Filed under: Software
Apple has widgets, Microsoft has gadgets
Today Microsoft unveiled a veritable cornucopia of software delights at their annual PDC. Dave has already mentioned that Office is getting an Aqua makeover (too bad they went with brushed metal, that's so over), but that is not the only thing that may look familiar to Mac users.Windows Vista will also include something called 'gadgets.' What's a gadget? According to the official website a gadget is, '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.' You might know them as Knofabul.. I mean Yahoo! Widgets, or perhaps you know them as residents of the Dashboard in OS X, either way Microsoft is leading the industry once again.
To be fair, Microsoft did come up with a new name, so we don't have to deal with three different offerings all called Widgets, and they are going to have web based gadgets which you can access from anywhere, so that is pretty cool. However, the gadgets will run in a special place on the Vista desktop, called the Sidebar, they can be writen in DHTML (and other various Windows flavored languages), and they are designed as a showplace for Vistas graphics engine. Sound familiar?
Widgets and gadgets are the wave of the future, dear readers. I just hope that this feature is included in all seven, that's right seven, versions of Windows Vista.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
LD said 3:41PM on 9-13-2005
Yay! More useless crap!
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Scott said 3:49PM on 9-13-2005
Actually, Apple originally was going to call Dashboard Widgets "Gadgets". They had a .gadget file extension back when Tiger was in development. Somewhere along the way it changed to Widgets. So Microsoft really didn't come up with anything new at all...
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George said 3:58PM on 9-13-2005
Suddenly, the whole "Redmond, start your copiers" doesn't seem such a snide remark after all.
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Scott McNulty said 3:58PM on 9-13-2005
I'm with you on that one, Larry. Unless you meant the post itself, in which case: Hey!
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Jeff said 4:07PM on 9-13-2005
Don't get me wrong...I'm a big Apple fan, but didn't Apple rip off their Dashboard 'idea' from Konfabulator? I seem to remember some folks being pretty ticked off that Apple didn't do the 'right thing' and just buy Konfabulator (glad to see those guys finally got bought by somebody).
I'm not defending MS, I just don't remember too many Mac sites making fun of Apple for claiming that their Dashboard was such a big innovation.
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mike said 4:31PM on 9-13-2005
Jeff - Thank you for actually pointing that out. I admire both Apple and MS for the thousands of innovations they have both come up with over the year, as well as the number they have both 'borrowed' from each other.
BTW - Didn't MS essentially have widgets, or gadgets, or whatever about 10 years ago with the active desktop? I can remember having weather and stock quotes and news clips so long ago I can't remember. Granted it didn't work well, but the basic idea was the same.
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Wheels said 4:35PM on 9-13-2005
Widgets have ancestory in Apple's Desktop Accessories, so, in a way, konfabulator is copying Apple...
I think Microsoft needs a eighth edition of Vista: The Uecker Edition - for those Windows users who are striving to be in the front row!
Honestly, where would Microsoft be if it didn't have Apple to cheat off of?
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mpeng said 4:53PM on 9-13-2005
me too! me too! me too! Wouldn't it be great if Windows came with an RSS screen saver?
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KT said 5:30PM on 9-13-2005
Maybe MS thought that the "Redmond Start your photocopiers" thing was an invitation?
Then, when they try to patent it, they'll say that they were given permission, and show a picture of the sign.
*rolls eyes*
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Joakim said 5:59PM on 9-13-2005
Someone should tell Microsoft that innovation doesn't mean copying Apple!
I have to say though, that the Worldclock (I'm guessing its a world clock!) on their site is pretty sweet looking! Although it seems like the orange dot is somewhere Saudi Arabia and not Milano like it says. (Again I'm guessing that the dot is supposed to pinpoint the location the clock is set to!)
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Thomas said 6:00PM on 9-13-2005
When are they going to announce Foghorn? (aka Spotlight)
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mpeng said 6:09PM on 9-13-2005
me too! me too! me too! Wouldn't it be great if Windows came with an RSS screen saver?
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Pete Cashmore said 6:11PM on 9-13-2005
You're all wrong. Al Gore invented widgets, right after he invented the Internet...
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LD said 6:15PM on 9-13-2005
It's "the Internets", Pete.
I'm so glad M$ started a blog about their wondermous new invention. They are so hip and cool and on top of trends.
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XCool said 6:56PM on 9-13-2005
Is Bill scheduled for another pie-time soon?
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teece said 10:00PM on 9-13-2005
and they are going to have web based gadgets which you can access from anywhere, so that is pretty cool.
Don't fall for this Microsoft sucker punch. They practically invented vaporware. While I'm sure at some point they will actually deploy something called a gadget, one must keep in mind that everything at this conference could simply be marketing.
MS loves to tout the coming features of software that is years away, if it will ever ship. They're just trying to forestall any of the (rare) switchers out there that love the Dashboard. When, or if, they deliver this, it will be in a paired down version, probably less functional than Dashboards are now. Maybe they'll upgrade it to meet all of their originally promised specs, maybe they won't.
When it comes to product announcements, MS is about as honest as combo used car salesman, TV preacher with a nasty smack habit.
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Radu Dutzan said 10:40PM on 9-13-2005
Ever used Konfabulator lately? Have you used Konpos?(F8 I think)
So in that way Konfabulator copied Apple back, so now they're even. We should focus all our hate to Micro$oft's really "creative" team.
Oh, and btw, have you clicked the top right corner of you screen lately? and, have you seen a screenshot of the open Start menu in Vista?
It shoud bring you memories.
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Catt said 10:52PM on 9-13-2005
#13 Al Gore is on the board of directors for Apple so he may have had a hand in Widgets for sure :-)(http://www.apple.com/pr/bios/bod.html) Anyway, it seemed to me that I remember MS coming up with a dashboard that they had announced in Longhorn that they never released back in 2000 or so. There is still some question in my mind regarding the whole dashboard idea. Granted the Longhorn dashboard is not as stylish as the Apple Dashboard but the ideas are the same to use a sidebar/area of your computer to run mini programs... I do think that Apple ripped Konfabulator to some degree even calling the widget, widgets. regardless of if Al invented it or not Konfabulator came out with them first.
As for the Acqua look of the next version of Office... I really could care less what they do with it as long as it doesn't crash ever so often for no reason like 2000 & 2003. The acqua look is also somewhat welcome for those of us who are forced to use a PC at work.
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Scott Hughes said 11:02PM on 9-13-2005
Apple/Konfabulator copied widgets from Active Desktop, a Microsoft invention which is about 8-9 years old now.
*disclaimer* I am a fan of apple, and a hater of fanboys.
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Tan The Man said 12:05AM on 9-14-2005
I think Gadgets sounds better.
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