Apple's Dashboard Widgets

[RIP]

F8

Konfabulator doesn't come close to what Dashboard offers. I found Konfabulator to be completley useless. Either the widgets have to be on top of everything else or on the bottom. Neither one is very practical if you have much stuff going on. With Dashboard, the widgets can be hidden and then appear with a keystroke. That's infinitely more useful.

BTW, as for Konfabulator's assertions that Apple stole this idea from them, they need to go back and look at Desk Accessories - which have been around for at least 15 years.

F8 does the same thing in Konfabulator.

 

[Wash!!]

yes it does but...

F8 does the same thing in Konfabulator.

The widgets still litter the desktop...big different of what dashboard does... it hides them.

 

[javabear90]

The widgets still litter the desktop...big different of what dashboard does... it hides them.

Yes, this is one of the biggest points of dashboard over konfabulator I think.

 

[rt_brained]

F8 does the same thing in Konfabulator.

Not true.

Dashboard moves Widgets off the screen (a la Exposé's f11 key), while Konsposé keeps the Widgets on-screen, but blots out the rest of your desktop (a la Exposé's f10 key).

If I'm wrong on this, or Konfab does work just like Dashboard, let me know.

 

[siliconjones]

I want to star making my own widgets for dashboard now! Konfabu-who?

 

[gwangung]

Let me get this straight...

Dashboard does a lot of the same things as Konfabulator, but Dashboard does them in a different way that may be more flexible and may be substantially better.

If that's correct....what is the problem?

 

[grabberslasher]

Check out this Gadget I made for dashboard:

https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=77686

 

[nagromme]

In either case, Konsposé is a rip-off of Apple's Exposé Some irony there, if Konsposé is what people use to show that Dashboard is too like Konfabulator.

 

[RIP]

Hmm

Not true (unless I'm using it incorrectly). Dashboard moves Widgets off the screen (a la Exposé's f11 key), while Konsposé keeps the Widgets on-screen, but blots out the rest of your desktop (a la Exposé's f10 key).

If I'm wrong on this, let me know.

I use Konfabulator. Apparently I didn't understand the differences however I'm not sure what I would like better. I think I like having the option of some going off screen while others being stuck to the desktop.

Sounds to me that Konfabulator still has a purpose.

The funny thing about Konfabulator is that just after Expose was released, the confabulator widgets were shot off screen when Expose was triggered.

They since fixed it....

 

[gwangung]

Hmmm....a still another perspective:

http://daringfireball.net/2004/06/dashboard_vs_konfabulator

His perspective is that the two do the same thing, but Dashboard does it in a different way that's simpler, more open and more flexible. And if that's the case, why should users complainer when Apple "crushes" third party developers by doing it in a simpler, better and probably faster way?

 

[craigdawg]

I liked the koncept (sorry) of Konfabulator but I had problems with widgets not rendering properly on screen so I removed it. That was probably more of an issue with JavaScript than Konfabulator?

So Apple borrows someone else's idea and ostensibly makes it better.

Just like they borrowed the GUI from PARC and made it better.

 

[hulugu]

is the end of the Konfabulator controversy...

Lots of luck on that happening.
The Konfabulator thing will rage on until Tiger comes out and everyone has a copy.

 

[X-Baz]

So Apple borrows someone else's idea and ostensibly makes it better.

Just like they borrowed the GUI from PARC and made it better.

Well, many (the daring fireball article for one) would say that Konfabulator borrowed the concept of desk accessories from apple - all that happened was that apple was borrowing their own idea back and integrated it into the OS again.

And they bought (not borrowed) the GUI from Xerox.

 

[RIP]

Hmmm....a still another perspective:

http://daringfireball.net/2004/06/dashboard_vs_konfabulator

His perspective is that the two do the same thing, but Dashboard does it in a different way that's simpler, more open and more flexible. And if that's the case, why should users complainer when Apple "crushes" third party developers by doing it in a simpler, better and probably faster way?

Well. That settles it then. I side with Apple. Konfabulator; good luck competing with Object Desktop.

Maybe if Konfabulator stuck to it's roots and used the great technology Apple gave them they would have been purchased.

 

[macridah]

thanks for clearing things up ... by concept or terms the two may seem similiar ... but in reality, they're 2 different technologies; apple being the much more superior one.

