Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Yahoo Launches Dashboard

Posted by Zonk on from the must-have-more-widgets dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Engadget has a 'live' post from a Yahoo press conference this morning showing something called Yahoo Dashboard. It looks awwwfully familiar. They brought out Ellen DeGeneres to demo it, and Tom Cruise to show an MI: 3 trailer for some reason." From the article: "I would like to announce right now what we call Yahoo Go. If you have some of the same problems dealing with things as Ellen .... Yahoo Go ... is a revolutionary way to connect users to Web services they already use. We're installing new applications right on devices (pix of laptop, TV, phone)." Dashboard is the relaunch of Konfabulator. We reported on Yahoo!'s purchase of Konfabulator last year.

221 of 320 comments (clear)

  1. Imitation is the sincerest form... by daveschroeder · · Score: 4, Informative

    I'm not sure if the submitter is insinuating that Yahoo "Dashboard" looks suspiciously familiar to Apple's Dashboard on Mac OS X 10.4.x (Tiger), but we should be reminded that Yahoo Go/Yahoo Dashboard is in fact Yahoo! Widget Engine, which is in fact Konfabulator renamed.

    And Konfabulator, by Arlo Rose (of Kaleidoscope fame) and Perry Clarke, was around on the Mac OS X platform first, until a Windows version was also released with the help of Ed Voas before Yahoo!'s purchase. In fact, if it weren't for the Windows version, Yahoo! may never have come knocking.

    And it's easy to say that Apple ripped off Konfabulator to make Dashboard, but if we go back a step further...say, a couple of decades, we find that the idea of Konfabulator - little modeless applets that do useful things, like an address book or a notepad or a calculator or a little game - actually hearkens back to Apple's original idea of Desk Accessories.

    It all comes full circle!

    No, wait. That's not full circle. It all leads back to Apple. ;-)

    1. Re:Imitation is the sincerest form... by gxw · · Score: 1

      Just like to point out that the last part (Desk Accessories) is as tenuous an argument as saying that all this stuff was really a rip-off of real-life desk accessories sitting on your real-life desk.

      While this may or may not be true (I don't have a traffic cam on my real-life desk), the point that this argument misses is that Konfabulator made some substantial leaps beyond what Desk Accessories or desk accessories were able to offer. Perhaps most importantly, Apple's original Desk Accessories were not at all something that users were intended to create or modify. Their similiarity to Konfabulator Widgets is primarily technical. Dashboard on the other hand, clearly copied the essense of what made Konfabulator so popular (along with some of the nomenclature and basic structure).

      But, all this is in the past ... so no point in dwelling on it. Now Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo! have some version of Widgets as part of their web offerings ... and apparently, coming soon to your cell phones, thanks to Yahoo! or Konfabulator or the inventor of the desk, or something.

    2. Re:Imitation is the sincerest form... by SpinyNorman · · Score: 1

      Given that the WikiPedia article describes the purpose of the original Desktop Accessories being to get around the lack of multitasking, it seems that another predecessor are MS-DOS TSRs (terminate-and-stay-resident applets).

      I'm not sure what the difference is meant to be between, say, a calculator Widget and a calculator application - I assume Widgets are easier to develop?

    3. Re:Imitation is the sincerest form... by ciroknight · · Score: 1

      I say that there's just not enough evidence to convict Apple of copying Konfabulator for Dashboard, but there's a lot of reasoning that could make it go either way. And then of course you could say Konfabulator copied Active Desktop in a more effective way, but that's something everyone doesn't give credit for.

      The truth is, until historians can look back on it, it'll be hard to see. There's still too much FUD being flung in all directions to know for sure which chicken originally laid the egg.

      --
      "Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is." G.W.Bush
    4. Re:Imitation is the sincerest form... by Dylan+Zimmerman · · Score: 4, Funny

      It all comes full circle!

      I think you meant to say that it all goes in one infinite loop.

    5. Re:Imitation is the sincerest form... by IdleTime · · Score: 1

      More bloat I have no use for, eats memory and CPU and feeds you stupid ads.

      --
      If you mod me down, I *will* introduce you to my sister!
    6. Re:Imitation is the sincerest form... by calzones · · Score: 4, Interesting

      > ...you could say Konfabulator copied Active Desktop in a more effective way...

      YES! I have always thought that active desktop was a great idea with a horrible implementation, and when people showed me Konfabulator, it seemed to me to be a better implementation, but still not good enough.

      The idea of having desk accessories, small, one-purpose quick apps handy, is just sooo obvious, you can't give credit to anyone for that. The idea of embedding them in an out-of-the-way-yet-easily-accessible layer of the OS is also really obvious. So Konfabulator can't take credit for much, and neither should Apple, and accusations of copy-cat in either direction are totally ill-founded.

      That leaves the only aspect to this whole deal that can be remotely considered 'innovative:' using an html layer in the OS that the user can configure and control to create such apps of any flavor. And as much as I love Apple, credit for that has to go to MS, who unfortunately sought to make the entire OS revolve around some bastardized browser concept, instead of just this one special layer.

      What Apple can take credit for is simply for taking the initiative of making this available as part of the OS and supporting it. If you ask me, though, the implementation is still not ideal. I'd still like to access widgets that are embedded in my actual desktop in addition to in the "modal-ish" Dashboard layer, as well as being able to hide widgets behind hotspots around my monitor (like flip the mouse to a corner to bring up the calculator, flip it back to that corner to hide it again).

      Finally, Yahoo's decision to name their product Dashboard is really sad. Apple named theirs dashboard because they had no better name handy, and that was the easiest way to effectively communicate what the product is. The people who came up with the name Konfabulator really hit on a gold nugget from a sheer marketing perspective. Who doesn't want to own a 'Konfabulator?' Yahoo should have kept that name and leveraged it. It's akin to Apple buying the iPod from another company and then renaming it to 'MP3 Player.'

      --
      Asking people to think is like asking them to buy you a new car
    7. Re:Imitation is the sincerest form... by BeerCat · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure what the difference is meant to be between, say, a calculator Widget and a calculator application

      Bizarrely, they are actually two different things (unlike the Dictionary widget, which merely calls the Dictionary.app). This can be shown by typing in a simple sum to Calculator.app and the calculator widget:
      2+4*6

      In the widget, it is evaluated left to right (giving 36 as the answer), whereas in the .app, it is evaluated using standard algebraic rules, so the multiplication takes precedence over the addition, giving a result of 26


      (as an aside, the Windows calculator changes depending on the view - the basic view gives 36 as the answer, while the advanced view gives 26 as the answer)

      --
      "She's furniture with a pulse"
    8. Re:Imitation is the sincerest form... by th3space · · Score: 1

      Shiva Tapdancing Vishnu! That is the definition of an informative post. I, and I'm sure others, bow to your greatness and the wealthspring of information you have imparted upon us.

      --
      "How like you to drag your keyboard to a gun fight." - Aaron Bedard (BANE)
    9. Re:Imitation is the sincerest form... by generic-man · · Score: 2, Informative

      The article implies that widgets on the desktop were the only things being announced today, but Yahoo! also announced an interface that lets you navigate through web services on a TV using a Windows XP computer. Basically they've created a "10-foot user interface" that lets you view photos, listen to music, etc., using a TV as the center of attention and the Internet to retrieve extra content.

      Unfortunately it's not available yet, but I'm sure commenters can assure me that MythTV and FrontRow are superior to it.

      --
      For more information, click here.
    10. Re:Imitation is the sincerest form... by Ilgaz · · Score: 1

      Apple's stuff had no intention for end users coding their own little applications there with a bit knowledge of HTML/Javascript.

      In fact I had these little applications on my Amiga 500. One I remember was cloçk, analogue clock but it was again coded by Commodore and you couldn't say "Lets change that background".

      Look at these http://widgets.yahoo.com/gallery/ , are they advanced C coders? Nope I don't think so. The thing is small "widgets" which can be created with limited programming language knowledge on readable format.

      So the excuse of Apple is not very valid in fact. You know what? They will kill me for saying it but I think Microsoft Active Desktop is the "thing" shipped in IE 4.0 times is in fact invented small desktop html applications.

      There it is: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/previous/galle ry/default.mspx

      It was never too popular since those times nobody had the memory to happily keep them running.

    11. Re:Imitation is the sincerest form... by Blakey+Rat · · Score: 1

      *ahem* Running javascript applets in an easily-accessible location? Sounds like Active Desktop to me... that's, what, Windows 98?

      --
      Comment of the year
    12. Re:Imitation is the sincerest form... by Ilgaz · · Score: 1

      I wonder if they licensed this one:

      http://opera.com/products/devices/markets/stb/

      Note such things does not have huge brand on them like "Opera" or something. Like new Nokias only have "web browser" instead of Opera while it is still Opera.

