"Gadgets" in Windows Vista

[eric2006]

I read the most pathetic thing about Windows Vista

The latest Windows Vista CTP has been branded an "enterprise" release by Microsoft, with the company promising a "broader, end-user preview" during the next quarter. However, and here's where Microsoft's marketing kicks in, the enterprise CTP contains all the features that will target consumers.
That means features like Gadgets, which are web applications similar to Widgets devised by Apple Computer for use in OS X that run outside of the browser over the desktop. Only Microsoft believes developers can write Gadgets that fulfill a business purpose, like monitoring server performance.

Wow.. pathetic. Low for even Microsoft. Steal Widgets, rename it "Gadgets", and sell it. Can't you monitor your system with Widgets anyways? Apple should sue..

Source:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02...usienss_users/

[fryke]

Ooooooooold news. ... I guess MS and Apple have been talking about this before even Tiger was announced. Apple changed the name of their "gadgets" to "widgets" shortly before Tiger was announced. The first build of Tiger released at WWDC back then still called them gadgets in some places. (File ending, for example.)

[HateEternal]

Originally Posted by eric2006

Apple should sue..

I don't think that would be such a good idea. Mainly because Apple was not first company to implement the idea. In addition, the widget name was also in use.

[Shookster]

I don't have a problem with Microsoft copying this, but what annoys me is that most Windows users will think that these are a completely original invention by Microsoft. Microsoft won't correct them, naturally.

[powermac]

That is Microsoft's way. From the Operating system, through Word Processing to Widgets.

[eric2006]

Sorry.. didn't realize that this was old news.

[Rhisiart]

Originally Posted by eric2006

Sorry.. didn't realize that this was old news.

I make no apologies for having said this before. Widgets/gadgets are simply bling, something I expected from Microsoft-in the-Head, but not Apple.

Sorry to rant, but have just spent half a day trying to get IT to fix some bizarre Windoze glitch at work (yet again).

[fryke]

Well, okay, they're bling. Something to lure people to the Mac platform. (In Dashboard's case.) Nothing wrong with that in my opinion. For those who _are_ already Mac users: There's no need to actually _use_ the widgets. Just don't. ... As long as Apple doesn't overdo it and concentrates more on the bling than the actual _functions_, it's okay with me.
What I really have a problem with is the obvious "need" to do content searching. They emphasise it _so_ much they hid file-name based search so good that it's very hard to find... (My main gripe with Tiger... You don't have to answer it, I know you can open a "search window" in Finder and not fill out the spotlight bar in that window but rather add a "filename contains" bar and enter the file name there. It's just, well: It _is_ far too many steps.)