Please forgive me if I placed this in the wrong section of Stack Exchange, I will be happy to repost elsewhere, Im just not sure which section to go to.
Why does IE8 display differently in Browser Mode (which is accessible through the IE10 F12 Developer Tools) than in XP Mode?
It seems that the CSS is rendered differently. Does anyone know the details as to why this occurs?
IE8 Browser Mode vs IE8 in XP Mode CSS renders differenty?
Yep, that's a pretty well-documented problem. It may be called compatibility mode, but the fact is, it isn't really all that compatible.
This is why it's generally considered a bad idea to use compatibility mode to do your testing.
Ultimately the only reliable way to test that a site works in IE8 is to actually load it in a real copy of IE8. XP Mode is a good way to do that.
I agree it's more of a hassle than switching the mode in IE10, but unfortunately, that's the way it is.