    13. Re:Imitation is the sincerest form... by Pollardito · · Score: 1

      wasn't Active Desktop just MS ripping off Netscape Communicator Channels?

    14. Re:Imitation is the sincerest form... by Flwyd · · Score: 1

      Konfabulator was also one of the first applications to show that under the piles of browser nonconformity and bad scripts written by people who don't know how to code, JavaScript is really an interesting, useful, and elegant language which can do something more worthwhile than make text scroll at the bottom of a web browser and make unwanted ads even more annoying.

      --
      Ceci n'est pas une signature.
    15. Re:Imitation is the sincerest form... by ejp1082 · · Score: 1

      Finally, Yahoo's decision to name their product Dashboard is really sad. Apple named theirs dashboard because they had no better name handy, and that was the easiest way to effectively communicate what the product is. The people who came up with the name Konfabulator really hit on a gold nugget from a sheer marketing perspective. Who doesn't want to own a 'Konfabulator?' Yahoo should have kept that name and leveraged it. It's akin to Apple buying the iPod from another company and then renaming it to 'MP3 Player.'

      Exactly right. I keep expecting to wake up one day and find out that Flickr has been rebranded "Yahoo! Photo Sharing" and Del.ico.us as "Yahoo! Social Bookmarking"

      They seem to have a knack for taking some very cool brands and making them sound about as much fun as oatmeal. I mean I get that they want to promote a brand identity and use descriptive names... but can't they leave well enough alone when it comes to brands already in place?

      Why not "Konfabulator" with "a Yahoo! Widget Engine" in the subtext? Or even just "Yahoo! Konfabulator"?

  2. Can't they stick with a name? by ruiner13 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It was Konfabulator 3 months ago, then it was Yahoo! Widgets, and now it is Yahoo! Dashboard? Are they trying to confuse people? I wonder if they'll have problems with Apple for using "Dahsboard".

    --

    today is spelling optional day.

    1. Re:Can't they stick with a name? by pablo_mccombs · · Score: 1

      Konfoundulator.

    2. Re:Can't they stick with a name? by superyooser · · Score: 1

      They should do what developers for Mozilla did and create an extension called YahooSomething. I'm looking forward to using Yahoo! Thunderfoxfabulator.

  3. Apple? by Joehonkie · · Score: 1

    Did Apple forget to copyright "Dashboard?"

    1. Re:Apple? by XaXXon · · Score: 1

      You can't copyright a name. The code behind dashboard is copyrighted automatically when it's written (as is everything else).

      Whether they can/did trademark the name Dashboard, I don't know. Perhaps it's too common a word to define a "layout of information" to be trademarked. Cars have dashboards that display data generated by a computer in a visual format, so perhaps that is enough to make the term generic.

    2. Re:Apple? by Joehonkie · · Score: 1

      Stupid me. I meant trademark. Thanks.

  4. Apple Dashboard by Distinguished+Hero · · Score: 1

    Interesting naming choice seeing as Apples widget program has been called Dashboard for a while.

    --
    Uttering logically derived and empirically supported truths to the disciples of the orthodox establishment.
  5. Isn't it Widgets? by Geoffreyerffoeg · · Score: 2, Funny

    I already downloaded the Yahoo! Widget Engine. Why do I need Ellen Degeneres and Tom Cruise?

  6. Apple legal by anaesthetica · · Score: 1

    Does anyone else foresee Apple legal having a field day with the name "Yahoo! Dashboard"? If Dashboard is a trademark, as I would assume Apple legal would have assured, then how can Yahoo! get away with naming their equivalent service the exact same thing? It would be like Apple coming out with a web search called "Apple Yahoo!".

    --
    The Rise and Fall of Online Community
  7. konfabulator pissed me off by caffeinemessiah · · Score: 1

    i don't know about you, but i hate that they re-branded Konfabulator as the Yahoo Widget Enginer. Another case of innovation-by-purchase. Now I wonder if the dashboard will give you a free stress test...

    --
    An old-timer with old-timey ideas.
  8. Dashboard? by imadork · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Steve's gonna be pissed!

  9. I tried it and had a gripe, so I stopped using it. by Rude+Turnip · · Score: 2, Informative

    I'm conditioned to hit Windows-D to drop back to my desktop when I need to get back to my desktop. Unfortunately, this simple and practical key combination also hides the widgets from my view, making them much less useful.

    --
    Bill Clinton: Pimp we can believe in. - The Shirt!!!
  10. That's got the lesbian and gay community covered.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
    They brought out Ellen DeGeneres to demo it, and Tom Cruise to show an MI: 3 trailer for some reason.

    Well, that covers the lesbian and gay community. No representation for us straight folks?

  11. Everyone Copying Everyone by minimunchkin · · Score: 3, Funny

    Dashboard steels the look of Konfabulator, itself a stolen idea. Yahoo buys Konfabulator and steals the name of Dashboard. Whatever next?

    1. Re:Everyone Copying Everyone by Hognoxious · · Score: 1
      What ever next?
      Someone posts on slashdot who knows the difference between steals (dishonestly obtains) and steels ( 1-toughens, makes ready for activity. 2-the plural of an iron-based alloy.)?

      No. Silly.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  12. rename? by GweeDo · · Score: 1

    So we have a /. story about how Yahoo! renamed Konfabulator? Really, is this worth a post? This is Digg quality frontpage stuff, not /.

    --
    Unstable Apps: Our Android Apps Don't Suck
  13. Next week on Slashdot by earnest+murderer · · Score: 1

    Apple sues Yahoo! for trademark infringement.

    --
    Platform advocacy is like choosing a favorite severely developmentally disabled child.
  14. Well, it wasn't Justin Timberlake... by Billosaur · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ...but negative style points to Yahoo for trotting out Ellen Degeneres (really not that funny anymore) and Tom Cruise (Scientology poster boy and general nutcase). If these are the kind of people using Yahoo Go, I'll just do without thanks.

    --
    GetOuttaMySpace - The Anti-Social Network
    1. Re:Well, it wasn't Justin Timberlake... by squison · · Score: 1

      I really still don't see the point of having random celebrities show off your product at CES. If you're displaying a cool new product, people will take notice because it's something they might be interested in, not because it comes with the Scientologist seal of approval.

      Yahoo should've saved their cash and had their CEO or a PR guy show it off.

    2. Re:Well, it wasn't Justin Timberlake... by Hognoxious · · Score: 1
      I'll just do without thanks.
      That's because you never do anything to deserve gratitude.
      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    3. Re:Well, it wasn't Justin Timberlake... by vargasgrey · · Score: 1

      Why should we be impressed that a couple of stupid celebs are promoting it anyway? Oh, I forgot. The masses are easily influenced by schlebs! Doh!

    4. Re:Well, it wasn't Justin Timberlake... by HalAtWork · · Score: 1

      There's nothing really wrong with Ellen Degeneres. Sure she's kooky and you can only take so much of her seemingly one dimensional personality, but there's nothing really inherantly bad about her either. Why be negative for negativity's sake?

      --
      Twinstiq, game news
  15. Hmmm.... by WVDominick · · Score: 1

    Konfabulator... worst name ever? Not that it matters anymore.

    --
    bluespaceradio.com - New Wave, Indie and Alternative
    1. Re:Hmmm.... by easytoplease · · Score: 1

      Yes. I don't even get what word(s) it's supposed to be emulating. And why must they always replace a C with a K? I'm assuming whatever word it's emulating begins with a C. It doesn't lend any credence to your product...it just looks dumb.

    2. Re:Hmmm.... by Funkmaster_G · · Score: 1

      It sounds like a heavy rap/rock band like Korn or Linkin Park or Limp Bizkit or any of those bands who for some reason have an aversion to the letter C.

    3. Re:Hmmm.... by c_forq · · Score: 1

      Maybe because in English "C" can have two different sounds, while "K" only has one, therefor leading to fewer mispronunciations.

      --
      Computers allow humans to make mistakes at the fastest speeds known, with the possible exception of tequila and handguns
    4. Re:Hmmm.... by Anonymous+Writer · · Score: 1

      And why must they always replace a C with a K? I'm assuming whatever word it's emulating begins with a C. It doesn't lend any credence to your product...it just looks dumb.

      It probably has more to do with being able to get a ".com" domain name that hasn't already been registered. The "C" spelling now leads to a yahoo error page, which probably means that they acquired it. But perhaps someone else owned it at the time Konfabulator started out, like those companies that just buy slews domain names that are in the dictionary and sell them off at marked up prices.

