In my previous article, I mention how the latest version of Firefox has a nearly identical look to Google’s Chrome web browser. When I’m working on new features for my sites, I use Firefox for testing and Chrome to see what the results look like to the users.
I knew one of these days, because both browsers look the same now, I would confuse one for the other and put up untested programming code that would cause havoc on my sites.
That happened yesterday, a lot sooner than I had expected.
I was working on MoviesWithButter.com. On Firefox, I was logged into the development server, which has a copy of the site, where I can test things out before releasing the changes to the world.
On Chrome, I was logged into the live site, which everyone sees. After several Alt+Tabs, I was on Chrome thinking it was Firefox. I put up new untested code on the live site and boom -- I got the dreaded White Screen of Death. I didn’t realize it until Binh, who manages the editorial for the site, IM-ed me: “Hey, I think the site is broken.”
Not realizing what I had done, I went through my usual routine when one of my sites breaks down. I checked the database to make sure it didn’t crash. I checked the server to make sure it didn’t run out of memory or hard drive space. And finally, I restarted the server, hoping that whatever was broken would magically fix itself. Well, that didn’t happen.
With all of that turning up empty, I went through the error logs. There, I found that culprit: new untested programming code on the live site. I logged into the live site, remove the untested code, and everything went back to normal.
To prevent this from happening again, I installed a theme on Chrome. I wasn’t a fan of themes because they slow down the browser slightly, and it’s hard to find one that doesn’t obscure the navigation elements. But I have a reason to use it now.
