Dashboard: Stolen or Reclaimed--you be the judge!

Grok Headline matches for Dashboard: Stolen or Reclaimed--you be the judge!

Losing marbles to keep them. British
Judge rules that museums are allowed to
receive stolen goods.

Losing marbles to keep them. British
Judge rules that museums are allowed to
receive stolen goods. 06/05/2005 10:51 PM
Imagine if someone sailed up the Hudson and made off with the Statue of Liberty's crown. The marble frieze, hacked...

Creating an Evolution X Dashboard Boot
Disk for XBOX| Installing Dashboard to
HD

Creating an Evolution X Dashboard Boot
Disk for XBOX| Installing Dashboard to
HD 08/20/2004 09:27 PM
Tech-Recipes Aug 21 2004 1:52AM GMT

Dashboard II

Dashboard II 06/30/2004 08:57 PM

I've seen plenty of opinions on "what Dashboard is." Just to prove a point that there are many ways to think about this new feature, here's another perspective on what Dashboard is (from a browser geek's perspective): HTML sidebar panels liberated from the browser window and placed anywhere on the screen. The "Web pages as widgets" concept is really just a logical extension of the Web sidebar panel metaphor.

In a Web browser like Mozilla, for example, the sidebar can be toggled with a key, the panels inside can be viewed, and individual panels can be selected, reordered, managed, and added/deleted. Custom panels can be installed into the sidebar and people have written panels for Mozilla, Opera, etc. that do everything from FedEx package tracking to HTML validation.

In other words, like the Desktop Accessories of yore, the sidebar panels in Web browsers are little Web page accessories that perform basic functions like stock checking, calculators, monitors, alert systems, etc., which brings me to my point:

The concept of Web pages as accessories inside a browser has existed for years.

However the sidebar metaphor suffers from usability problems. The inability to scale up to many widgets as well as being constrained by the browser's window width. It's also hard to view multiple panels at once. The panels are also tied to a particular application (the browser) despite frequently having no connection to the application itself.

A logical way of solving these sidebar panel usability problems is to free those panels from the browser window and make them accessible anywhere on the screen (both invokable and dismissable with the touch of a key). This gives you the real estate you need to really make the widgets useful, lets you show multiple widgets at once, and makes the UI for panel configuration easier, since you have more room to represent the user interface for configuration.

Dashboard III

Dashboard III 07/02/2004 04:48 AM

Todd Dominey writes about Dashboard in his blog and asks some questions that I'd like to clear up.

A Dashboard widget is a bundle that contains a principal HTML file and any supporting code that the widget requires (be it CSS, JS, images, or native code). A widget can add an optional interface to native code, written in Objective-C, that can be bound into JavaScript and made accessible from the HTML document's JS window object.

In other words, an address book widget could inject a property called "addressBook" into the JS window object of an address book widget's HTML document, and then expose methods and properties on that object that can be invoked from the JS. This effectively allows you to execute native code through the use of this special type of plugin.

The "native code as a service accessible from JS" model should be familiar to anyone who has used XPCOM with XUL. It's essentially the same idea. Extensions to the Firefox browser that contain native code can expose that native code to script as an XPCOM service, and then that object can be obtained from JS and have methods/properties invoked.

Again, when viewed from a certain perspective, this is a competitive Web browser feature that has been fused with Expose. These widgets that might otherwise have had to be inside the browser window as sidebar panels or toolbars have been set free by the brilliant idea of using Expose.

Anyway, some points about this model.
(1) The native plugin code must be owned by root. This means that in order for a Dashboard widget that contains one of these special types of plugins to execute that code, you have to enter a root account password (to chown the plugin code). This plugin code cannot execute, therefore, without the widget being "blessed" just as an application that you might install on your system must be.
(2) This plugin will not be present in Safari or other WebKit applications, and is only accessible from Dashboard.
(3) The dashboard object is also exposed on the JS window object of the HTML document and has methods for "meta-functions" that the Dashboard can execute.

As for many of the animations, fades, slides, etc in the widgets themselves., they simply look so damn cool because of Safari's rich support for CSS3 used in conjunction with DHTML. Do you know what I talked about at WWDC? Image replacement. Sliding doors. Using opacity to create fade effects. CSS3 text truncation. Web standards. All of which are being used to full effect in Dashboard widgets. Our standards support has grown so rich and our engine has become so smooth at effects that people are constantly mistaking pure JS/DHTML/CSS stuff that people are doing for something fancier. I've heard "That's HTML?!" several times in the past week.

Now it is true that we have made many extensions to WebCore, but only in places where there are holes in HTML that must be filled. And even then, we have tried to implement compatible models or to design so that our enhancements could be standardized in the future.

