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How often do you use your Dashboard and Widgets?
- Thread starter Jordz
- Start date
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How often do you use your Dashboard and Widgets?
Im just wondering?
You know what, i can't remember, must be at least 6 months.
I remember now. The only reason i brought it up was to generate MD5 hash's for passwords. Since i memorized the hash i've not brought up dashboard since. That was 6 months ago.
I voted for sometimes although probably more than that. I use them daily for business when I need to jot a note using the stickies and when I need to print envelopes and when I need to do a quick calculation. I'll use other widgets when necessary from time to time.
Sorry for speaking up for others but I think the ones that say they never use them are in the gaming age group of 12-18 and don't use their computer for business reasons.
Sorry for speaking up for others but I think the ones that say they never use them are in the gaming age group of 12-18 and don't use their computer for business reasons.
I use the iStat Pro widget and that's the main one that causes me to switch to dashboard. I had a sudoku widget but I disabled it. Then there were the dictionary related widgets and those got replaced by spotlight and quicksilver. Then there is the web clip widget and that one lets me glimpse my stock quotes without launching safari. I'm a FF3 user. There's a daily scripture verse widget that I read whenever I'm in dashboard for something else. I'd like it if most if not all of my menu bar icons could be redirected to dashboard so they wouldn't be in my face but I could see them by bringing up the dashboard.
When I was writing my book on the French Resistance (I sent off the MS the other week) I used the thesaurus and dictionary several times every day. That having been said, I find most of the widgets pointless.
Do you use the Ambrosia Software envelope printer?I discovered early on with my Mac and love it. I use it rarely, but it's exactly what I need when I need it.
I use my Dashboard about daily to check the weather. I use it frequently to check movie times, or what's hogging the CPU, and to see if any good tips popped up. I also like the Stickies for some notes.
And I'm tracking my wife's birthday present with the delivery status widget :tu:
Crucial functionality. My favorite feature of Tiger.
Every time I use my computer I use the dashboard widgets, and in the course of a day, I invoke them dozens and dozens of times.
The reason: speed, simplicity, ubiquity.
Speed: There is NOTHING faster. One button access. F12 - boom, I got 'em. Or one squeeze of the mouse. This is faster than any app which I'd have to get from the app folder on my dock, and also faster than selecting the app icon on the dock (with a button or mouse squeeze I don't need to aim or search). Plus, unlike an app, it launches instantly - all my widgets are immediately ready to use.
Simplicity: there are many more choices of widgets than dedicated apps, and often they emphasize simplicity instead of bloat - a dedicated widget to just one function... perfect. Plus it is so simple to evoke it!
Ubiquity: all widgets are omnipresent, instantly available, but out of the way if I don't need them. Perfect.
How I use them: my number one use is notes. I use two widgets for that, one is K-notes and the other is NotePad. One note is just a list of bills I have to pay every month with dates due. As I pay bills, I check off "paid", and that way can see what I already paid and what still needs to be paid and when. Nice way to keep track of bills due. If I need to jot down a note really quick, a widget note is perfect: simple, fast, and always there the second I need it, but not in the way. I also keep reminders there, my contacts list and similar things I may need frequently.
I also use the calculator widget from PEMDAS:
http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/calculate_convert/pemdas.html
I also use daily: Apple's conversion widget, weather, dictionary, calendar, and iStat. And other widgets I use very frequently, like a shipment notification widget (I buy a lot of stuff online), some I use more rarely, like flight info.
Dashboard and widgets are a huge, huge productivity booster. This is truly an enhancement of functionality.
So for me, the appearance of widgets was a very, very big deal. I cannot use a computer without them. Absolutely critical.
Every time I use my computer I use the dashboard widgets, and in the course of a day, I invoke them dozens and dozens of times.
The reason: speed, simplicity, ubiquity.
Speed: There is NOTHING faster. One button access. F12 - boom, I got 'em. Or one squeeze of the mouse. This is faster than any app which I'd have to get from the app folder on my dock, and also faster than selecting the app icon on the dock (with a button or mouse squeeze I don't need to aim or search). Plus, unlike an app, it launches instantly - all my widgets are immediately ready to use.
Simplicity: there are many more choices of widgets than dedicated apps, and often they emphasize simplicity instead of bloat - a dedicated widget to just one function... perfect. Plus it is so simple to evoke it!
Ubiquity: all widgets are omnipresent, instantly available, but out of the way if I don't need them. Perfect.
How I use them: my number one use is notes. I use two widgets for that, one is K-notes and the other is NotePad. One note is just a list of bills I have to pay every month with dates due. As I pay bills, I check off "paid", and that way can see what I already paid and what still needs to be paid and when. Nice way to keep track of bills due. If I need to jot down a note really quick, a widget note is perfect: simple, fast, and always there the second I need it, but not in the way. I also keep reminders there, my contacts list and similar things I may need frequently.
I also use the calculator widget from PEMDAS:
http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/calculate_convert/pemdas.html
I also use daily: Apple's conversion widget, weather, dictionary, calendar, and iStat. And other widgets I use very frequently, like a shipment notification widget (I buy a lot of stuff online), some I use more rarely, like flight info.
Dashboard and widgets are a huge, huge productivity booster. This is truly an enhancement of functionality.
So for me, the appearance of widgets was a very, very big deal. I cannot use a computer without them. Absolutely critical.
Many times a day!
iStat Pro: for checking system stats.
Stocks: for tracking my portfolio and the market.
Unit Converter: for all kinds of conversions.
Stickies: for jotting down notes.
Harmonic: for viewing lyrics to songs playing in iTunes.
.... and several others.
iStat Pro: for checking system stats.
Stocks: for tracking my portfolio and the market.
Unit Converter: for all kinds of conversions.
Stickies: for jotting down notes.
Harmonic: for viewing lyrics to songs playing in iTunes.
.... and several others.