News

September ??, 2005
  Selenium-0.6 is available (release notes) - download now

Selenium is a test tool for web applications. Selenium tests run directly in a browsers, just as real users do. And they run in Internet Explorer, Mozilla and Firefox on Windows, Linux and Macintosh. No other test tool covers such a wide array of platforms.

- Browser compatability testing. Test your application to see if it works correctly on different browsers and operating systems. The same script can run on any Selenium platform.
- System functional testing. Create regression tests to verify application functionality and user acceptance.

Selenium uses a unique mechanism which allows it to run on so multiple platforms. Installed with your application webserver, Selenium automatically deploys it's JavaScript automation engine -- the Browser Bot -- to your browser when you point it at the Selenium install point on your webserver. Thus, you must have write access to the machine your web application server is running on to install Selenium.
"Considering the simplicity of it, it is almost surprising that no one has thought of doing this previously. The framework is simple and the code is neat and very maintainable. Sometimes it takes a work of genius to find the uncomplicated solution to a potentially complicated problem." - Antony Marcano
Selenium was developed by team of programmers and testers at ThoughtWorks. It is open-source software and can be downloaded and used without charge. It is currently under active development by our team. Stay tuned for updates and further announcements.
ThoughtWorks is a leader in Agile development methods for enterprise software development. Selenium is designed specifically for the acceptance testing requirements of Agile teams. However, teams using more traditional development will also find it useful.

## Supported Browsers and Platforms

| Internet Explorer | Mozilla | Firefox | Safari
Windows XP | 6.0 | 1.6+, 1.7+ | 0.8+, 0.9+, 1.0 |
Red Hat Linux |  | 1.6+, 1.7+ | 0.8+, 0.9+, 1.0+ |
Mac OS X 10.3 | not supported | 1.6+, 1.7+ | 0.8+, 0.9+, 1.0+ | 1.3+

## How does Selenium Work?

Selenium uses JavaScript and Iframes to embed a test automation engine in your browser. This technique should work with any JavaScript-enabled browser. Because different browsers handle JavaScript somewhat differently, we usually have to tweak the engine to support new browsers.

## Where did Selenium Come From?

Selenium grew out of a testing framework that was developed to acceptance-test the functionality of ThoughtWorks' new web-based time & expense reporting application. It was written by Jason Huggins, Paul Gross and Jie Tina Wang.

Jason started demoing the test framework for various colleagues. Many were excited about its immediate and intuitive visual feedback, as well as its potential to grow as a reusable testing framework for other web applications.

And Selenium was born.

## Having Trouble?

Check out our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.