What's your favorite Konfabulator widbet?

[wsteineker]

Hey guys. I was just wondering which widgets those of you who are running Konfabulator use on a regular basis. Anything you just can't do without? I'm new to the app so I'm looking for some awesome, can't live without it sort of stuff. Thanks! :)

[chewbaccapits]

For the most part..I only like the staple widgets: The original clock and weather widge...At first, there were many peeps here saying that Konf just sucked or that the widgets weren't being created within its full potential....I, now, concur. Rehashes of the same widgets except with new skins. I've been disappointed with it. BOOO

[alset]

Weather is the only one with any use, considering how much of my real-estate is eaten up by all the other useless widgets. It had a chance to be great and it came out very mediocre.

Dan

[wsteineker]

Two things.

First, I'd like to apoligize for misspelling "widget" in this thread's title. I am a moron.

Second, I sort of agree. It does seem that most widgets have yet to really tap the potential power of this app. And yes, a lot of the widgets are just pretty new faces for stuff OS X already does. Still, shouldn't we be pleased that we've got the coolest looking battery meter on the planet? :)

I really hope that someone with a lot more Java knowledge than myself can figure out some sort of widget that'll be so great that we'll never believe we didn't have it before. Something that we didn't know we needed until we saw it, but now we can't imagine living without. Any ideas for something like that?

[janey]

it's JavaScript, not Java.
My favorite widget is the Clarus widget because Clarus is my favorite dogcow (my avatar) :D
Moof!
(it's also the ONLY reason why I even waste precious disk space to install something like Konfab)

[Chaszmyr]

I use so many widgets how can I choose?! lol

[beatle888]

Originally posted by übergeek
it's JavaScript, not Java.



:rolleyes: i would say its safe to think he KNOWS that.

[wsteineker]

Originally posted by beatle888
:rolleyes: i would say its safe to think he KNOWS that.

Yeah, I know the difference. That said, I have no knowledge at all regarding Java itself, so it's safe to say that JavaScript still eludes me.

On a different note, why all the konfab hate? I realize that it's nowhere near its potential, but am I the only one who thinks that it's amazingly cool? It seems to have massive ramifications, too. If only someone with more programming knowledge than us mere mortals could just figure out something really useful to do with the damn thing...

[Datazoid]

The sole reason I don't like Konfabulator/don't use Konfabulator: System Slowness. I use an 800MHz iMac w/768MB, and running Konfab gives me more of a performance hit than I find the widgets to be worth. Yes, a few of them look nice, and yes, I think it has potential. But I prefer to be able to smoothly scroll webpages than to have some pretty "widget" that's hidden behind windows anyways.

If I could use it without a noticable performance hit (ie: webpages scroll normally, apps do not take 1-2+ bounces more to open, etc). I know its not much, but I like as much speed out of OS X as I can get, and to me, a bit of decor isn't worth it. On the other hand, if I had a dual 1.42, you can guarantee I would be using it ;)

[patrick0brien]

-All

Weather+ and FlightTracker

FlightTracker is beginning to scratch the surface of usefulness for Konfab - especially for a guy with a WiFi machine in airports - really cuts the leash to the gate, and I can spend more time in the bars.

Now, if someone could write one that scrapes Windows bug counts off of a website....

...Oooo. New Thread!

[RBMaraman]

Originally posted by Datazoid
The sole reason I don't like Konfabulator/don't use Konfabulator: System Slowness. I use an 800MHz iMac w/768MB, and running Konfab gives me more of a performance hit than I find the widgets to be worth. Yes, a few of them look nice, and yes, I think it has potential. But I prefer to be able to smoothly scroll webpages than to have some pretty "widget" that's hidden behind windows anyways.


Wow, I find the total opposite to be true! The reason I use Konfabulator on my 500mhz G3 iBook is because it doesn't slow down my system. Before Konfabulator, I was running 2 or 3 programs in the menu bar and it was really bogging down my system. Now that I use Konfabulator, my system seems to perform much better. If it's slowing down your system that much, Konfabulator might not be the problem (especially considering your running a G4).

[mnkeybsness]

BOOOOOO

arlo should go back in time and withdraw the idea for konfab

BOOOOOO

[SBG88]

I don't get it. So if you are doing any work or browsn' the web you don't see it? Do you have to be staring at your desktop? Seems pretty dumb to me.

[beatle888]

dumb? hmm to me it seemed like a preference.

