Selenium News and Updates: A Smattering of Selenium 96

“A Smattering of Selenium #96” was a Selenium community link roundup published on June 27, 2012, by Adam Goucher. The “#96” refers to the roundup’s installment number. It is not a Selenium software release called Selenium 96. The post collected links about test samples, developer tools, behavior-driven development (BDD), browser automation services, and Visual Studio. Read the original post on the Selenium blog.

What “A Smattering of Selenium #96” means

The post belongs to a series of short community roundups: its purpose was to point Selenium readers to interesting projects and discussions. The number 96 identifies this entry in that series. It does not identify a Selenium version, browser driver, or compatibility release.

That distinction matters because a separate Selenium story later involved Chrome 96. In November 2021, Selenium’s Technical Leadership Committee discussed Chrome 96 CDP bindings as work remaining for Selenium 4.1.0. The JavaScript binding changelog for Selenium 4.1.0 also records support for CDP v96. These are later, version-specific records; they are unrelated to the “#96” in the 2012 roundup.

What the 2012 roundup linked to

The links span several parts of the browser-testing ecosystem. These are descriptions of what the original post referenced, not claims that the tools or services remain available or behave the same way today.

Area	References in the roundup	Why they were relevant
Test samples and browser experiments	A jbehave-selenium sample project; the Light Table Playground; Jasmine	Examples of test code, an interactive development environment, and a JavaScript testing framework.
Browser automation services	Joyride, described at the time as browser automation without programming as a service; a Sauce Labs discussion about meaningful test names	One link concerned an automation service; the other concerned how test names help people interpret browser test runs.
Python testing and BDD	pytest-mozwebqa 1.0; Py.Saunter; pyccuracy; SpecLoud	Python-related testing projects and behavior-driven development frameworks.
Readable BDD scenarios	A discussion of naming Cucumber features and scenario outlines	How to make feature files and scenario outlines easier to understand.
Developer tooling	VsVim for Visual Studio	A tool for developers who wanted Vim-style editing in Visual Studio.

The roundup is useful as a snapshot of the conversations and tools Selenium community members were sharing in 2012. It is not a present-day directory or a recommendation to adopt each linked project.

Is Selenium 96 the same as Chrome 96?

No. Selenium’s “Smattering #96” was published in 2012, and 96 was its place in the roundup series. Chrome 96 belongs to a separate 2021 compatibility context. Selenium’s November 10, 2021 TLC meeting notes mention generating Chrome 96 CDP bindings for Selenium bindings. The JavaScript changelog entry for Selenium 4.1.0 records CDP v96 support, removal of v93, and Shadow DOM handling.

Those records document historical project status. They should not be used as current browser compatibility guidance; check the Selenium documentation and release notes that match the versions you plan to run.

How to use this historical post responsibly

Use the original date as context. The linked projects and discussions were being shared in June 2012.
Separate the roundup number from software versions. “#96” is the series issue, not a release number.
Verify a tool before depending on it. Look for its current official repository, documentation, release history, and compatibility information. The 2012 post does not establish whether a project is maintained now.
Check dated sources for version claims. The 2021 Chrome 96 records explain that specific historical Selenium 4.1.0 context; they do not establish current compatibility.
Treat the post as an archive of community interests. Its value is the mix of testing practices, tools, and service discussions it preserves.

Capture a current page while researching old browser-testing references

If you are documenting an old tool or comparing how a project page has changed, a screenshot can preserve what the current page displays. You can use a browser automation setup for this, or call a screenshot API directly. ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server from ScreenshotNeo. The examples below capture a page as WebP; see the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options.

cURL

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://www.selenium.dev/blog/2012/a-smattering-of-selenium-96/ -o shot.webp

Python

import requests

r = requests.get(
    "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot",
    params={
        "access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY",
        "url": "https://www.selenium.dev/blog/2012/a-smattering-of-selenium-96/",
    },
    timeout=90,
)
r.raise_for_status()
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)

Node.js

const q = new URLSearchParams({
  access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY',
  url: 'https://www.selenium.dev/blog/2012/a-smattering-of-selenium-96/',
});
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Screenshot request failed: ${res.status}`);
await import('node:fs/promises').then(({ writeFile }) =>
  writeFile('shot.webp', Buffer.from(await res.arrayBuffer()))
);

Request and output notes

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your ScreenshotNeo API key. Keep the key out of public client-side code and source control.
Set url to the page you want to capture. The examples use the original Selenium roundup.
The endpoint can return PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF. Use the documented format options when you need a different output.
ScreenshotNeo supports full-page and selector captures, viewport and device settings, dark mode, retina scale, custom CSS and JavaScript, waits, request blocking, headers, cookies, user agents, and other capture options. Consult the docs for exact parameter names and combinations.
Responses include X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers. These indicate the page outcome and billing status.

Common capture problems

Symptom	Likely cause	What to check
The request returns an error	Missing or invalid API key, malformed request, or an inaccessible target URL.	Confirm the key, encode the URL as a query parameter, and open the target page independently.
The saved file is not the expected image	The response may describe a failed or non-image outcome, or the request may have selected another format.	Inspect the response status, content type, and `X-Page-Verdict` and `X-Billed` headers before treating the body as an image.
The capture is incomplete	The page may render content late, load images lazily, or require a particular viewport or wait condition.	Use the relevant wait option or full-page capture setting described in the docs; check the page at the same viewport.
A page shows a bot check or blank result	The target may block automated access or fail to load for the capture.	Read the verdict and billing headers. ScreenshotNeo states bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, and failed loads are not billed.

Or skip the browser setup

One GET request can return the screenshot. ScreenshotNeo accepts cookie and consent banners like a visitor and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; each cleanup step can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, and failed loads are not billed, and cache hits cost nothing. An MCP server gives AI agents tools to take screenshots, get page information, and capture PDFs. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots.

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://www.selenium.dev/blog/2012/a-smattering-of-selenium-96/ -o shot.webp

FAQ

Who wrote A Smattering of Selenium #96?

Adam Goucher wrote the post, published June 27, 2012.

Does the roundup provide current setup instructions for its linked projects?

No. It is a historical link roundup. Consult each project’s current official documentation before using it.

Does the Chrome 96 reference mean Selenium 96 existed?

No. The Chrome 96 references concern Selenium 4.1.0 work documented in 2021. The roundup’s #96 is its issue number.