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Microsoft "Gadgets"

It's nice to see them putting attention into this again after so long. Active Desktop was a neat idea, but the execution fell flat. I hope they get it right this time around.
 
:rolleyes: Come on guys, you can't be this blind. It's just Active Desktop and Sidebar tiles with a new name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Desktop

The implementation is exactly the same as Active Desktop. It uses the same stuff (basically anything that runs in IE including DHTML, Javascript, ActiveX, HTML etc.) except now it supports xaml.

It's the same two products Microsoft has been touting for years now (sidebar since 2002 and active desktop since Windows 98) in nearly every way. I mean, come on, they still use (D)HTML and ActiveX. :rolleyes:

As far as Microsoft using the name "gadgets", it's dumb but Apple already started using the name "dashboard" to describe their widget program when Microsoft already had that name picked out for the sidebar so it's only right that MS used it. Payback is a bitch.

For those who don't know, "Dashboard" is the name of the sidebar that ships with MSN software (and XP) since 2002):

http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/msn8.asp
http://www.activewin.com/reviews/software/apps/msn/msn8/interface.shtml
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,634637,00.asp

http://images.google.com/images?q=msn dashboard&hl=en&lr=&sa=N&tab=wi
They even ship "dashboard" (the sidebar) for Mac now.


Active Desktop "items':
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/previous/gallery/default.mspx
adc3.jpg

adc1.jpg

http://www.xemico.com/adc/index.html

:D
 
@BGil, dude thanks for the info and screenshots; but if thats what WinXP will look like trying to imitate (spelt wrong; Apple live spelling in the OS; another reason) OS X then that just gives me the fuel to plan a full week of SICKN'N overtime to bring me much closer to owning a Mac!!! :p

Sorry about being cheeky, but no matter how much WinXP/WinCEMENT/VIsta looks like OS X; it just isnt. It wont behave fluently, and with the huge push of open-source applications for Linux, it just makes apps more available on the Mac. I'm looking foward to the sudden decline of windows users not wanting to upgrade to Vista to use new features that will cost $$Mega Duckets; and realize that everyday home/office use of the computer will be easier on a Mac.

Everyday this week; doing tech support for windows users for AOL app, and not only do I have to show them something as simple as bringing up Task Manager - AOL & WinXP at fault - to close a frozen app, or non responding app, I also have to do tech support on my own computer that I need to tech support the customers. pathetic.
 
mad jew said:
That's not really fair on the gay people around here. Unless you meant GAY which would obviously stand for Greviously Annoying Yams, although that wouldn't really have made sense. :(
Click to expand...

Well I am gay and my roommate likes to say..."dude, that is totally gay, and NOT in the good way" I think it's pretty funny.
 
This breakthrough will truly revolutionize computing.

Leave it to Microsoft to lead the way in innovation by bringing us technologies never before thought possible by 2 other companies.
 
Both Apple and MS don't innovate as much as they would have us believe. Both buy and blatantly rip off technologies developed by others.
 
Is that site for real?

Lots of comments attached to the blog entry, most of them arguing how Microsoft copied the Mac (some refuting that claim too, but...) I would think Microsoft wouldn't be too eager to solicit such blatant negative feedback.

Also, as one of those commenters noticed, if you look up the microsoftgadgets.com domain, it's owned by some guy in Nova Scotia. Doesn't really look like an official Microsoft site...
 
And people were complaining about Apple trying to kill Konfab...

Minor point - i see microsoft have gotten over their retardness and calling Javascript by its proper name, instead of JScript.
 
notjustjay said:
Is that site for real?

Lots of comments attached to the blog entry, most of them arguing how Microsoft copied the Mac (some refuting that claim too, but...) I would think Microsoft wouldn't be too eager to solicit such blatant negative feedback.

Also, as one of those commenters noticed, if you look up the microsoftgadgets.com domain, it's owned by some guy in Nova Scotia. Doesn't really look like an official Microsoft site...
Click to expand...

Apparently it isn't real. It's is automatically suspect, if for no other reason than because Microsoft doesn't seem to do much domain proliferation, preferring to keep everything organized under microsoft.com.

This site will get shut down as soon as Microsoft's lawyers discover it. In the meantime, good satire.
 
The WHOIS reports the domain is owned by a Jack Spurr in Canada.

Methinks this is a fake. :p Nice try, guys.

edit: Didn't see notjustjay's comment. I don't feel so sleuthy now.
 
Is this a part of Vista? No wonder Longhorn took so long in development. They were just waiting to copy ideas.
 
Paul O'Keefe said:
Both Apple and MS don't innovate as much as they would have us believe. Both buy and blatantly rip off technologies developed by others.
Click to expand...

Actually...Apple innovates all the time in that by deffinition they: "make changes in something established".

The difference between Apple and microsoft is Apple's "changes" are usually very good and occasionally ground-breaking - microsoft on the otherhand just releases the very same product with their logo slapped all over it. I think that would fall under the "blatant rip-off" category. As for the whole Konfabulator broo-ha-ha this link spells it out nicely:

http://daringfireball.net/2004/06/dashboard_vs_konfabulator
 
Hate to say it, buy some things just aren't black-and-white.

You can't say widgets are 100% Kobfabulator's idea, or 100% Apple's. They BOTH contributed to what we have today. It may not be a nice sound bite, but it's true. Both companies had a role in the widget concept as we know and love it.

And some things ARE black-and-white:

* Microsoft did NOT have a role in introducing widgets... despite their unbelievable text about what an exciting new concept they've come up with :rolleyes:

* Microsoft gadgets will not be out for a good long while. Enjoy Tiger and Konfabulator today :)

EDIT: nice fake if it is one... perfect on the heels of the new Office :D
 
I'm suprised it went that long before someone did a whois... the second I read the first paragraph, I pulled up a whois (microsoft might use other's ideas here and there and everywhere, but this was a little too blatant, don't you think)...

Anyway, Jack Spurr in Yarmouth (if that's his real name anyway) is having a VERY good laugh at the expense of mac-heads right now...
 
What you need to realize is that this is an attempt to battle with Yahoo now that Yahoo has bought Konfabulator. Dashboard isn't availible on Windows, but Yahoo's Konfabulator is.

Other than that, it's all a big game of catch-up, that we knew Microsoft was going to get into.
 
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