Widgets
[1/13] from: john_kenyon::mlc::com::au at: 16-Dec-2005 17:34
Hi all,
OS X provides pop up user utilities called widgets which reside in a
dashboard
(see http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/dashboard/)
Yahoo! have recently released a similar widget system for both Windows and
OS X (see http://widget.yahoo.com/)
Both of these products are rather slow, memory intensive and complex to
develop for.
It would be fairly trivial to write a similar tool in rebol which may open
up the language to a number of new developers. Common widgets available
perform lookups on web sites and present the information in a clean
customised format. This type of "screen scraping" is already a strong area
for rebol.
What does everyone think to this idea?
Cheers,
John
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[2/13] from: greggirwin::mindspring::com at: 16-Dec-2005 9:20
Hi John,
jmca> OS X provides pop up user utilities called widgets which reside in a
jmca> "dashboard" (see http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/dashboard/)
jmca> Yahoo! have recently released a similar widget system for both Windows and
jmca> OS X (see http://widget.yahoo.com/)
jmca> It would be fairly trivial to write a similar tool in rebol...
jmca> What does everyone think to this idea?
RT is aware of this toolkit, and others like it, along with the value
such a toolkit might bring to REBOL. The Yahoo widget tool used to be
called Konfabulator--which I think started the trend that Apple
integrated into OSX. Konfabulator was recently acquired by Yahoo.
I'm anxious to see how many others think this would be a good thing
for REBOL. It will take some work on RT's part, so it needs to be
prioritized; which means we need to know how important it is to
people.
-- Gregg
[3/13] from: jasonic:nomadics at: 16-Dec-2005 20:16
>I'm anxious to see how many others think this would be a good thing
>for REBOL. It will take some work on RT's part, so it needs to be
>prioritized; which means we need to know how important it is to
>people.
Yes !!
REBOL definitely needs something like this.
I think I posted about Dashboard/Konfabulator on this list ages ago - a
shining example of how to do it right [2003-2004 ??]
Jason
[4/13] from: rasmussen::bryan::gmail::com at: 17-Dec-2005 9:05
I don't necessarily feel it is something that Rebol needs, but rather
a niche that Rebol could fit in to very well. In fact when the whole
Konfabulator thing was going down I was struck by a strong feeling of
there but for the grace of having gone for this niche goes Rebol.
On 12/16/05, Jason Cunliffe <jasonic-nomadics.org> wrote:
[5/13] from: jasonic:nomadics at: 17-Dec-2005 11:49
hmm.. Sorry I don't qute undestand your comment.
What do you feel were the risks gains?
What did Rebol miss for better for worse??
What went down exactly with Konfabulator?
thanks
Jason
----- Original Message -----
From: "bryan rasmussen" <rasmussen.bryan-gmail.com>
To: <rebolist-rebol.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 17, 2005 9:05 AM
Subject: [REBOL] Re: Widgets
I don't necessarily feel it is something that Rebol needs, but rather
a niche that Rebol could fit in to very well. In fact when the whole
Konfabulator thing was going down I was struck by a strong feeling of
there but for the grace of having gone for this niche goes Rebol.
[6/13] from: rasmussen::bryan::gmail::com at: 17-Dec-2005 17:22
I meant that the konfabulator widget system made a handy little applet
writer for windows that was cheap, easy for non-programmers etc. same
thing I suppose you meant, that Rebol is suited to this kind of niche,
the konfabulator thing going down referred to the purchase by yahoo,
that could have perhaps been a yahoo investment in Rebol instead.
On 12/17/05, Jason Cunliffe <jasonic-nomadics.org> wrote:
[7/13] from: antonr::lexicon::net at: 19-Dec-2005 0:42
Dashboard: Hmm.. Are these really widgets or are they mini-applications ?
They seem to me to be too customised to be real widgets. Or at least
they are widgets built from many other more basic widgets (eg.
calculator is built from many buttons etc.)
Can the widgets be tied together easily ?
Or is the desktop the only place you can drag them ?