[Flynnstone]

I am looking at using konfab.. to make :cool: virtual instrument displays. I am using OS X as a front end to "talk" to my embedded Linux ( & RTOS) back ends.
:cool:

[wsteineker]

Good point about flight tracker and its importance to travelers, patrick. I think widgets like these are, like you said, finally starting to scratch the surface of this potentially super-important app. Any more thoughts?

[Darby]

The fun factor is high.

Darby :)

[patrick0brien]

-All

What I'm liking about Konfab is that it transforms my desktop into a dashboard on important stuff. ToDo's, Appointments, Flights, Weather, Calendar, news. All at a glance.

[wsteineker]

Originally posted by patrick0brien
-All

What I'm liking about Konfab is that it transforms my desktop into a dashboard on important stuff. ToDo's, Appointments, Flights, Weather, Calendar, news. All at a glance.

I never thought of it that way, really. It's like the app changes the desktop in such a fundamental fashion as to take a big step toward the realization of the old metaphor of desktop as data cockpit. It allows you to navigate MUCH more efficiently. This is, of course, all predicated on the notion that there are widgets that you actually find useful. Even still, it's intriguing.

[MrMacMan]

Originally posted by Datazoid
The sole reason I don't like Konfabulator/don't use Konfabulator: System Slowness. I use an 800MHz iMac w/768MB, and running Konfab gives me more of a performance hit than I find the widgets to be worth. Yes, a few of them look nice, and yes, I think it has potential. But I prefer to be able to smoothly scroll webpages than to have some pretty "widget" that's hidden behind windows anyways.

If I could use it without a noticable performance hit (ie: webpages scroll normally, apps do not take 1-2+ bounces more to open, etc). I know its not much, but I like as much speed out of OS X as I can get, and to me, a bit of decor isn't worth it. On the other hand, if I had a dual 1.42, you can guarantee I would be using it ;)

Weird I have the same setup no no real performance loss.

I have Weather+ running sometimes, Hide all but finder all the time and the Homeland Level finder when I don't want to turn on CNN and watch for 2+ hours. :D

[janey]

why the konfab hate?
arlo and perry hyped this program a tad too much.
It hasn't reached its potential, it's really useless (right now, no matter what you think about various widgets), uses up a hell of a lot of system resources (for example, everything slows down like a top of the line iMac on a top of the line Power Mac) and all the widgets are pretty lame.
Now, if the creators didn't hype Konfab so much we wouldn't be complaining. We also wouldn't complain if it was FREE.
i mean $25? who on earth is gonna waste that money getting konfab...i'd rather get a year's worth of MacAddict magazines.

[wsteineker]

Uber makes a fantastic point. The hype machine really came back to bite the developers on the ass this time. And $25 is absolutely absurd. I'd pay $10 just as a hedge bet in case this thing ever actually turned out to be super useful. $25 is just over the top, though.

[alset]

Originally posted by Flynnstone
I am looking at using konfab.. to make :cool: virtual instrument displays. I am using OS X as a front end to "talk" to my embedded Linux ( & RTOS) back ends.
:cool:

For VSTi s? Explain, please! I am very interested.

Dan

[Flynnstone]

Whats a VSTi ?
My thought process started with Arlo's Digital LCD clock widget.
Having an image of a LCD clock displayed on a LCD screen, seemed rather profound. Enter circular logic ...
I develop embedded systems using Real Time Operating Systems (RTOS) and embedded Linux. I use 16 segment LEDs (temperature reasons) and EL graphical displays for visual feedback. On my system with 16 segment LEDs it is difficult to add more displays.
But ... I could create virtual ones that look like the real thing on OS X with Konfabulator. And have the widget "talk" to my embedded Linux system to get the info to be displayed.
:cool:

[Jaykay]

Originally posted by Flynnstone
Whats a VSTi ?
My thought process started with Arlo's Digital LCD clock widget.
Having an image of a LCD clock displayed on a LCD screen, seemed rather profound. Enter circular logic ...
I develop embedded systems using Real Time Operating Systems (RTOS) and embedded Linux. I use 16 segment LEDs (temperature reasons) and EL graphical displays for visual feedback. On my system with 16 segment LEDs it is difficult to add more displays.
But ... I could create virtual ones that look like the real thing on OS X with Konfabulator. And have the widget "talk" to my embedded Linux system to get the info to be displayed.
:cool:

Nice, i was thinking of doing something similar with knofab as a front end for some hardware inputs eg. tempeture guage, uptime, speed etc.,
let me know how your experiment goes....