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Still using Dashboard, or has the novelty worn off?
- Thread starter iGary
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Like the second post in the thread, the ripple effect was cool the first day, but I have gotten over that. As for Dashboard itself, I do use it each day. I installed the Scoreboard widget and I use it to watch baseball scores each evening when I am on the Mac.
I also use the TinyURL widget a lot.
I also use the TinyURL widget a lot.
jayscheuerle said:
there is a macosxhints.com hint to get the weather widget to do this. it won't float on the desktop constantly, unless you use another hack. But with the macososxhint it will konstantly be updating in the background and be up to date when you invoke dashboard.
Yes--in fact, I'm using it more now than I thought I would when I first installed Tiger, and I have it set to one of the buttons on my Logitech mouse so that I can invoke it without even moving my hand. That's an illustration of how useful I find it.
Basically, before, I had the Calculator and direct links to the Dictionary and Translator features of Sherlock in my dock, and I used the calculator itself, the calculator conversion features, the dictionary, and the auto-translator a combination of several times a day. Dashboard gives me the basics of all of those in an even faster format (one click from anywhere on the screen, instead of a trip to the dock and back), and lets me check the weather in Japan while I'm there.
Dashboard is cool. Very cool.
Basically, before, I had the Calculator and direct links to the Dictionary and Translator features of Sherlock in my dock, and I used the calculator itself, the calculator conversion features, the dictionary, and the auto-translator a combination of several times a day. Dashboard gives me the basics of all of those in an even faster format (one click from anywhere on the screen, instead of a trip to the dock and back), and lets me check the weather in Japan while I'm there.
Dashboard is cool. Very cool.
The easiest way is to move all the widgets to a Widgets (Disabled) folder. This will prevent them from running, although it doesn't stop installation of new widgets (that can be done by making the Widgets folder in /Library and the one in ~/Library read-only).stubeeef said:
is there a way to lock certain widgets into the desktop? For instance, I'd have the weather widget and the stock ticker widget built into the desktop background?
edit: just read posts above and saw someone mentioned a hack that enables floating widgets or something...does this hack exist or is there a feature that allows it to be enabled?
edit: just read posts above and saw someone mentioned a hack that enables floating widgets or something...does this hack exist or is there a feature that allows it to be enabled?
wide said:
Create a new widget in dashboard, and while you are initially positioning it, hit your dashboard keyboard button to go back to the desktop (while still holding the mouse button down), and the widget will come with you. I think this works if you only want one widget; if you want more, I think it gets more complicated. To put it back in Dashboard, start dragging it and then hit the dashboard keyboard button and it should go back to the DB. This is, incidentally, a FAQ.
I'm loving Dashboard. I use it at least 5 times a day, and as much as 20 times, depending on whats going on around me. Its a great time saver. Oh yeah, and the ripple effect is awesome.
munkle said:Thanks Applespider, much obliged!
there's also a bookmarklet for bugMeNot that you can directly have in safari or the browser of your choice.
I think of Dashboard as my primary reason for upgrading to tiger so I tell myself to use it a lot. I keep a google search widget on the desktop and I am waiting for an apropriate gmail widget for my desktop.
wordmunger said:
Yep. I have always had my Calculator, Address Book, iCal and iTunes in my Dock. I find this to be more convenient than using the Dashboard equivalents. I do use the weather widget maybe twice a day, but that's largely a product of me being too lazy to add a bookmark for the local weather service to my Safari bookmarks bar.
Maybe it's the way I work, but for me at least, Dashboard is one big 'meh'. Could take it or leave it. The best thing about it is showing off the ripple effect to PC users and making them go 'ooohhh...ahhhh'.
Spotlight on the other hand...f*cking brilliant. I use it all the time.
I've been using the dictionary a lot. Scoreboard is great for keeping up with baseball scores. And for fun, I've been using an uptime record widget called Showoff.
Language Translator, Unit Converter, Calculator, and Phone Book also reside on my desktop. I have few other add-on widgets, but I keep them hidden in the Dashboard selector. That Bug-me-not widget also might end up in my Dashboard. I can't stand those stupid newspaper logins.
As more widgets become available, I think I will be using Dashboard even more.
Language Translator, Unit Converter, Calculator, and Phone Book also reside on my desktop. I have few other add-on widgets, but I keep them hidden in the Dashboard selector. That Bug-me-not widget also might end up in my Dashboard. I can't stand those stupid newspaper logins.
As more widgets become available, I think I will be using Dashboard even more.
Seeing as I'm not in America, most widgets are not as useful...
For instance, the weather widget completely misses me here in Newcastle, the phonebook doesn't do the UK and the dictionary is in American - not English!
10 out of ten for effort, Apple. 4/10 for the final product.
For instance, the weather widget completely misses me here in Newcastle, the phonebook doesn't do the UK and the dictionary is in American - not English!
10 out of ten for effort, Apple. 4/10 for the final product.
enoch said:
Click on 'More Widgets' to go to the Apple site and get a UK yellow pages; there are a few other UK specific ones there too. The dictionary is American but I've been pleasantly surprised at how many Brit definitions and spellings it has in it.
As for weather, Newcastle is in there. Try typing in the name and then press
the Tab or Return key instead of clicking on Done. It will validate and come back with this list of place names.
Attachments
I only have four widgets in Dashboard: the clock, calender, iTunes, and the sticky. The clock and the calender let me take the clock out of the menu bar, letting me have more space for other little things. I've found that this only increased my use of the menu bar. I'm considering getting rid of the iTunes widget because it's ugly and unresponsive. The sticky note, which I use for a to-do list, is the only thing that I really use, and the old stickies under Panther would suffice for that. So you can say that I really am not finding any novel use for Dashboard and that I can really live without it. It wasn't anything like exposé in Panther that completely changed the way I work.
I use the Dashboard throughout the day:
1. Because my company works in different time zones, I look up the time around the world constantly.
2. I read the Calvin & Hobbes widget daily. Makes me think back to high school. (They still need to debug that widget though)
3. Battery meter is awesome too.
I have others that sit on the screen, and dozens more I installed but don't use. But the top 3 get used a ton.
1. Because my company works in different time zones, I look up the time around the world constantly.
2. I read the Calvin & Hobbes widget daily. Makes me think back to high school. (They still need to debug that widget though)
3. Battery meter is awesome too.
I have others that sit on the screen, and dozens more I installed but don't use. But the top 3 get used a ton.
Dashboard is the one of the best Tiger features. It seems to be a more popular compared to Spotlight and Automator with developers because the list of widgets is growing much faster. Spotlight and Automator have the same downloads featured since day 1.
I only wish I had multiple dashboard screens because I like so many of those widgets.
I only wish I had multiple dashboard screens because I like so many of those widgets.