For example, the new WebCore supports all of WinIE's drag events, and that's how drag and drop is done in the Dashboard. So at the same time we added this rich support to WebCore, we also added support for a feature that can now be used in Web pages in a compatible fashion with WinIE. We started with a compatible base and enhanced drag and drop to allow you to dynamically set the drag image and even enhanced CSS with a new drag pseudo-class so that you could re-resolve style on the element while it's being dragged, but at the core, we made sure to pick a practical starting point.

In other examples, we added support for new slider widgets and search field widgets (wrapping NSSlider and NSSearchField respectively). HTML is missing these widgets, and so we had to add them so that Dashboard widgets could use them. But even there we did so in a way that is designed to be compatible with other browsers.

Dashboard

Dashboard 06/30/2004 02:37 AM

I haven't blogged in a long time, primarily because I've been so busy preparing for WWDC (working frantically on my presentation as well as fixes to WebCore to support Safari RSS and Dashboard of course). I'll be talking about both Dashboard and Safari RSS a lot more in depth (primarily from the perspective of all the new open source WebCore features that were added to support these two new features) once I've gotten some sleep. :)

I wanted to blog briefly to clear up what the widgets actually are written in. They are Web pages, plain and simple (with extra features thrown in for added measure). Apple's own web site says "build your own widgets using the JavaScript language", but that's sort of misleading. The widgets are HTML+CSS+JS. They are not some JS-only thing.

In other words, each widget is just a web page, and so you have the full power of WebKit behind each one... CSS2, DOM2, JS, HTML, XMLHttpRequest, Flash, Quicktime, Java, etc. I'll have a lot more to say later on, but I thought it important to clear that up right up front, since a lot of people were asking me about it in email and such.

The Dashboard

The Dashboard 07/03/2004 03:13 PM
“Why can’t my computer automatically show me things that will help me with what I’m doing, instead of making me search around for them? The goal of the dashboard is to automatically show a user useful files and other objects as he goes about his day. While you read email, browse the web, write a document, or talk to your friends on IM, the dashboard does its best to proactively find objects that are relevant to your current activity, and to display them in a friendly way, saving you from digging around through your stuff like a disorganized filing clerk. For example, if a friend IMs you and says ‘I can’t wait for our camping trip this weekend!’ the dashboard will show things like your recent emails about the camping trip, your camping bookmarks, and any files or notes you’ve got on your hard drive about camping. Microsoft is biting off us and calls this concept ‘implicit query.’ ” “Friedman…says Dashboard will be ready as early as this summer.”

"Dashboard"

"Dashboard" 06/28/2004 08:15 PM

DVD Doctors Dashboard

DVD Doctors Dashboard 09/23/2004 03:47 PM
A heads-up for Xbox owners - the 4th bonus disc in a certain DVD set that was just released will, without permission, modify the dashboard software of the console. Not a big deal unless you are one of those folks who has modded their Xbox (if you don't know what a "dashboard" is, you probably have nothing to worry about). A thanks to Gadget Madness for the tip.

Dashboard vs. Konfabulator

Dashboard vs. Konfabulator 06/30/2004 02:24 PM

The post-WWDC peanut gallery is atwitter with the idea that Tiger’s Dashboard is a blatant rip-off of Konfabulator.

XBox dashboard

XBox dashboard 06/06/2005 12:13 AM

Take a look at this. What do you see? A personal page, dashboard on an XBox! This is only possible now that the XBox 360 is designed for on-line interaction and digital identity.

I wonder if they have xHTML pages and embed their profile info into the pages? Where's the XFN? I doubt it's there!

This shows why a lower case semantic web approach is too limiting to solve ALL the challenges of DLAs.

Now don't get me wrong - I'm all into search engines spider the web and collect all sorts of structured data. I'm all into having microformat standards for getting all this structured data into sync.

But to think that this is the ONLY way - is itself a dogma.

We need to make sure that as micro-content evolves - that all forms of structure, devices and usage scenarios are supported. Not just web geeks.

So welcome XBox 360 to the on-line world of digital identity. May the force be with you - and would you PLEASE help save the Planet Earth for us - from those mean aliens?

Dashboard Exposed

Dashboard Exposed 06/28/2004 07:52 PM
Apple introduced Dashboard today. Dashboard is an addition to Exposé which gives users quick access to mini-applications called Widgets.Widgets are m...

Let's Build Another Dashboard Widget

Let's Build Another Dashboard Widget 06/17/2005 03:51 PM
Even though no real development environment exists now, there are some tricks and techniques that can be used to make Dashboard widget development easier. Andrew Anderson explores some tricks and techniques and presents a widget that uses JavaScript's XMLHttpRequest method to retrieve spelling suggestions from Google.

