Microsoft has released a free set of virtual tools to help you ensure your sites "work beautifully across Internet Explorer". Modern.IE is a website that includes the tools, guidance and other resources.

It’s no secret that some developers have stopped supporting IE in their websites, and the new modern.IE site is part of Microsoft’s drive to rehabilitate its browser.

As part of the release Microsoft announced a partnership with BrowserStack, a browser testing service that lets developers test their sites on any browser on any Windows OS. The Microsoft partnership means that if you visit BrowserStack via modern.IE, you can have three months free use of the its service.

The site also includes a code detection wizard to detect common coding issues that could make IE not show your site correctly. The wizard detects the most common compatibility issues – like an outdated jQuery web framework – and shows you the solution. It also indicates when there are known compatibility issues that might prevent a site from rendering in the latest version or pre-release of IE.

According to a post on the Windows blog by Ryan Gavin, General Manager Internet Explorer, the wizard also includes “emerging best practices on the web”  that apply to different devices such as mobile, desktop and tablets. The wizard suggests ways to implement feature detection, best practices for coding with CSS prefix, and suggests ways you can avoid using plug-ins. There are also suggestions for how to make your site use Windows 8 features such as touch-enabled browsing and Start Screen site tiles.

The site also includes Microsoft’s top 20 tech tips that address most of the compatibility issues developers have coding for IE. The list has been moderated by Dave Methvin, President of the jQuery foundation, and Rey Bango, Microsoft’s Technical Evangelist and former member of the jQuery Project.

Gavin said in the blog post:

"We want to help. We want the web to move forward. And we genuinely want web developers to spend more time innovating and less time testing."