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Author Topic: Fact: widgets is no new invention at all  (Read 1540 times)

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Pieter

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Fact: widgets is no new invention at all
« on: March 20, 2008, 10:04:12 AM »
Something hit me yesterday. Widgets are not as new and fresh as they want you to believe. In fact, Windows has had built-in widget functionality since the Internet Explorer 4.0 era! Not sure what the frick I'm talking about? Have a look at this screenshot...
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spock1982 (Ernie)

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Re: Fact: widgets is no new invention at all
« Reply #1 on: March 20, 2008, 12:02:58 PM »
Not sure I would call anything I saw there a widget?
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Pieter

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Re: Fact: widgets is no new invention at all
« Reply #2 on: March 20, 2008, 12:07:59 PM »
It's actually a Flash file taken from a website of a television channel. It displays some of the upcoming programs and is updated automatically.

Sure, the Windows Active Desktop is not a full featured alternative to widgets, but the important thing is that it proves that widgets are not a new invention.
« Last Edit: March 20, 2008, 12:10:34 PM by Pieter De Decker »
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Ryan Wagner

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Re: Fact: widgets is no new invention at all
« Reply #3 on: March 20, 2008, 12:47:16 PM »
Hmmm, you do make an interesting point. But at the same time couldn't we consider a media player that collapses down to nearly nothing a widget? We could even say that Apple's Desk Accessories were pretty widget-like, and they were out in the early 1980's:
http://folklore.org/StoryView.py?story=Desk_Ornaments.txt
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Pieter

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Re: Fact: widgets is no new invention at all
« Reply #4 on: March 20, 2008, 12:49:20 PM »
Interesting... but aren't those just regular windows?
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Ryan Wagner

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Re: Fact: widgets is no new invention at all
« Reply #5 on: March 21, 2008, 06:57:29 PM »
Quote from: Pieter De Decker on March 20, 2008, 12:49:20 PM
Interesting... but aren't those just regular windows?
Pretty much, but that's not really how they were classified. Of course widgets themselves could really be labeled as "regular windows" as well.
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