Apple's Dashboard Widgets

Apple's Dashboard Widgets 06/30/2004 02:45 PM
David Hyatt updates his blog to provide some clarification on Apple's upcoming Dashboard Widgets.I wanted to blog briefly to clear up what the widgets...

Resources for Dashboard Widgets

Resources for Dashboard Widgets 02/01/2005 09:14 PM
New over at my site: a list of Dashboard Widgets resources. If you know of any I've missed, let me know....

Developing Dashboard Widgets

Developing Dashboard Widgets 12/19/2004 03:25 PM
Apple Developer Connection: “Widgets are quick to develop and easy to deploy, and they can leverage all of Tiger’s advanced technologies. Widgets are perfect for working with small amounts of data or interacting with other applications, both on your desktop and across the web.”

Dashboard: Widget (In)Security

Dashboard: Widget (In)Security 06/05/2005 10:56 PM
Macworld: Dori Smith: “A new Web page documents an issue with Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger’s new Dashboard feature that, left unchecked, could potentially be exploited by malware developers, according to the page’s author. The exploit is described and demonstrated on a page called Zaptastic: Blueprint for a widget of mass destruction.”

Dashboard Widgets info!

Dashboard Widgets info! 12/19/2004 03:55 PM
New from Apple Developer Connection: a brand new article, Developing Dashboard Widgets. I'll have to look at this in depth a little later, but I have one quibble—why on earth is their recommended JavaScript text a book that's almost four...

Tiger Primer: Dashboard

Tiger Primer: Dashboard 07/06/2004 05:12 AM
It's safe to assume that once Tiger arrives we'll be seeing a flood of homegrown Dashboard applications. By Jason Snell, Macworld (via MyAppleMenu)

Followup on Dashboard flap

Followup on Dashboard flap 07/01/2004 03:47 PM

OK - I've now had time to cool down, rea d all the rebutts and opinions and I even spammed by friends list with a "Boycott Apple" plea.

So now we can get some perspective on all this.

Dashboard appears to be little HTML panes - which indeed should enable anyone to add anything they like. It kind of reminds me of the Bl ogrolling Commons distribution idea - I gave to Jason DeFillippo last year.

This is what drew me to help Laszlo and their BlogBox objects and recently the Tribe Cast objects.

So believe me - I live, breath and sleep toolbars, add-ins, bookmarklets and any sort of anything that's open and can be used for enabling software to get used anywhere.

Certainly this is where the mobile services world is going too - becoming an extension of our PC lives.

Alf Eaton brings up a obvious point:

I guess the widgets won't be able to load the actual code in from outside, unlike Macromedia Central or Laszlo widgets - so maybe there could be a separate kind of floaty widget that could load in code pages (rather than just data) from the net but wouldn't be able to access the system.

Without being able to "API Into" a system, these little HTML pages are nothing more than just - well HTML pages.

But just imagine if we had open APIs to inter-connect modules together!

Man oh man I'm getting excited, I'd better call David Temkin and Sarah Allen. Oliver Steele too.

Dashboard cig lighters are the new
cup-holders

Dashboard cig lighters are the new
cup-holders 11/06/2003 11:11 AM
The automotive cig lighter has become a kind of lingua-franca for chargers of all descriptions -- this CNN piece calls it "the new cup-holder." The same thing is happening in USB: I charge virtually all of my devices (phones, PDA, etc) with retractable ZipLinq USB cables these days -- sure makes travelling easier.

In model-year 2004, there are 47 vehicles that come, standard, with five or six lighter sockets, according to Carsdirect.com. In 1998, no vehicles came with that many...

The Pink Pussycat Boutique, an "adult novelty" store in Manhattan, sells a variety of devices that can be plugged into car cigarette lighter sockets. We'll go no farther.

If you get a flat tire, Safetycentral.com sells a 12-volt impact wrench for removing lug nuts. Among other car lighter-friendly devices the site sells are a 20 oz. coffee pot, a frying pan, an oven, a curling iron, an electric cooler and a special adapter so you can plug multiple devices into one lighter. That way you can make breakfast, curl your hair, run your impact wrench and maybe light a cigarette while you wait for your beer to get cold.

Link

The Ultimate Web Traffic Dashboard

The Ultimate Web Traffic Dashboard 12/16/2003 07:36 PM
We’ve got cost-per-thousand banners on Yahoo, pay-per-click ads on Google, ads in newsletters and e-zines, and a host of affiliates. ...

Dashboard Linux - DashPC

Dashboard Linux - DashPC 04/07/2005 02:49 AM
New file release...