Can't wait for tiger!

 

[rt_brained]

If they could alter Konfabulator so you could, with the stroke of a function key, make some Widgets hide off-screen (like Dashboard) yet leave others on-screen, then I'd be happy to use it. Otherwise, it's a hassle to leave most Widgets cluttering up my desktop.

 

[rhpenguin]

Microsoft has been doing this with features from Mac OS for some time. Also if you remember the WWDC keynote from 03' Steve Jobs made refrence to fast user switching. I believe his words were, they did it first, but were going to do it better.

Everyone borrows ideas, just some people make it better.

 

[pgwalsh]

All we knew before was JavaScript and that's still true--but now we know there are OTHER methods too. No new limits have been introduced by this news.

(I wonder how you get the eye candy from JS? Like the flipping stickies? And I wonder where alpha control comes from? I hope Flash widgets can be rendered with no bounding box!)

You may have answered yoru own question.. Flipping stickies may use flash for the effect...

 

[Makosuke]

The article linked above is an extrordinarily good one, with lots of interesting information and opinions, not to mention a firm historical basis and a clear understanding of the technology behind both Konfabulator and Dashboard.

And although you're not required to agree with his conclusions, he makes a pretty good case that Konfabulator one-upped the Desk Accessory concept that's been around for two decades (and improved upon many times during that period by various similar Mac, Windows, and other OS projects), and now Apple's upped their upping. That's the way I see it, anyway.

If you don't read anything else, read the last couple of paragraphs; he explains what's so cool about Dashboard (anybody can use it--an open framework with easy-to-write applets that use nothing but existing languages), rather than the semi-closed, pay-to-use structure of Konfabulator.

I wonder what this means for my idea for a terminal widget. It would stink if I had to write a small web server to interface with the system. This is actually more limiting than I expected Dashboard to be...

If you read that article, he notes that you actually can access Cocoa through Dashboard doodads, it's just not required. So you're probably in luck.

I'm really, really happy after reading that--even I can write a Dashboard applet!

 

[gwangung]

The article linked above is an extrordinarily good one, with lots of interesting information and opinions, not to mention a firm historical basis and a clear understanding of the technology behind both Konfabulator and Dashboard.

And although you're not required to agree with his conclusions, he makes a pretty good case that Konfabulator one-upped the Desk Accessory concept that's been around for two decades (and improved upon many times during that period by various similar Mac, Windows, and other OS projects), and now Apple's upped their upping. That's the way I see it, anyway.

If you don't read anything else, read the last couple of paragraphs; he explains what's so cool about Dashboard (anybody can use it--an open framework with easy-to-write applets that use nothing but existing languages), rather than the semi-closed, pay-to-use structure of Konfabulator.


If you read that article, he notes that you actually can access Cocoa through Dashboard doodads, it's just not required. So you're probably in luck.

I'm really, really happy after reading that--even I can write a Dashboard applet!

So it's better, faster and more open than Konfabulator?

And that's a BAD thing for Apple to do?

Hrm.

 

[virividox]

if u can write it you can do it; the possibilities are endless amazing

 

[iChan]

...
edit: post deleted due to hertz feeling the need to trample.

 

[MhzDoesMatter]

Hey, you. Yeah, the guy who decided to come to the party late so he could make an entrance. We've been there. We've done that. You missed it. We're moving on.

-hertz

 

[iChan]

The widgets still litter the desktop...big different of what dashboard does... it hides them.

that is an issue that factored heavily in apple's decision in the design of dashboard. SJ said it himself.

1. an easy way to access them. check
2. an easy way to hide them. check

it amazes me how only apple can tackle a situation or a product, then totally deconstruct it to pin point exactly where the deficencies lay in the current implementations and just does it so much better.

we have seen it with itunes... we are seeing it again. (although, possibly with a far more limited appeal. however, nonetheless appealing to mac-users.)

 

[iChan]

Not true.

Dashboard moves Widgets off the screen (a la Exposé's f11 key), while Konsposé keeps the Widgets on-screen, but blots out the rest of your desktop (a la Exposé's f10 key).

If I'm wrong on this, or Konfab does work just like Dashboard, let me know.

you are right, but i don't think anyone will argue that konposé is hideous.

with it's layer of parchment-y textured background and cog logo stamped in the middle.