What’s the deal with Web widgets?
Patrick March 29th, 2007
Most of what is blogged about today is web widgets, either the kind where you can grab some code and place it on your website, or click a button and add it to a particular blogging platform, or visit a site and compose your own personal start page using widgets.
Yeah, the web is an interesting area, but its not everything (and I’m an internet consultant, for gosh sakes!). How about Apple’s Dashboard, Yahoo’s Widget Engine, and Windows Vista Gadgets? What’s funny is that this doesn’t even remotely begin to explore the power and possibility of widgets. How about BMW’s iDrive, or AppleTV, or mobile phones, or the display on your refrigerator?
Everyone getting all hot and bothered about web widgets needs to chill. While web standards are going to be a major factor–Apple was derided for aping Konfabulator, which it did because K wasn’t based on web standards, yet Yahoo’s Widget Engine (once called Konfabulator) recently moved to web standards–there are many other platforms that will be key to the widget economy. Remember how everyone panned Microsoft’s watch? Watch out. the concept will rise again, this time powered by widgets.
Technorati Tags: widgets, gadgets, Apple, Yahoo, Konfabulator, Vista
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