The
Windows Desktop Gadgets (called
Windows Sidebar in
Windows VistaWindows Vista is a line of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
) is a
widget engineIn computer software, a widget engine is a software service available to users for running and displaying applets on a graphical user interface, such as that of the desktop....
for
Microsoft GadgetsMicrosoft Gadgets are light-weight single-purpose applications that can sit on the user's computer desktop, or are hosted on a web page. According to Microsoft, it will be possible for the different types of gadgets to run on different environments without modification, but this is currently not...
. It was introduced with
Windows VistaWindows Vista is a line of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
, in which it features a sidebar anchored to the side of the desktop, but this was removed in Windows 7. Its widgets, called Gadgets, can perform various tasks, such as displaying the time and date and showing the CPU usage. Several gadgets ship with Windows, and anyone can develop more gadgets.
Windows Sidebar contains mini-applications or Gadgets which are based on a combination of Script and HTML.
The
Windows Desktop Gadgets (called
Windows Sidebar in
Windows VistaWindows Vista is a line of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
) is a
widget engineIn computer software, a widget engine is a software service available to users for running and displaying applets on a graphical user interface, such as that of the desktop....
for
Microsoft GadgetsMicrosoft Gadgets are light-weight single-purpose applications that can sit on the user's computer desktop, or are hosted on a web page. According to Microsoft, it will be possible for the different types of gadgets to run on different environments without modification, but this is currently not...
. It was introduced with
Windows VistaWindows Vista is a line of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
, in which it features a sidebar anchored to the side of the desktop, but this was removed in Windows 7. Its widgets, called Gadgets, can perform various tasks, such as displaying the time and date and showing the CPU usage. Several gadgets ship with Windows, and anyone can develop more gadgets.
Overview
Windows Sidebar contains mini-applications or Gadgets which are based on a combination of Script and HTML. They may be used to display information such as the system time and
InternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standardized Internet Protocol Suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
-powered features such as
RSSRSS is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format...
feeds, and to control external
applicationsComputer programs are instructions for a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute the instructions...
such as
Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player is a digital media player and media library application developed by Microsoft that is used for playing audio, video and viewing images on personal computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system, as well as on Pocket PC and Windows Mobile-based devices...
. Gadgets can run "docked" in the sidebar or they can "float" anywhere on the desktop. It is also possible to run multiple instances of a gadget simultaneously.
Windows Vista includes eleven Sidebar gadgets: Calendar, Clock, Contacts, CPU Meter, Currency conversion, RSS Feed Headlines, Notes, Picture Puzzle, Slide Show, Stocks, and Weather. Of these, the Clock, Slide Show and Feed Headlines are displayed by default on a new installation of Windows Vista. Microsoft provides a link to a web site called
Windows Live GalleryWindows Live Gallery is a part of Microsoft's Windows Live range of services. It is a center for gadgets, extensions and add-ons for various Windows Live services and products including:* Gadgets** for Windows Sidebar...
where additional Sidebar gadgets that have been created by
third partyThird party may refer to:Politics* Third party , party other than one of the two dominant ones in a two-party political system* Third party , in American politics* Third party , in Canadian politicsComputers...
clients can be downloaded.
History
Sidebar originated in a
Microsoft ResearchMicrosoft Research is a division of Microsoft created in 1991 for researching various computer science topics and issues. It currently employs Turing Award winners C.A.R...
project called
Sideshow (not to be confused with
Windows SideShowWindows SideShow is a technology introduced in Windows Vista that enables Windows PCs to drive a variety of auxiliary display devices connected to the main PC. These devices can be separate from or integrated into the main PC , enabling access to information and media even when the PC is turned off...
.) It was developed in the summer of 2000, and was used internally at Microsoft. It had many similarities to current desktop gadget software, including a clock, traffic reports, and IM integration.
The Sidebar appeared in "Longhorn" (Windows Vista) builds as early as September 2002, and was originally intended to replace the notification area or
Quick Launch toolbarIn computing, the taskbar is a term for an application desktop bar which is used to launch and monitor applications. Microsoft incorporated a taskbar in Windows 95 and it has been a defining aspect of Microsoft Windows's graphical user interface ever since. Other desktop environments, such as KDE...
in Windows, but these plans were scrapped after the Longhorn "reset" in mid-2004.
The Windows Sidebar was rebuilt for and began to appear in Windows Vista builds in the second half of 2005, some reviewers and
MacintoshThe Macintosh, or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced on January 24 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a graphical user interface rather than a...
enthusiasts have pointed out the Sidebar's similarities in form and function to Konfabulator (now Yahoo! Widget Engine) and the
DashboardDashboard is an application for Apple's Mac OS X operating systems, used for hosting mini-applications known as widgets. First introduced in Tiger, it is a semi-transparent layer that is invisible to the user unless activated by clicking its icon in the Dock...
widget engine first included with Apple Inc.'s
Mac OS X v10.4Mac OS X version 10.4 “Tiger” is the fifth major release of Mac OS X, Apple’s desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers. Tiger was released to the public on 29 April 2005 for US$129.95 as the successor to Mac OS X v10.3 “Panther”, which had been released 18 months earlier...
, which had been released a few months earlier. It should be noted that Windows Sidebar originally appeared in Longhorn long before Yahoo! Widget and Dashboard made their first debut.
In Windows 7, Windows Sidebar was renamed
Windows Desktop Gadgets, and the sidebar itself is not present.
See also
- Microsoft Gadgets
Microsoft Gadgets are light-weight single-purpose applications that can sit on the user's computer desktop, or are hosted on a web page. According to Microsoft, it will be possible for the different types of gadgets to run on different environments without modification, but this is currently not...
- Windows SideShow
Windows SideShow is a technology introduced in Windows Vista that enables Windows PCs to drive a variety of auxiliary display devices connected to the main PC. These devices can be separate from or integrated into the main PC , enabling access to information and media even when the PC is turned off...
for Device Gadgets.
- Live.com
Windows Live Personalized Experience is a customizable portal launched by Microsoft in early November 2005. It was one of the first Windows Live services to launch.- Features :...
for Web Gadgets
- Dock
The Dock is a prominent feature of the graphical user interface of Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X operating system, which is used to launch applications, and switch between running applications. The dock is also a prominent feature of Mac OS X's predecessor NeXTSTEP and OPENSTEP operating systems...
External links