    5. Re:Hmmm.... by Funkmaster_G · · Score: 1

      But why would you want to name your product "Confabulator" in the first place?

    6. Re:Hmmm.... by Anonymous+Writer · · Score: 1

      Beats me. I was just speculating why they would have misspelled it with a K rather than use a C.

  16. umm - dashboard? by DarkClown · · Score: 1

    Apple is just going to love this. The should have just called it iDashboard to avoid the whole apple litigation this is sure to provoke.

  17. Tom Cruise On The Ellen Show by CHaN_316 · · Score: 1

    I'm sure this is how the show went:
    Cruise> Ellen, Ellen, I've never agreed with Yahoo, ever. Before I was a Scientologist I never agreed with Yahoo. And when i started studying the history of psychiatry, I understood more and more why I didn't believe in Yahoo.
    Ellen> But Tom..
    Cruise> Ellen, Ellen. As far as the Dashboard thing is, look. You gotta understand, I really care about the Dashboard. I-- I think here's a-- a-- a wonderful and talented piece of software. And-- I wanna see it do well. And I know that-- Yahoo -- is a pseudo science. I KNOW THE HISTORY OF YAHOO! YOU DON'T!

    --
    "There is no spoon." - The Matrix
  18. Just what I need! by Markvs · · Score: 1

    *Another* "tool" my users can install to attract virii and spyware!

    --
    46. The Hobo smiles, his eyes glaze over, and he burps. "Beware the man who has lived longer than the Wasteland."
  19. Idea is useful for some things by jacobcaz · · Score: 2, Interesting
    The idea of a dashboard is okay, but the application it's useful has to be pretty specific. I run OS X and the only widgets I've found useful have been the weather widget and the calculator. I have the dashboard bound to one of my mouse buttons and I can call up a 5-day weather forcast or calculator at the click of a button.

    Otherwise I haven't been able to find another good application - that fits my needs - that I'm willing to give up RAM to.

    All of these dashboard ideas seem like a solution looking for a good idea - and from personal experience and talking to friends that idea hasn't really been found just yet.

  20. Apple legal by anaesthetica · · Score: 1
    Does anyone else foresee Apple legal having a field day with this? Judging from their past behavior, Apple legal is not the most lenient or forgiving group of people on Earth. One wonders how Yahoo! could justify releasing a product with exactly equivalent functionality, with the same name. It would be like Apple releasing a web search branded "Apple Yahoo".

    However, after perusing Apple's list of trademarks, I don't see Dashboard. Maybe Apple legal slipped up and forgot to register this one. Still, I can't see anyone over there being happy about this development...

    --
    The Rise and Fall of Online Community
  21. Ellen DeGeneres? by timtimtim2000 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Ellen DeGeneres is an authoritative source on technology, which is why Yahoo! has lured me into using their dashboard.

  22. Its not called Yahoo Dashboard... by RockClimbingFool · · Score: 2, Informative

    Its called Yahoo Go and its derived from Konfabulator. Doesn't Konfabulator pre-date Apple's implementation of their Dashboard?

    1. Re:Its not called Yahoo Dashboard... by shotfeel · · Score: 1

      Yes, and Desk Accessories (introduced with the first Mac) predate Konfabulator.

  23. What, no couch by thaerin · · Score: 1

    "and Tom Cruise to show an MI: 3 trailer for some reason."

    It's probably a good thing there wasn't a couch nearby otherwise we'd see hundreds of clips on the evening news about him jumping up and down on it while exlaiming how much he loves this software.

    --
    If big boobed women work at Hooters do one legged women work at IHOP?
    1. Re:What, no couch by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      Sensible thing to do, IMO. A moving target is much harder for Ballmer to hit. OMG ... it's the furniture wars!!!

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  24. Best quote from TFA by PagosaSam · · Score: 5, Funny

    10:40 Outside, a guy talking into his phone: "Well Steve Jobs is a fucking Jedi Master of this shit compared to these other clowns."

    I love this business!

    --
    :q! Oh crap, not again...
    1. Re:Best quote from TFA by Craig+Maloney · · Score: 1

      I was just about to post that. Best. quote. ever. :)

  25. Funniest part of TFA by Krach42 · · Score: 1

    10:40 Outside, a guy talking into his phone: "Well Steve Jobs is a fucking Jedi Master of this shit compared to these other clowns."

    --

    I am unamerican, and proud of it!
  26. rename? by GweeDo · · Score: 1

    So we have a /. story about Yahoo! renaming a product? Is this really even worth posting?

    --
    Unstable Apps: Our Android Apps Don't Suck
  27. Yawn.... by tktk · · Score: 1
    Yahoo Go ... is a revolutionary way to connect users to Web services they already use.

    The only thing revolutionary about it is from the spin the PR people wrote.

    1. Re:Yawn.... by Belgand · · Score: 1

      I don't use any of Yahoo's crappy web services. In fact, I don't use anyone for any of the web services that are offered nor would I ever want to. What they did was create a slightly renamed, but slightly less functional (double-clicking a date in the included calender widget used to switch to the relevant date on the planner view app, now it throws an error) version of Konfabulator. Yay Yahoo, you made something more irritating and less functional. Quietly buying Konfabulator and releasing some Yahoo-specific widgets would have been much better.

  28. Yahoo sucks by Bohemoth2 · · Score: 1

    Google rules! first prist

  29. familiar? by Coneasfast · · Score: 1

    It looks awwwfully familiar.

    to what? i couldn't figure it out.

    --
    Marge, get me your address book, 4 beers, and my conversation hat.
  30. Perfectly cromulent by broothal · · Score: 1

    I fully understood what their new product is, and I must say it looks very cromulent.

  31. That name sounds familar... by metaomni · · Score: 1

    ...almost as if someone had named an almost identical program "Dashboard". It's a cool concept, and I get a lot of use out of it on my Mac. But I have to wonder if they're going to run afoul of Apple's legal team.

  32. Ripping Off Apple Ripping Off Konfabulator by Wizard+Drongo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    OK, so Apple ripped off Konfabulator with OS X Tiger's Dashboard. Now Yahoo (who bought Konfabulator) are ripping off Apple by rebranding it "Yahoo Dashboard". Clever, since Dashboard is waaay more famous a brand than Konfabulator, but Apple can't sue Yahoo for ripping them off since if they did Yahoo would counter-sue on the basis that Apple ripped off Konfabulator.

    --
    The truth shall always be free: Boris Floricic is Tron.
    1. Re:Ripping Off Apple Ripping Off Konfabulator by shotfeel · · Score: 1

      No, Apple Dashboard ripped off Apple Desk Accessories, which is what Konfabulator ripped off when Apple dropped their old Desk Accessory model for a model where each Desk Accessory simply became a separate program.

    2. Re:Ripping Off Apple Ripping Off Konfabulator by atomm1024 · · Score: 2, Informative

      That's ok, because it's called Yahoo Widgets, not Dashboard. The article submitter lied, I guess, and Slashdot's "editors" did no fact-checking.

      --
      Signature.
    3. Re:Ripping Off Apple Ripping Off Konfabulator by Wizard+Drongo · · Score: 1

      Nah, as much of a MacHead as I am, I have to conceed that the modern Dashboard is pretty much Konfabulator. Admittedly you could say that Konfabulator is based on DesktopObjects but with modern graphics. However, Apple's Dashboard is a carbon-copy of Konfabulator. And Yahoo calling it Dashboard now is just asking for a lawsuit. As to who'd win; who knows. But the PR damage to Yahoo alone would be worth it to Apple. See Microsoft 'ripping-off' Apple's OS.

      --
      The truth shall always be free: Boris Floricic is Tron.
    4. Re:Ripping Off Apple Ripping Off Konfabulator by aristotle-dude · · Score: 1
      It's a carbon copy? Really? Then why is one based on XML and Javascript while the other is HTML and Javascript? Why can the latter work in Safari?

      If you are wondering why the Konspose feature appeared in Konfabulator before Tiger was released to developers, you have to look at the fact that Arlo Rose used to work at Apple in the Mac OS division. It was around the time they were working on Opendoc and Copeland. He worked on the Appearances/Themes feature which never made it into OS 9. Konfabulator is also a rip of ideas from Opendoc as well as desk accessories. It is entirely possible that Apple might have been working on other projects that we never heard about. I'd say that Arlo is bloody lucky that he was never sued by Apple.

      --
      Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
  33. Anyone actually using widgets? by rfinnvik · · Score: 1

    I installed konfabulator, and never really "got it"... To those using it daily - what widgets do you use ?

