can also change style elements and see realtime results in your browser to dial in those hard-to find outlying settings that are making your UI look all funky.

So check it out – it can save you some time.