Google released an updated version of their Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer the other day. The main things you’ll find with this version:

• The ability to save your toolbar settings online and “sync” them between computers.
• Integration of Google Notebook directly into the toolbar.
• Improved find that mimics the Opera & Firefox “find bars”.

I like having Google Notebook there, but I absolutely do not like the way that it has been merged with Google Bookmarks. No word on when a Firefox version with the new features will be available, or if there will be a cross browser syncing ability.

According to Microsoft’s IE Team Blog, the next version of Internet Explorer successfully passes the Acid2 Test. Provided Microsoft doesn’t completely frak this up before release, this is great news for web developers and internet surfers everywhere.

Of course there is an old saying, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”.

Opera Software, ASA has filed a lawsuit in the EU against Microsoft, Corp. According to Opera, by bundling Microsoft’s Internet Explorer with the Windows operating system, Microsoft is illegally monopolizing the Internet browser market. This makes it difficult for third-party browser manufacturers to compete and limits consumers’ buying options.

In addition to requesting the removal of IE from Windows, the lawsuit also urges the EU to force Microsoft to make IE compatible with web standards. Anyone who has ever done any serious web design knows how hard it is to get sites to look the same across different browsers.

I wish the U.S. would do more to force Microsoft to play nice.

Here’s a great tip for all of you Opera users out there. Have a page that won’t work in Opera? Spoofing or masking doesn’t help any? Web master refuses to fix their site to work correctly? Take a look at these two buttons that’ll open the current page in IE or Firefox.

Thanks to Opera Watch for the tip, and thanks to Rijk for making the buttons.

Ok, this really isn’t news worthy, but I’m still in shock after reading the latest entry on ZDNet’s Googling Google blog. What got me is when the author states, For example, one of the “improvements” they made was the ability to close a tab using - get this - middle click. Who in the modern world uses middle click? Is this intuitive for anybody?Ok, what time period are you living in Garett? First off, you are covering Google one of the biggest names on the web. I don’t see how you cannot be familiar with Opera, Firefox, or at least IE7. All three web browsers support a tabbed UI, and in doing so, they also allow users to close a tab via the middle click.

It’s not just a web browser (or even Internet) centric thing either… Notepad++, a text editor, operates the same way. I’d bet money that if I tried it in Photoshop and Dreamweaver they’d operate exactly like that as well. Trillian and multi-protocol IM client does I know.

Who uses middle click Garett? The question really is who doesn’t. I suppose Apple users don’t… People on a laptop with a touch pad probably don’t… of course anyone with a 2 button mouse from 1980 won’t be… oh yeah, and if you’ve been living under a rock it’ll probably be new to you as well.

The Google Notebook service is now live on Google Labs.

When you first try and use the service, you’ll be given the ability to download a IE plugin or a Firefox extension. This allows you to create notes about the page you are viewing, or highlight text on the page and copy it to a note. You can also create and edit notes right from www.google.com/notebook/.

More information is available in the Google Notebook Overview and the FAQ.

I wonder if we’ll ever see an Opera Widget for this.

Microsoft has released Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 to the public. Lord help us.

And in related news… I saw this article posted on Digg. It talks about CSS, CSS Hacking, and IE7. Good read for any web designers out there.

Microsoft has released a public beta of the next version of Internet Explorer. According to a comment on the IEBlog, this beta release is only available for users running Windows XP SP2 on a 32-bit system. x64 and Server 2003 builds are expected at a later date.

For anyone interested in installing IE7B2, I’d highly suggest that you take a look at the release notes, IE7 Newsgroup, and the IEBlog first.

Google has made some changes to their Desktop Search to block attackers from exploiting a security flaw in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. The best part about this is the modifications made by Google were on their end, and end users do not need to download any kind of patch or update.

It took Google roughly one week to fix (or at least prevent) a flaw in IE and protect their users. Microsoft is still “looking into the issue”.

Of course, people who use Opera or Firefox didn’t have to worry about this issue in the first place.

An unpatched flaw (yes, there are many) in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer may put users of the Google Desktop Search at risk. This flaw has to do with the way IE handles (or mishandles) CSS. A malicious web page can inject code into a page which allows it to execute on a remote machine.

There is currently no fix available from Microsoft. And while no known use of this exploit has been used, there has been a proof of concept posted on the net.

Those of you who (for whatever reason) still use Internet Explorer, it is recommended that you disable JavaScript and/or switch to a better browser. Personally, I’d block IE in the firewall.