    1. Re:Anyone actually using widgets? by ZenArchitect · · Score: 1

      I'm currently running... iTunes Companion, Calendar, Day Planner, Weather, Gorgy Clock, Moody, and Glactica (have to know when the next new episode is on) to name a few. Yahoo Widgets/Konfab is more flexible in that the widgets can remain open all the time unlike dashboard....

    2. Re:Anyone actually using widgets? by c_forq · · Score: 1

      I use weather, mini-calender, and mini digital clock (I have the taskbar hidden, hence the clock). The weather lets me know if I need a warm coat, a rain coat, or just my shirt when I go to class. For the Konspose screen I have a translator, to help with my French class, and the thesaurus and the dictionary.

      --
      Computers allow humans to make mistakes at the fastest speeds known, with the possible exception of tequila and handguns
  34. Nothing new here. by Philip+K+Dickhead · · Score: 1

    I think the Yahoo! Konfabulator has been on my machine about a month or so...

    --
    "Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act." -- George Orwell
  35. The sidebar is identical!!!!! by dwayner79 · · Score: 1

    What a rip off. It is ashame noone can have an original idea anymore.

    --
    Religion and politics, without the flame. godgab.org
  36. Well, it wasn't Justin Timberlake... by Billosaur · · Score: 1

    ...but negative style points to Yahoo for trotting out Ellen Degeneres (not very funny anymore, just pathetic) and Tom Cruise (Scientology postery boy and all-around nutcase) to promote Yahoo Go. If these are the people who are going to be using it, I'll pass.

    --
    GetOuttaMySpace - The Anti-Social Network
  37. Re-Launch? by Julius+X · · Score: 1

    Yahoo! purchased Konfabulator, and Dashboard is the re-launching of it.

    Funny, I thought Yahoo Widgets 3.0 was the relaunch of Konfabulator?

    --

    -Julius X
    remove "-whatkindofspamdoyoutakemefor-" from email to send
  38. How's that again? by zephc · · Score: 1

    "If you have some of the same problems dealing with things as Ellen..."

    What, like being rich, famous and dating Portia de Rossi? Yeah, gosh, all the time.

    --
    "I would say that 99 per cent of what my father has written about his own life is false." - L. Ron Hubbard Jr.
  39. Memory Usage by 99BottlesOfBeerInMyF · · Score: 1

    Has it gotten any better than back in the day? When I tried it out each module used up way too much memory.

  40. Mission impossible by anandpur · · Score: 1

    When they tried to demo Yahoo Go TV with the music and movie content, the screen showed an error message. "And we know whose software this runs on," Rosensweig quipped.

    http://news.com.com/Yahoos+CES+demo+Mission+imposs ible/2100-1026_3-6021983.html?tag=nl

  41. How? by jollyroger1210 · · Score: 1

    From tfa:

    "9:15 "I want to talk about my 13-year-old daughter. I was driving her to school .. I took a look at her when she got into the car. She had two headsets attached. One was her iPod video, the other was her Creative Zen."

                      Does she have four ears?

    9:30 "There's spell check, but I think someone should invent a sarcasm check. And a 24-hour outgoing hold on angry emails."

                        How abut an Ellen DeGeneres check?

    --
    Purple, because ice cream has no bones.
  42. Steve Jobs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    "is the fucking Jedi Master of this shit" sums it up...

  43. cheap yucks by conJunk · · Score: 1
    reading this, my buddy and i chuckled over some web 2.0 parodies:

    it's Car 2.0! not only does it drive places like it always did, but we wacked on an Ambient Climate User Interface, and a Personal Music Delivery Interface!

    am just being dense, or does web 2.0 mean *anything* to non-marketing people?

  44. Not Dashboard by hondo77 · · Score: 2, Informative

    Yahoo! (wisely) isn't calling it "Dashboard". They're calling it Widget Engine.

    --
    I live ze unknown. I love ze unknown. I am ze unknown.
  45. Greatly Exaggerated Merit? by blobbo · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've completely disabled Dashboard on my iBook. I can't see the advantage of it over standard desktop apps - especially given that they each use about 10MB of real RAM. Give me Calculator.app any day. Launches in a single bounce, and has a whole ton more functionality than the widget. Many if not most of the widgets don't take advantage of the ability to write Obj-C code, making them simple Javascript/HTML apps. Those things I'd rather look at in my browser window.

  46. Available to 3rd party Devs? by rob_squared · · Score: 1

    Will this let 3rd party developers access the APIs to implement their own things?

    I know I liked when google added widgets.

    OT: Why does it seem that Ellen Degeneres is advertising many things nowadays? (Eg: West Wing, AMEX, Yahoo)

    --
    I don't get it.
    1. Re:Available to 3rd party Devs? by ZenArchitect · · Score: 1

      http://widgets.yahoo.com/workshop has the details...

  47. Apple TM? by Perl-Pusher · · Score: 1

    OS X Tiger calls it's Konfabulator clone Dashbord.

  48. Name? by strcmp · · Score: 1

    So is it called Dashboard or Go?

    --
    "Yields falsehood when preceded by its own quotation" yields falsehood when preceded by its own quotation.
  49. Yahoo Go is... by Bonker · · Score: 1

    Konfabulous!

    --
    The next Slashdot story will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and slashdot the links early!
  50. -whistle- Here Apple Legal! Here, boy! by ahknight · · Score: 1

    Hmm. HTML/JS widgets on the desktop .. called Dashboard.

    Apple Lawyers seeking blood in 3 ... 2 ...

  51. Yeah well, just wait until Monday... by Yahweh+Doesn't+Exist · · Score: 1

    ...when Apple will announce a new internet-based business called Yahoo!

  52. Must be a slow news day by LoaTao · · Score: 1

    Except for the name change and the "officialness" of the media circus this is the same story as was posted on December 12. This really isn't news... just a press release.

    --
    The smartest man in the whole, wide world really don't know that much. - Mose Allison
  53. Do people really use these? by edmicman · · Score: 1

    Do people really use these widgets, dashboards, etc., especially if they DON'T have dual monitors? I've played around with Konfabulator on my laptop at home, and it just doesn't work well. I don't just stare at and monitor my desktop. If I'm at the computer, I'm working on something, and with a laptop, screen real estate is at a premium. I've played with them at work where I do have dual monitors, and while they are more useful in that setting, I find them a bit distracting, too. It's like I need a completely separate monitor for my widgets, and then another two monitors to do actual work!

  54. Yahoo Dashboard? by k4_pacific · · Score: 1

    From TFA, it appears this thing installs a Yahoo! search bar between the speedometer and the idiot lights. Will it display pop-ups while I'm driving? Will it work on my '71 Econoline, or do I need to upgrade to a modern car?

    --
    Unknown host pong.
  55. What are they doing here? by mctk · · Score: 1
    It always adds to your product if celebrities endorse it:

    If you have some of the same problems dealing with things as Ellen"

    Let me check. Um nope. And I can dance.

    Tom Cruise? "You don't know Yahoo!!!! I KNOW YAHOO!!!"

    --
    Paul Grosfield - the quicker picker upper.
  56. Just one part of the package... by smorky · · Score: 2, Informative

    the article seems kinda of skimpy on details, so you can find some more information here. It appears that Konfabulator/Yahoo! Widget Engine is just a part of Yahoo Go and Yahoo Dashboard.

  57. Yet Again by Derg · · Score: 1

    yet another demo where the lags and hangups are blamed on MS. Come on now, you should be able to get your software to do what you want it to do when you need to do it, especially if its for a demo of your newest and greatest product.

    --
    I'm a little tea pot.
  58. Ummmm by GmAz · · Score: 1

    A little too late maybe? Keey trying Yahoo!, maybe one day you will come up with an original idea ahead of everyone else.

    --
    Click Click Bloody Click PANCAKES!
  59. "...dealing with things..." by CthulhuDreamer · · Score: 1

    "If you have some of the same problems dealing with things as Ellen..."

    So many punchlines, so little time...

  60. Late out of the gate... by SchrodingersRoot · · Score: 1

    I'd wanted this/something similar a while back, but Firefox's extensions came to the rescue...and since I never close my browser....hmmm...
    I guess we'll see.

  61. Dashboards on Windows by sho222 · · Score: 1

    Nice, now I don't have to buy a Mac.

    fp.

  62. BFD by GungaDan · · Score: 1

    Steve Ballmer launches chairs.

    I tried to RTFA, but it made absolutely no sense, except the part about correcting pronunciation of some dude's name. I don't know if that's because it's late on a Friday afternoon, or there is really nothing at all to the article or the product launch, but I suspect it's a little from column "A" and a little from column "B." Call me when this stupid konfabulation thingie can make me a fucking ham sammich.

    --
    Eloi are stupid, throw morlocks at them!
  63. Wow. Everyone left work... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    ... and left me behind. Even /. is dead, or at least this article is, given the lack of any posts.

