Microsoft Windows Vista to include "Gadgets"

symphonix

symphonix

Scratch & Sniff Committee
Sources:

http://microsoftgadgets.com/

http://start.com/

From September 13, 2005

Today Microsoft announced Microsoft gadgets at PDC with three flavors of Gadgets for Windows Sidebar, Gadgets for Start.com and Gadgets for Windows Sideshow. On that note we welcome you to a preview of the start.com developer center.

Gadgets are a "new category of mini-application designed to provide information, useful lookup, or enhance an application or service on your Windows PC or the Web." Permanent link to this item in the archive.
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Does this sound familiar? Is anyone else really surprised at this?
 
Well Gates wants to take them from behind... :D and what a better way then to steal their technology
 
Yeah, they did. I'm still sad apple didn't hire them, or even acknowledge their contribution. Its nothing like the good old days with extension writers getting hired/payed when their stuff was integrated. :(
 
Yeah well its not like we can now say that Microsft ripped these "gadgets" off Apple. It's a pitty in a way.
 
i thought gadgets were stand alone apps. where as widgets require a runtime engine be that Konfab or Dash. AFAIK the only people to do 'Gadgets' are DesktopX Pro. but i could be wrong.
 
I'd say it would be run similar to dashboard via that sidebar (if they recquire a 'runtime engine'). Via that microsoftgadgets site - they sure do look pretty ugly besides the investments one. Then again vista is in beta1.
 
And in somewhat related news....

Way to go Vista, for going with a brushed metal UI! should be the new hotness for sure!

hahaha
 
I hope they create useful ones. Like ones that can tell you how many viruses you have, or a "gadget" that will annoy you to death to "update" something more and more.
 
Reality said:
I hope they create useful ones. Like ones that can tell you how many viruses you have, or a "gadget" that will annoy you to death to "update" something more and more.
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Can't help not laughing at that :D
 
The Konfabulator story does go a little deeper. Arlo Rose, the creator of Konfabulator and co-founder of the company, used to work for Apple. He developed the themes and appearances in Mac OS 9. I get the impression that Apple were not really happy when he later left the company and set-up his own shareware program called "Kaliedescope", a theme manager for Mac OS 9, which built heavily on his experience in developing the themes in OS9.

He even pitched the idea for widgets while he was at Apple, and when nobody really picked it up, mentioned it to Sun's Perry Clark, the creator of JavaScript, and Konfabulator was born.

And MS's claims that Gadgets are not a rip-off of widgets but a new idea based on the Active Desktop is more than a little silly. After all, have you ever, ever seen anyone actually use active desktop in the 8 years since its release?

And in somewhat related news....

Way to go Vista, for going with a brushed metal UI! should be the new hotness for sure!

hahaha
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Hahaha, I also had a good chuckle at this one, thanks Quiksan.

Hey, did anyone else notice that in the past week, the Windows Vista team announced another 3-6 weeks of delays, and then only days later, Microsoft announced a "management reshuffle" of the Windows Vista team?
 
I am not surprised at M$. What I am surprised at is they have not stole expose yet. Then again, perhaps I speak to soon.
 
There's a new "stacking" view for open windows/applications in the Alt-Tab viewer IIRC. Looks a _little_ similar to Exposé concept-wise, but in 3D. On the other hand, Exposé is Apple's answer to Windows' Alt-Tab, which shows documents as well as apps, because of Windows' behaviour in regard to docs/apps... I guess these things just happen.
 
If they include an Exposé mimic for Vista, the task bar isn't really needed then (besides the system tray thingo with the date and time, oh and the start menu).
 
Hey, maybe they'll introduce Clippy for Windows! "Hey, it looks like you're trying to write a letter! If you're not trying to write a letter, I think you should start writing a letter, since letters are so good, and I'm totally freaking awesome at letter-writing. Would you like to start Windows Media Player? Yes? That's what I thought." *opens*.

*shudder*


It's a real shame when this crap gets this blatant, though the Sidebar gadgets have been expected since the very first Longhorn release.

The 3D Alt+Tab effect is very reminiscent of the Sun Looking Glass demos.
 
Clearly Apple and m$ have different views of the function of the desktop. I obviously prefer the way Apple views it. Having the side bar and start menu seem repetitive to me. Always my complaint with windows is cluttered windows and user interface. The whole start menu is a poorly designed concept in view. Now to add a sidebar with the start menu seems weird.
 
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