In a nutshell, on pages you have set as being “live” the extension will load up a version of Live.JS which will keep your webpage on the most recent version without you having to refresh the page. Here is a short video overview, with me explaining the basics of how it works.

It’s also available on GitHub.

View / Download PHP HTML5 Form Class on GitHub

This little class, helps you build and validate form objects. You can read about how it works on the wiki on GitHub.

In a nutshell the WP HTML5 Category Selector adds a filter input field to the category box on the add/edit post page. It’s primarily aimed at bloggers who have lots (for example more then 10) of categories.

If you have a chance to give it a try, I would love to hear you feedback (On twitter I’m @Rogem002).

Key changes include:

• Removed PHP4 support
• Added Google +1 support
• Improved analytic data
• Removed “Attempt to extend PHP max_execution_time and memory_limit” options.
• Made default widget set a sprite image.
• Made a few UI changes for a better UX

I’m also planning to create a GitHub repository to make it easier for everyone to contribute to future versions.

Enjoy

• CSS3 Gradients
• CSS3 Transitions
• CSS3 Multi-column

IE10 Platform Preview 1 appears to be pretty snappy. When I compare it to Firefox 4 and Google Chrome, the difference in speed is seriously hard to spot.

I seriously, cannot wait to see what cool creations web developers create if Microsoft continues working at such a pleasing rate.

On a side note, some of the stuff on the IE Test Drive website is really cool. If you can, check it out.

• Added Open Graph Support
• Added goo.gl Support
• Fixed the AJAX digg widget bug.
• Added “Share this Link Set”
• Removed the @Anywhere widget set.
• Tidied up the admin panel a little.
• Clean up code a little

One of the big new features is Open Graph. Its data you place in the head of your document to define how your page will be defined on Facebook.

The update will be available in the WordPress Plugin Directory when the update is released.

Improved Interface

IE9 has improved it’s interface, putting more focus on getting work done and surfing the web. Below is a screenshot of the default layout, which keeps familiar aspects of IE8 while still keeping us with current trends.

As you can see, it’s a really nice improvement. But there is a load more changes under the bonnet which are worth looking at.

One of the big features I really like, is the ability to drop and drop links onto the taskbar, even though this can be achieved for other browsers (In Chrome: Tools > Create Application Shortcuts) I really like how institutive it is to do. Though the method they used to allow website owners to add jump lists for parts of their website is a little controversial.

However the interface isn’t perfect. One of the my big annoyances with windows is the ability for users to change the window colour, which on paper is really cool but in my experience leads to iffy UI which can be a little difficult to read. As you can see in the screenshot above, the dark lettering with the dark background makes the tab titles a little hard to read, but I’m nitpicking at best overall it’s really easy to use.

Rendering & Performance

I was impressed a few months ago when Microsoft released a preview version of IE9 and I’m still a happy bunny. Websites load quickly, and more to the point they render correctly. IE9 betas support for html5 and CSS3 is really fantastic. While comparing the various browsers side by side it’s really hard to find any big differences.

Here is IE9 overlaying Chrome rendering the BBC news homepage.

Seriously, the difference is tiny.

Performance wise, IE9 is really competitive! Compared to Firefox, Safari and Chrome in a real-world benchmark IE9 Beta 1 sits nicely in the “Damn Fast” crowd.

Developer tools

Hats off to the people who develop IE. Seriously. While I’m still a little new to developing websites using IE, it looks like they have gone out and asked web developers/designers what they really need and just hit the nail on the head.

I really like that the developer tools allow you to render your website in IE7, IE8 and Quirks mode. I think you can currently do this in IE8, but it’s still pretty awesome.

Game Changer?

In all honesty, I don’t think IE9 will be a big game changer. People who have already converted to another browser will be hard to win back. What it will do however, will make IE a good platform for developing and surfing the web on.

Having said that, I will give IE it’s icon a place on my desktop again.

It’s now  a lot faster at showing the icons and overall the backend performance is also better.

Key Changes

Firstly, when you check the plugin page instead of showing you the settings, it now shows you a list of your most Socialized posts/pages.

The settings page has also had a little overhaul. I worked really hard to simply settings up some of Socialize This’ features, for example the Twitter integration now uses OAuth which means you no longer need to input your Twitter details, you just have to click a link and the plugin should do the rest.

The Widgets management has also been changed significantly. One of the big changes is that you now have real life previews of the widgets. I have have added the functionality for you to add your own widgets into the plugin via a neat form.

The Widget Set XML files have also been updated – If you are using your own social icon set you will need to update to the newer XML layout.

Lastly, one of the biggest changes is the way the widgets are displayed. They are now returned in a list and I have included a CSS file which should format them nicely (Though it can be disabled on the “Advanced Functions/Settings” page.

Important Notes

Because of the big structural changes to the Socialize This back end when you upgrade you will lose a good deal of the previous data (I’m sorry!) . Namely the active widgets you have selected/added. So you will need to update your settings.

Automatic update should be mostly headache free, however I recommend deactivating Socialize This, deleting it and then uploading and installing the new version (Though, it’s totally optional).

Final Notes

Thank you for giving Socialize This 2.0.0 a try. I’m currently overhauling the FAQ section (Hopefully – I’ll have time to make a few video tutorials), if you have time make sure you give it the quick once over.

• Added a German translation by Oliver Bockelmann

This will probably be the last update until Socialize This V2.0.0 is released.