  64. Isn't that a slap in Apple's face? by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 1
    1. Apple takes the idea of Konfabulator, integrates it with Mac OS X, and names it Dashboard
    2. Yahoo! buys Konfabulator and relaunches it as Yahoo! Dashboard
    3. Lawyers profit
    --
    Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
    1. Re:Isn't that a slap in Apple's face? by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 1

      Well if you can't get the article to accept responses immediately when it goes live, you're going to get a lot of redundant posts.

      --
      Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
  65. The name almost reminds me of something... by Orrin+Bloquy · · Score: 1

    ...but I can't for the life of me remember what. Help plz?

    --
    "Made up/misattributed quote that makes me look smart. I am on /. and I must look smart."
  66. Too much memory by akac · · Score: 1

    I love the idea of Dashboard/Konfabulator whatever. I only dislike the amount of RAM it takes up.

  67. huh? by minus_273 · · Score: 1

    WTF happened to yahoo widgets? dashboard huh? awfully original name.

    --
    The war with islam is a war on the beast
    The war on terror is a war for peace
  68. new functionality by dudifeuer · · Score: 1

    Is there any new functionality here, or is it just a new name?

  69. Oh the Irony! by Soong · · Score: 1

    Konfabulator is made. It is cool.

    Apple copies it, calling it "Dashboard". Konfabulator is pissed.

    Konfabulator is purchased by Yahoo, who rename it "Dashboard".

    Stop the world, I wanna get off.

    --
    Start Running Better Polls
  70. They also screwed the demo royally by vought · · Score: 1

    ...while bashing Windows for messing up the demo, they also managed to tick off Mac and Linux users by noting that their video product is only available on Windows.

    ""And we know whose software this runs on," is one notable quote from the executives on stage.

    Well if it's such a crappy OS, why don't you make your spiffy product available to people who choose not to use it?

  71. Not trademarked by apple by anourkey · · Score: 1

    My first thought when I saw this was "Doesn't Apple have Dashboard trademarked?" Well, after digging through Apple's website, there is no mention of Dashboard being trademarked, but somehow I still foresee legal battling over using the same name for similar products for different platforms.

  72. Umm by digrhino · · Score: 1

    Is it really that expensive to at least come up with new names when you are copying products? Yes i know they bought Konfabulator which apple ripped off half the concept from. But I guess things are now even if Yahoo ripped off the Dashboard concept. But seriously, how much would it cost to get a branding company to come up with something else to call it?

  73. Didn't Apple trademark the name? by Hellad · · Score: 1

    I am suprised they are calling it Dashboard... Maybe I missed something, but isn't that copyright/tm'ed to apple?

  74. "If Apple stole from Konf then Yahoo! can, too!" by revscat · · Score: 1

    I predict a plethora of pithy pundits posting proclamations of the propriety of this product, pardoned by Apple's previous possible pilfering.

  75. First Post by Kaneril · · Score: 1

    This is my first post ever and maybe an article first post as well.

  76. Apparently by cosmo7 · · Score: 1

    Apple legal are now looking for a time machine.

  77. Clearly... by doxology · · Score: 1

    This just goes to show that Houhynhynms are better.

    --
    sigfault. core dumped.
  78. Is this really useful? by ZipR · · Score: 1

    Or is it just a pretty thing of questionable usability that slows down my computer and/or takes up lots of resources? (Not intended as a flame, btw -- I'd really like to hear some opinions on using it.)

  79. No offense but... by fury88 · · Score: 1

    "If you have some of the same problems dealing with things as Ellen" Nothing personal against Ellen but I don't know if ANYONE deals with the same problems Ellen has!

  80. Blows me away by platypussrex · · Score: 1

    Wow, just think of all the things Ellen can't do. What a great public service from Yahoo!

  81. That's kinda harsh by Killjoy_NL · · Score: 1

    "If you have some of the same problems dealing with things as Ellen"

    I don't have one problem at all with dealing with Ellen :)

    --
    This is the sig that says NI (again)
  82. Favorite Line by caldroun · · Score: 1

    At the end of the article...

    10:40 Outside, a guy talking into his phone: "Well Steve Jobs is a fucking Jedi Master of this shit compared to these other clowns."

    --
    "If you have done 6 impossible things this morning, why not round it off with breakfast at Milliways" -- hhgg
  83. First strike by phiber9 · · Score: 1

    Ellen and Tom Cruise... reminds me of SonyEricsson in James Bond where the new cell phone controled the new BMW 7. Anybody seeing a pattern here?... and all of that just for the re-launch. It looks like the market Yahoo-Microsoft-Google Internet market is getting even tighter. Who will prevail among this giants? Anyway, this year should be entertaining seeing that the first strike has been launched.

    --
    Xatrix Security - Computer Security news portal
  84. hmmmm by Morrowyn · · Score: 1

    it was called yahoo widget engine for a long time ,although osx dashboard works better

  85. Oh, THAT's original. by Gryffin · · Score: 1

    At least when Microsoft steals an idea from Apple, they have the decency to change the name.

    Sheesh.

    --
    Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live long enough to make them all yourself.
  86. Interesting by beavt8r · · Score: 1

    I think i've seen this before...meditate on this I will (and /.'s posting is acting screwy...hmm)

  87. Re: No Thanks by jatemack · · Score: 1

    Konfabulator 2.1 works great for me, and I don't have to opt out of installing a million Yahoo add-ons with Dashboard.

    --
    // no
  88. bad comment to make during demo glitch by pyros · · Score: 2, Funny

    "we know who's software we're using."

    um .... yours?

  89. Dashboard eh? by chrisgeleven · · Score: 1

    I guess a Yahoo PR guy wanted a date with an Apple lawyer chick.

  90. Yahoo Dashboard? by LochNess · · Score: 1

    I can see a letter from Apple arriving at Yahoo HQ soon.

  91. Downloadable CES 2006 Podcast Video by antdude · · Score: 1

    In Engadget's comment section, I followed the links to this 238 MB downloadable MP4 video file. Hopefully, it has the MI3 trailer (different from teaser trailer?). :)

    --
    Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  92. Chronology of events by absolutdi · · Score: 1

    1. Independant developer writes Konfabulator for Mac
    2. Apple copies developer's project, calls it Dashboard
    3. Original developer releases Konfabulator for Windows
    4. Yahoo buys Konfabulator
    5. Yahoo renames project Yahoo Widgets
    6. Yahoo renames project Dashboard, copying Apple
    Now all they need to do is merge them into the same product, since they do exactly the same thing, have the same name, but have incompatible widgets.

  93. Isn't that a slap in Apple's face? by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 1
    1. Apple takes Konfabulator's idea and integrates it into Mac OS X as Dashboard
    2. Yahoo! buys Konfabulator and relaunches it as Yahoo! Dashboard
    3. Lawyers profit
    --
    Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
  94. Dashboard? by Yim · · Score: 1

    I think Apple may get a little upset about that infringement. What's next? They start calling their widgets gadgets? Let's all copy each other instead of being original.

    --
    -Yim
  95. Yahoo Go by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    http://go.connect.yahoo.com/go
    And if the story submitter had typed "http://go.yahoo.com" into their address bar, they would have known this, too.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  96. Ugh by mystic_mushroom · · Score: 1

    Well there was a reason Apple didn't buy Konfabulator, it's bloated and heavy. I guess the windows world gets something at least. Anyway does anyone really find the dashboard all that useful, it seems mostly like an overglorified way to get the weather. First Post!

  97. For South Park Fans by nuigi · · Score: 1

    Even Ellen is trying to get Tom Cruise to come out of the closet.

  98. Yahoo v. Google by darkmeridian · · Score: 1

    Google Base, Google Videos, Google + AOL! Oh no! Yahoo has to try to get into the media content production and distribution game before Google eats its lunch.

    --
    A NYC lawyer blogs. http://www.chuangblog.com/
  99. Nice name ;-) by CatOne · · Score: 1

    What goes around, comes around?

  100. Worst Article Ever by Johnboi+Waltune · · Score: 1

    I RTFA, and I still have no idea what Yahoo Dashboard is, what it will do for me, or even what it looks like (apart from a crappy pic.)

    On the plus side, I did learn Tom Cruise separated six of his ribs while filming his latest explosion/car chase movie, and that there was a porn convention nextdoor to the place they were having the Dashboard presentation.

    --
    "The advanced societies of the future will be driven by competing systems of psychopathology." -JG Ballard
  101. You've got to be kidding by John+Nowak · · Score: 1

    The widgets have exactly the same style as the ones in Apple's Dashboard... and it is called Yahoo Dashboard!? Surely this is illegal, illegal, and illegal.

