Should I learn Firebug or IE8 Developer Tools? [closed]

Question

I need to learn either Firebug or IE Developer Tools in a hurry, and I could use some advice about which one is better. I'll be using either one to debug some JavaScript, primarily with repsect to an XHR mystery. Any tips about which one to choose would likely save me lots of time and would be most appreciated.

EDIT: I already use Fiddler and love it.

EDIT: I aim to support all browsers.

Answer 1

I would suggest starting with Firebug because it traditionally has provided the most powerful set of debugging features.

However IE dev tools (and others such as Opera Dragonfly) are rapidly catching up and are probably preferred if your pages are being displayed primarily in those browsers.

So I don't think you can get away with just learning one or the other. Find out which browsers your users prefer and install the developer tools for each browser.

You'll save yourself a lot of time solving obscure browser specific Javascript or DOM bugs using the debugging platform specific to that browser.

Answer 2

I would suggest Firebug first, as, it will help you determine errors more quickly, as I found it more intuitive to use, but, if you are only supporting IE then the IE Developer tools would be your best bet.

Which browsers do you support?

That will determine the best one to start with, but, if you have to, use Firebug for the initial debugging.

Answer 3

Learn both, at least if you are pro web coder. There's not much to learn anyway - it's just a tool.