Widgets are becoming a common thing around the www despite the fact that there are many who will not be able to define what a widget really means.
This reality was realized by Peter Bruce – Senior Editor (CNET Download.com) who explains the word in the following manner:
“Widget” is a confusing word because it has a deliberately vague etymology. It was originally used as a placeholder term for any type of mechanical device. Later, it found a niche in computing circles as a term for graphical interface elements like check boxes and drop-down menus.
Konfabulator, now known as Yahoo Widgets Engine, released an environment a few years ago that let users create their own widgets, and several competitors have since followed suit. Google Desktop added “gadgets” (read: widgets) in version 4, and Windows Vista finally moved beyond Active Desktop with its inclusion of a gadget sidebar.
Aside from the major players, there are a couple other interesting software programs that incorporate the widget concept. Klipfolio recently added its own sidebar in version 4. It specializes in running lightweight, utilitarian “Klips” that scale well to any size or interface design. The alternative browser Opera also now supports widgets that run directly from your desktop.
The big news this week is the prerelease of Adobe Apollo, a new integrated development environment, or IDE, that lets developers use their existing HTML, JavaScript, and other Web skills to build rich Internet applications–another fancy term for widgets.
Adobe already dominates browser-based rich Internet applications with its Flash Player. Can it take over our desktops as well? With gadgets built into Windows Vista, the popularity of Google Desktop, and a three-year head start for Yahoo Widgets Engine, Adobe has a lot of ground to make up.
In the context of modern software, the word “widget” generally refers to a small desktop application. Both Mac and Windows operating systems have experimented with widgets, including Active Desktop in Windows.”
Njoi!