  102. Wow by ndtechnologies · · Score: 1

    I guess content really is king...

    --
    I have nothing clever to put here...
  103. They're calling it 'Dashboard'? by macsox · · Score: 2, Funny

    Lawsuit from Apple in 3, 2, 1...

    --
    go get it
  104. I've tried it. It sucks by colin_n · · Score: 1

    I've got a mac, I used Konfabulator on that for a week. Then apple came out with Tiger and I used their Dashboard for about a week. Then I tried Yahoo! and their Dashboard. I used them all for about a week... but essentially it is all eyecandy with minimal functionalty. There is no time savings. I have weather in the bottom right of my mozilla firefox window and any other stock info or whatever, I can pull up in 10 seconds with my bookmarks. Dashboard and the like are a waste of CPU cycles with little value beyond that.

    --

    --------- I have no signature
  105. Wait! by firesuite · · Score: 1

    Yahoo dashboard a scientoligist and lesbian. hmmm what are they trying to say.. mission impossible!

    --
    *Gratuitous Sig/Plug* Heres my website - firesuite
  106. Is.. by WebfishUK · · Score: 1

    ...this really news? It' been out a while and Yahoo! bought Konfabulator sometime ago as was reported on here.

    --
    -- "Can't sleep, clowns will eat me!"
  107. Yahoo! Dupes! by Snwbeast · · Score: 1

    So even Yahoo! is producing dupes like Slashdot now?

  108. first Ellen Degenerate post by cavemanf16 · · Score: 1
    That was for once a good recap of a demo show... stick to the points and don't just go "oh yay! Yahoo! is so awesome!"

    Personally, I don't think I care much about Yahoo!'s newfangled service. Looks like just more "content pushing" technology which failed back in '99.

  109. Wow. by CODiNE · · Score: 1

    They had the balls to name it DASHBOARD.

    --
    Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz
  110. Ooooh ...... by gstoddart · · Score: 1

    Both Tom Cruise and Ellen DeGeneres for the roll out .... now I can't help but be intrigued.

    Oh wait, no I can. None of the words Yahoo, DeGeneres, or Cruise make me interested in anything being said.

    *sigh* Maybe I'm just old and crotchety, but a (to me) irrelevant .com, a boring lesbian, and a scientologist don't really offer up much interest to me.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  111. Does anybody really care about this? by cypherz · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Other than Yahoo execs? I'm a Mac user, and while I thought Dashboard was pretty kewl at first, my enthusiasm quicky waned. Now I've disabled it. Most of the funchtionality of it was already available on various web pages, and I can close the browser down and reclaim resources. With Dashboard, those widgets are consuming memory and other resources even when Dashboard isn't showing. Will Yahoo's version act the same way? Maybe a Konfabulator user can weigh in on this.
    Mod this down as a troll, but I just can't care about Yahoo's version of Apple's version of Konfabulator. Big waste of resources.

    --
    This sig kills fascists.
    1. Re:Does anybody really care about this? by Ilgaz · · Score: 1

      Konfabulator is better coded or differently coded and it uses less resources than Apple's copy, err whatever.

      I don't like the "idea" at all so I don't use both of them but if I used a thing like that, it would be "yahoo" one.

    2. Re:Does anybody really care about this? by pooya · · Score: 1

      Well, the last time I used it, it was using near 4-5MB per widget. Better than firefox but still too much when you run 10 of'em.

      --
      pooyak.com
    3. Re:Does anybody really care about this? by node+3 · · Score: 1

      Most of the funchtionality of it was already available on various web pages

      The two most crucial functions of Dashboard most certainly are not available on various web pages. They are:

      1. Out of your way until you need it.
      2. When you need it, they're there instantly.

      Loading a web page to check the weather is far more tedious than hitting F12.

      With Dashboard, those widgets are consuming memory and other resources even when Dashboard isn't showing.

      They only really consume memory. A poorly written widgets can consume CPU in the background, and any ol' widget could consume a tiny bit of CPU if it updates in the background, but it's not a big deal.

      Maybe a Konfabulator user can weigh in on this.

      Konfabulator is nice, but a bit of a hog on my (underpowered, but stocked with RAM) PC. It's not nearly as out-of-the-way but there-when-you-need-it as Dashboard, but if the new Yahoo dashboard has improved on this, I may start using it again.

      I'm really confused by the mindset of those that disable all the features of their OS (like Dashboard and Spotlight), unless you have an old system. Is that it? Is it that you don't like your computer doing all these things? Or is it that you think that a whiz-bang feature has to be something you want to use all the time, or not at all?

      I probably use Dashboard 5-10 times a day, and Spotlight a few times a week, so not all the time. But those times I do use them, I love the fact that they are there, BOOM!, when I want them.

    4. Re:Does anybody really care about this? by dantheman82 · · Score: 1

      Yahoo! Widgets has really seemed to catch on pretty quickly at my workplace. I have the calendar widget (works w/ Outlook, great to have), CPU usage widget (which ironically adds its own usage albeit rather small), stock ticker (downloaded from their webpage), and weather widget. I also have the photo widget and iTunes controller, but they get in the way after a while. I love them as a diversion or just to check whether I need the umbrella going out and they are more lightweight than the old Konfabulator I used to know, and I'm less embarrased to tell others about it because it doesn't 'Konfabulator' sounds stupid IMHO. So far, I've had a couple really think the weather widget is cool, and my coworker and boss quickly have installed the stock widget and/or weather widget. I prefer it at work (and not home) where I have a machine with 2 GB of RAM to throw around and lots of resources. And they look cool and I'm tempted to code up some in the near future. All you'd need is one killer widget and people would flock to it, I'd think. I'd think a Soduku widget would be cool, since I've been into that recently...and its the perfect thing you could just come back to (or reload) later.

      --
      This sig donated to Pater. Long live /.
    5. Re:Does anybody really care about this? by stiller · · Score: 1

      This seems to like some Xerox exec saying: "Who is ever going to need this mouse thingy? Graphical User Interfaces only eat up resources". In other words, you are totally ignoring a new(ish) GUI paradigm shift, with a rapidly growing adaptation, from a resource saving standpoint.

      These aren't the 80's anymore, you're not baking your own memory banks from silicon. Even my laptop has 2 Gig's of memory now. I've lured people into buying Mac's for some time now, and guess what the first thing is they all start (and keep) configuring? For daily use, a Dashboard like function is ideal.

      So don't give me this resource nonsense, or start ripping out peoples' car stereos for a better weight/performance ratio.

    6. Re:Does anybody really care about this? by cypherz · · Score: 1

      "I'm really confused by the mindset of those that disable all the features of their OS (like Dashboard and Spotlight), unless you have an old system. Is that it? Is it that you don't like your computer doing all these things? Or is it that you think that a whiz-bang feature has to be something you want to use all the time, or not at all?"

      My G5 iMac only has 1.5 GB of RAM. :-(

      I found that after a while I just used my browser to get the info I needed because its right there, usually with a bunch of tabs open, all the time. Hitting F12 to look at a cooler clock than the one in the titlebar... well after a while it just didn't seem worth it for me in my particular working environment.

      At this point in time, I don't know *anyone* who uses Dashboard or any Konfabulator-like widget. I wonder what the profile is of the average heavy user of Dashboard/Konfabulator? All my friends/acquaintances/co-workers are either senior Windows admin types or Linux/UNIX admins or programmers. (I write UNIX server-side and Windows client-side software).

      I guess there are some people who are fairly passionate about this kind of desktop accessory (I was a serious Sidekick user back in the day) and I didn't mean to ruffle any feathers. If Dashboard makes you happy, I'm tickled pink. :-)

      --
      This sig kills fascists.
  112. no thanks by frankcow · · Score: 1

    I'll stick with my google homepage

    --
    My tech blog
  113. Now *that's* compatability! by Rob_Bryerton · · Score: 1

    Seriously, I think this speaks highly of WINE, which is surely not the submitters intention. As far as implementing WMF and not realizing the exploitability, well, I'm not too sure what to make of that. Seems like a troll, but perhaps the comment has some merit. Thoughts?

  114. Trademarks? by poopdeville · · Score: 1

    I'd be surprised if Apple didn't trademark the name. What's the dealie?

    --
    After all, I am strangely colored.
  115. Great by oc-beta · · Score: 1

    I am glad that Ellen was able to make everyone feel good about being next to a Pr0n convention. Personally, at 9:00 am I wish I would have been there.

  116. Old news? by rbinns · · Score: 1

    I've been using this... for like a couple weeks.

    The /. and weather plugins are very nice.

  117. Yahoo Go Site... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Why plug a new product on /. and not provide a link to the actual product?