(Being able to simply drag an application where you want it is a good idea.)
Anton.
[8/13] from: premshree::pillai::gmail::com at: 20-Dec-2005 8:24
On 12/16/05, Gregg Irwin <greggirwin-mindspring.com> wrote:
> I'm anxious to see how many others think this would be a good thing
> for REBOL. It will take some work on RT's part, so it needs to be
> prioritized; which means we need to know how important it is to
> people.
I'm not sure this is a good idea. And I don't think "asking people if
it's a good idea" is a good thing either. I look at REBOL more like a
platform. You want to develop a widget engine, go ahead develop one -
REBOL provides the required tools. I'd hate to see REBOL getting
disintegrated (sort of) into a bunch of frameworks.
0.2 cents,
Premshree
[9/13] from: rebolek::gmail::com at: 20-Dec-2005 9:26
Hi,
what's the buzz about widgets? I mean, you can write an application in View
as a VID style and call it 'widget'. There's no need for some framework or
so. Or am I wrong?
On 12/20/05, Premshree Pillai <premshree.pillai-gmail.com> wrote:
> On 12/16/05, Gregg Irwin <greggirwin-mindspring.com> wrote:
> > I'm anxious to see how many others think this would be a good thing
<<quoted lines omitted: 11>>
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--
/
Boleslav Brezovsky
http://krutek.info
\
[10/13] from: Christophe::Coussement::mil::be at: 20-Dec-2005 13:51
It's an hype and it sells.
It could help give REBOL some visibility...
My 5 cents
--xtof
> Hi,
> what's the buzz about widgets? I mean, you can write an
<<quoted lines omitted: 35>>
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[11/13] from: greggirwin::mindspring::com at: 20-Dec-2005 11:45
Hi Boleslav,
BB> Wwhat's the buzz about widgets? I mean, you can write an
BB> application in View as a VID style and call it 'widget'. There's
BB> no need for some framework or so. Or am I wrong?
Part of it is "just marketing", but there is also value in providing a
few extra features that make it easy to write small apps that follow
certain standards (e.g. preferences, remembering last location).
In many ways Viewtop is like a widget environment; giving you a way to
publish, discover, and launch scripts. So, why haven't more people
used it that way? How many of us use it on a daily basis? Would it be
enough to add a new bookmark or menu item linking to a dedicated area
for these kinds of things? I think we would also need a few tools to
help develop, publish, search, and "install" reblets; and is the
current layout model effective for this use? Should it auto-start
selected (installed) reblets automatically? Should it shut them down
automatically as well? These little features, and even imposing
constraints on what reblets can do, can actually be empowering IMO,
and help foster acceptance.
Of course, we can do this ourselves. The Viewtop is open source, and
we can probably write most, if not all, of the desired functionality
in REBOL. Or someone could write their own. I'm sure I'm not the only
one with ideas and notes for just such a project.
-- Gregg
[12/13] from: pwawood::gmail::com at: 21-Dec-2005 9:42
Hi Gregg
Isn't the main difference between Dashboard/Confabulator and View-top
that in the former the widgets are contained within the main
application window with the effect of considerably reducing "desktop"
clutter? All widgets can be hidden (and re-displayed) with a single
click.
I suspect this feature is one of the main attractions.
Regards
Peter
On Wednesday, Dec 21, 2005, at 02:45 Asia/Kuala_Lumpur, Gregg Irwin
wrote:
[13/13] from: volker::nitsch::gmail::com at: 21-Dec-2005 21:04
On 12/16/05, john_kenyon-mlc.com.au <john_kenyon-mlc.com.au> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> OS X provides pop up user utilities called widgets which reside in a
> "dashboard" (see http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/dashboard/)
[snip]
> What does everyone think to this idea?
>
Played a bit. Maybe somebody gets inspiration?
http://polly.rebol.it/test/test/dashboardulator/
> Cheers,
> John
>
[snipped a lot]
--
-Volker
Any problem in computer science can be solved with another layer of
indirection. But that usually will create another problem.
David
Wheeler
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