    Yahoo Go site with download

  118. Whoa... by shaneh0 · · Score: 1

    First Post?

  119. If it's like any of their other producs, by contrapunctus · · Score: 1

    It'll probably have too much advertizing. I can't stand opening Yahoo's messenger or their email anymore because the big fat pictures that I have to look away from...

  120. Meanwhile, if I were smarter... by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    ...I would have noticed that the video of the keynote is on the yahoo "podcast" page.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  121. Forget Dashboard... by Kelson · · Score: 1

    I'm more shocked that someone's actually putting out Mission: Impossible 3

  122. Of course, it's familiar. by Keith+Russell · · Score: 1

    That "dashboard" comment came from the Engadget blogger hastily trying to describe Yahoo Widgets. Read the comments and the editor's note, and you'll see that it's good old Konfabulator, now with 45% more Corporate Branding.

    Nothing to see here. Please move along.

    --
    This sig intentionally left blank.
  123. Oh great. by Sabaki · · Score: 1

    This will make it that much harder to direct them to Go under the board games section of Yahoo Games.

  124. yep. just head here... by jpellino · · Score: 4, Informative

    http://widgets.yahoo.com/

    --
    "Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
  125. Yahoo! Go link by Kaimelar · · Score: 1

    http://go.connect.yahoo.com/go/on_your_pc

    Most of it is "coming soon", but there's a signup to be notified when it is available. And of course the Konfabulator (sorry, Yahoo! Widgets) stuff is available right now.

    1. Re:Yahoo! Go link by Kaimelar · · Score: 1

      Preview, what's that? :-) Here's the link to the top level that I meant to use:

      http://go.connect.yahoo.com/go

  126. Yahoo! Widgets, not Dashboard by gxw · · Score: 1

    Who said it was called Dashboard? Besides the misleading headline of this article...

    Engadget implied it was a Yahoo Dashboard, which of course it looks like, because it is the Yahoo! Widget Engine 'Heads-Up Display' (http://widgets.yahoo.com/), which is the re-branded Konfabulator 'Konspose Mode' (Yahoo! bought Konfabulator last year), which is what 'inspired' Apple to make the 'Dashboard' in the first place.

    Is this really going to be called 'Yahoo! Go' when 'Yahoo! Widgets' move to cell phones, as Endgadget states? People should be more careful with brand/product names...

  127. Sniff sniff by cryptochrome · · Score: 1

    I never noticed trademark infringement lawsuits smell like boiled peanuts until now.

    --

    ---If you can't trust a nerd, who can you trust?

  128. um by ClioCJS · · Score: 1

    i can't possibly be the first post.

    --
    -Clio
    Karma: Bad (mostly from not giving a fuck)
    Blog: http://clintjcl.wordpress.com
  129. Countdown to lawsuit from Apple: by mattkinabrewmindspri · · Score: 1

    3...2...1...

    --
    Albuquerque PC
  130. Widget make me fidget, get it? Gotta rant, Bridgit by L.+VeGas · · Score: 1

    I've tried. I've really, really tried to like dashboards, widgets, push info, whatever. You see, the thing is, there is only so much stuff I want to know on a CONSTANT basis. Clocks are nice, but guess what, THERE'S ALREADY A CLOCK ON MY COMUPUTER. Oh, well the widget clock looks analog? Well, that just justifies everying.

    Weather? I'm inside! I'll check the weather when I leave. Stock reports? I'm not a day trader. The bubble burst. Remember? CPU, memory usage? Ok, I'm a geek, but not that much of a geek.

    When I need to find something out, I'll look it up. Thanks anyway.

    --
    Best Windows Freeware
  131. Re:I tried it and had a gripe, so I stopped using by slthytove · · Score: 3, Informative

    If you hit the F8 key, it will bring up the "Heads Up Display"), showing you all your Widgets. If you hit Win+D, it will show you your desktop (which is sort of what Win+D is supposed to do). If you would rather use a Windows combination to see your desktop AND your Widgets, then hit Win+M, which will minimize all windows.

  132. I got screwed by ingoldsby · · Score: 1

    I bought Konfabulator about a year back - and now it's free.. Yay? I'm also not exactly pleased with having to say no to a bunch of yahoo products when installing a product that I have paid money for.

  133. Nevermind. Don't bother! by antdude · · Score: 1

    It is not the CES one. :(

    --
    Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  134. Trailer of MI3? by antdude · · Score: 1

    Is this the same teaser trailer or a new one? Is there a video of this (cammed?)? :)

    --
    Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  135. Once you install it... by stankulp · · Score: 1

    ...you can never get it off without a format c:.

    --
    We must be alert to the danger that public policy could become captive to a scientific-technological elite. - Eisenhower
  136. hooray? by ne0n · · Score: 1

    Hasn't konfabulator been out for ages already...

    --
    $ :(){ :|:& };:
  137. Re:That's got the lesbian and gay community covere by Parham · · Score: 1

    Someone should have given Tom a couch... sorry I couldn't help myself.

  138. Sounds Like "Celebrity Jeopardy" by renderhead · · Score: 1

    Alex Trebek: And let's see what Tom Cruise put down for his Final Jeopardy response.
    He wrote "Yahoo Go". "Yahoo Go". And his bid?
    "For It." "Yahoo Go For It." Wonderful.

    Tom Cruise: Ha ha! Help me help you, Alex. Help me help you.

    --
    I wish that my inferiority complex were as good as yours.

    -RenderHead

  139. Re:snorrrrrrrrrr. by Leon_Trotsky · · Score: 1

    Off topic??? Off topic??? and i suppose the following post of "Yeehaw!" was ON TOPIC???
    I'll off topic you!

    --
    Ohhh! Pay Dirt! A pair of half-eaten choco-pants!
  140. Everyone Copying Everyone by Gorimek · · Score: 1, Funny

    Dashboard steels the look of Konfabulator, itself a stolen idea. Yahoo buys Konfabulator and steals the name of Dashboard. What ever next?

  141. Re:That's got the lesbian and gay community covere by Hal_Porter · · Score: 1

    I think they want to save money on Tech Support by having fewer Red State customers. Clinton (either) would have been better, but they probably charge too much for product endorsements.

    --
    echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
  142. Widgets = desk accessories by metamatic · · Score: 1

    Widgets are hardly going to be created or modified by average users either. Average users don't know JavaScript.

    Widgets are basically desk accessories written in JavaScript instead of Pascal, with your UI laid out web style rather than using ResEdit. In some ways, they're a step backwards, at least until Apple provides a graphical tool for creating them.

    --
    GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
    1. Re:Widgets = desk accessories by kanweg · · Score: 1

      "MacOS lacked multitasking"

      Just read it in "Revolution in the valley" by Andy Hertzfeld, one of the creators of the GUI you're working with today, independent of the platform you use, on page 58 the explanation how desk accessories could be running in the background even when another "real" app was in the foreground.

      Bert
      Who thinks it is a great book

    2. Re:Widgets = desk accessories by metamatic · · Score: 1

      In the early days of the Mac, desk accessories all existed on a separate plane from other applications. The differences from the widget plane were:

      - The DA plane wasn't translucent, because 1 bit displays on the Mac at the time didn't support translucency.

      - DAs didn't all close and open as one; they closed and opened individually.

      The main innovation that made widgets useful to me (and many other people) was making them all appear and disappear at once, when you hit a key. And Konfabulator didn't do that--that was Apple's innovation, which Konfabulator then copied. Konfabulator's widgets were stuck to the desktop, which frankly I never see under all these windows.

      --
      GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
    3. Re:Widgets = desk accessories by kanweg · · Score: 1

      Agreed. But if you read about their memory problems, it is very hard to blame them and certainly managed to get the most out of it. Widgets can be done because there is a big app taking care of lots of stuff. The big app in turn relying on a big OS. I've certainly got more appreciation for what they did from the book.

      Bert
      MacPaint was a big app taking the first Macintosh, as it used some 50 KByte.

  143. Re:First Post by jatemack · · Score: 1

    Nice Try at the first post, you were only off by 30 Minutes. ;)

    --
    // no
  144. Dashboard trademark by Keith+Mickunas · · Score: 1

    The name Dashboard has been used for similar products before. There was an app called Dashboard created by HP that dates back at least to the early 90's. It was sold to Borland, and later sold to Starfish, and I think may have been distributed with PC Tools for Windows (for Win 3.1) by Central Point. From what I remember about it, and what I've read about Apple's and Yahoo's apps, they sound similar.

    I'm not too familiar with Apple, so I don't know if they made anything similar to this prior to HP, but I think at this point the trademark point would be moot.

  145. Ellan cannot dress - LesoFasion? by cheekyboy · · Score: 1

    Her dress sense is well, very crap.

    There are other lesbians who can dress sexy/nice or even stylishly, no need to look like a 12yo.

    --
    Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
  146. how ironic by jimbolaya · · Score: 1

    http://widgets.yahoo.com/gallery/index.php?search= google&x=0&y=0

    --

    There ain't no rules here; we're trying to accomplish something.

  147. man, you are cheap by cheekyboy · · Score: 1

    Dude, you cannot afford a 1gig stick for you pc for $50?

    --
    Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
    1. Re:man, you are cheap by IdleTime · · Score: 1

      I already have 16GB RAM so that is not the problem, but I sometimes (often) need all the memory for testcases I run. Even with a decent AMD64 I can use more CPU, so I really don't need all this crap that has zero value to ME. Ofcourse, my crap may be your gold, but damn it man... LOL

      --
      If you mod me down, I *will* introduce you to my sister!
  148. xmediacentre cloners!!! by cheekyboy · · Score: 1

    Looks like too many people are using the xbox media centre, or saw em
    at a friends home. They get one, they love it, and see, WOW this is cool.
    Lets copy it and make millions.

    --
    Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
  149. Problems? by ScrewMaster · · Score: 1

    ... if you have some of the same problems dealing with things as Ellen

    Yeah ... like the opposite sex, for example. Seriously though, in spite of Yahoo's size and weight, it sure seems like they're a little bit desperate in the face of Google. Of course, that seems to apply to just about every company connected to the Internet nowadays.

    --
    The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
  150. Konfabulator is not based on Desk Accesories by asv108 · · Score: 1
    When Apple decided to duplicate Konfabulator in Tiger, Apple fanboys respeonded to the critism by saying that Konfabulator is a ripoff of Desk Accessories?

    The idea that the creators of Konfabulator were thinking of Desk Accessories is extremly far fetched. Desk accessories was a bundle of mini desktop apps that were not network enabled. I guess any application than bundled 2 or more apps is a derivative of Desk Accessories?

    If anything, I would think that Pointcast and RSS would be the inspiration for Konfabulator, but according to wikipedia:

    the idea of Konfabulator originated in 1998 when Arlo Rose saw how he could skin the MP3 media player running on his computer. His idea was to "skin any information you wanted to see on your desktop", to quote the comic strip.

    Prior to this, he had experience with Kaleidoscope, a skinning program for the Apple Macintosh operating systems, akin to WindowBlinds. He coined the term "Konfabulator" to describe his idea, and then tried pitching his idea to other software programmers. He was unsuccessful until the year 2002, when Perry Clarke (who could later become one of the core developers of Konfabulator) heard about his idea and agreed to work with him on the project.

    1. Re:Konfabulator is not based on Desk Accesories by aristotle-dude · · Score: 1
      Ok, fine Konfabulator is a rip of Active Desktop and other webparts found on various websites for ages where you could add and remove content from your portal site and drag it around your portal homepage. Are you happy now?

      Dashboard widgets are just mini webpages.

      Prior to Kaleidoscope, Arlo worked at Apple on their Appearances manager which was supposed to have support for skins but was canned. *Gasp* If Kaleidoscope was based on his work at Apple on the Copeland project, doesn't it seem reasonable that he might have stolen some other technology from his former employer to create Konfabulator? The core developers worked at Apple and they still had contacts on the inside. This gave them inside track with regard to the "Dashboard" layer which is why they knew it was coming in Tiger before everyone else outside of Apple did and it is how they came out with Konspose right after Steve's Keynote unveiling Tiger.

      --
      Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
  151. Re:That's got the lesbian and gay community covere by C0rinthian · · Score: 1

    In Soviet Russia, cliches recycle you.

  152. Is Yahoo Dashboard cross-platform? by GPS+Pilot · · Score: 1

    I run Panther, not Tiger, so I don't have OS X Dashboard yet. Can I run Yahoo's Dashboard? How do I get it... what's the URL?

    --
    That that is is that that that that is not is not.
    1. Re:Is Yahoo Dashboard cross-platform? by Ilgaz · · Score: 1

      There it is:

      http://widgets.yahoo.com/

      It is for 10.3.x (you should use 10.3.9 for everything!)

      I wish they could manage to make/keep it 10.2.8 compatible but I think it is Apple to blame for it.

  153. Yahoo Ya! and Google Go! by imess · · Score: 1

    I prefer these names instead...

    1. Re:Yahoo Ya! and Google Go! by BorgleRontok · · Score: 1

      Perhaps M$ will combine their features into Iago!, with the "secretly plotting against you" option already included.

  154. Phone is interesting. Symbian? by Ilgaz · · Score: 1

    I was a Nokia 7650 user and while watching Symbian community sites, I have seen rumors about series of Symbian applications coming from Yahoo soon. (a year ago or so)

    If they managed to do the widget stuff and if they managed to code in J2ME too, it will be a big hit.

    BTW, goodly coded J2ME programs are really portable :)

  155. First post... informative? by AndreyF · · Score: 1

    Does not computer

  156. substance or style by drjzzz · · Score: 1

    How about some comments on the technology instead of so many on the name and the celebrities?

    Is AJAX behind it? Why not a linux version? (Yahoo podcasts work pretty well on Linux.) How long before Google copies, uh, re-innovates the tech?

    Almost forgot: obligitory Slashdot missspelling.

    --
    to err is human, to forgive is divine, to forget is... umm...
  157. You CAN give credit to someone by so1omon · · Score: 1

    Sure the concept of desk accessories seems obvious now, but how do you figure that credit can't be given? The idea had to start SOMEWHERE. Near as I can tell, the idea came from Bud Tribble at Apple in 1981. Somehow, I don't think the concept was nearly as obvious 25 years ago as it is now.

    --
    i'm the jedidiahmarkfoster your parents warned you about
    1. Re:You CAN give credit to someone by calzones · · Score: 1

      To me it's obvious once you have the concept of a desktop with folders.

      Desk accessories are the same to me as the stapler, the rolodex, the scotch tape dispenser, the notepad, the calculator... you get my drift.

      Normal applications are heavy duty tools that go in a toolbox. Desk accessories are those light-duty tools you keep lying around to use without even thinking about where they are or what they do.

      --
      Asking people to think is like asking them to buy you a new car
    2. Re:You CAN give credit to someone by empaler · · Score: 1

      Remember, this was when GUIs were a new and exciting thing.

  158. Re:That's got the lesbian and gay community covere by kalbzayn · · Score: 1

    Well, Tom Cruise surely didn't go without his beloved Katie Holmes, so that should cover most of the straight crowd.

  159. None of them tell you WTF it is! by billstewart · · Score: 1

    Ok, Ellen will be smiling and dancing and Tom will be jumping on the couch, and if it's a derivative of an Apple product it'll either be Insanely Great or a doesn't-get-the-concept unpolished imitation, but WTF does Dashboard/Konfabulator/etc. DO? The names *aren't* giving any information, and since the article was presumably intended for those of us who *didn't* see Ellen do the demo, could somebody say what it DOES?

    --

    Bill Stewart
    New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
  160. Re:That's got the lesbian and gay community covere by kiddygrinder · · Score: 1

    No, that covers the lesbians and the batshit fucking insane crowds.

    --
    This is a joke. I am joking. Joke joke joke.
  161. what goes around comes around by penguin-collective · · Score: 1

    "Dashboard" was the name of the Gnome desktop search engine. Then Konfabulator came out. Then Apple took the Konfabulator idea and the Gnome name and came out with their own "Dashboard". Now, Yahoo! has re-released Konfabulator under the Dashboard name. Frankly, I hope Yahoo! sticks it to Apple in this case--Apple's handling of Dashboard was arrogant and annoying.

  162. does anyone really use Yahoo? by grrrl · · Score: 1

    so you go to the Yahoo portal page and there is no mention of widgets or Konfab or Dashboard

    in fact, if you search for "yahoo dashboard" via the Yahoo search engine the first hit is the Apple website!

  163. i hardly see my desktop once a day?! by perler · · Score: 1
    what i really don't get about these widget engines - they are on the bottom of your desktop - but i hardly see my desktop more then once or twice a day (as a windows user). mostly opera is open fullscreen (wherein i read my mail too) and i have the windows taskbar on the right side some 100 pixels wide (1600x1200) so i switch to my applications from there or by alt-tabbing.

    sometimes i download stuff to my desktop and have todo a quick Win-M to start it - but these are really the only moments a day i see the background of my desktop. so what use is these dashboard/konfawhatever for me?

    PAT

    --
    SEO Test: TIGI und SEBASTIAN - Online Shop - V