Java Build Dashboard

Java Build Dashboard 12/19/2003 09:55 PM
ApolloWorks 3.9 Released

Dashboard DVDs and Death

Dashboard DVDs and Death 07/27/2004 04:47 PM
Wired News Jul 27 2004 8:21PM GMT

Ambient Dashboard Now Shipping

Ambient Dashboard Now Shipping 03/19/2005 02:45 AM

ThinkGeek has a limited run of the coveted Ambient Office Dashboards, by Ambient Devices. The analog gauges ebb and flow (as needles do) with whatever data stream you wish to track, from stocks to weather, AIM buddy status and more. Different faceplates are available for different datasets and Ambient Devices has agreed to waive the premium content charges with this limited run (until they complete their full deployment), if you purchase yours from ThinkGeek. The devices receive their data updates over Ambient's proprietary network so no existing infrastructure is needed, and you don't need to plug it in to your network at all. While I'd prefer a model that could tap into my Wi-Fi network to waylay the premium charges (which exist for some datasets but not others), the $150.00 device has a classic design that will work anywhere in your house. Plus, it can run off AC or 2AAs, so you can put it anywhere!

Catalog Page [ThinkGeek]
Earlier Musings on the Dashboard's Availability [Gizmodo]

"Campaign Tracking Dashboard"

"Campaign Tracking Dashboard" 08/15/2004 09:59 AM

Dashboard Widgets Rock!

Dashboard Widgets Rock! 06/24/2005 04:41 PM

Many of them are completely useless, but tons of fun. But there are a few that I've quickly found to be indispensible. By Elisabeth Freeman, O'Reilly Network

Apple - Mac OS X - Tiger Preview -
Dashboard

Apple - Mac OS X - Tiger Preview -
Dashboard 06/28/2004 04:55 PM
Dashboard

apple.com/macosx/tiger/dashboard.html
track this site | 8 links

Daring Fireball: Dashboard vs.
Konfabulator

Daring Fireball: Dashboard vs.
Konfabulator 06/30/2004 05:49 PM
Dashboard vs. Konfabulator .. Daring Fireball narration .. Daring Fireball dismisses .. tackles the comparison .. breath of fresh air .. a rebuttal

daringfireball.net/2004/06/dashboard_vs_konfabulator
track this site | 6 links

Celequest Polishes Enterprise Dashboard

Celequest Polishes Enterprise Dashboard 04/19/2004 12:35 PM
Internet News Apr 19 2004 5:05PM GMT

Does the ''director'' of Apple's
Dashboard want his name off the project?

Does the ''director'' of Apple's
Dashboard want his name off the project? 06/30/2004 11:22 AM
If you watch the Tiger preview video of Apple's controversial Dashboard, you will see an address book entry for an Apple employee named Alan Smithee. The demo could have shown the name Steve Jobs and no one would have questioned it. So why Alan Smithee? According to the Internet Movie Database, Alan Smithee is "a common pseudonym for directors whose film was clearly taken away from her/him and recut heavily against her/his wishes in ways that completely altered the film...So if you notice a film directed by Alan Smithee, it is certain it is not what its director intended, and likely that it is not any good."

Codename: Dashboard 2.0 Beta 4 Released

Codename: Dashboard 2.0 Beta 4 Released 04/28/2004 02:47 PM

Dashboard, Usability and the state of
Apple

Dashboard, Usability and the state of
Apple 07/01/2004 03:27 PM
David K. Every: "The good news is that Apple is showing technologies that are up to a year away. That is a big improvement over the few months lead-time they've been giving people recently. One of Apple's weaknesses is communications, documentation, and helping their developers and enterprises plan ahead. So giving people 6 to 12 months advanced notice is a really important and positive step."

AMD Cool'n'Quiet / PowerNow! Dashboard
Demo v1.2.0

AMD Cool'n'Quiet / PowerNow! Dashboard
Demo v1.2.0 08/30/2004 06:26 AM

Dashboard != Konfabulator = Desk
Accessories

Dashboard != Konfabulator = Desk
Accessories 06/30/2004 04:25 PM
John Gruber has chimed in on the Dashulator/Konfabuboard controversy in his usual long detailed way. Dashboard vs. Konfabulator Dashboard is not a rip-off...

Crawdad Campaign Tracking Dashboard

Crawdad Campaign Tracking Dashboard 08/14/2004 05:02 PM
Campaign Tracking Dashboard

crawdadtech.com/campaign
track this site | 3 links

Dashboard, Konfabulator differences
becoming clearer

Dashboard, Konfabulator differences
becoming clearer 06/30/2004 04:02 PM
Mac pundit John Gruber has written an excellent overview of the current snafu concerning Apple's new Dashboard and Arlo Rose's Konfabulator...

Nextaris: An Integrated Web Research
Dashboard

Nextaris: An Integrated Web Research
Dashboard 09/09/2004 08:41 PM
Source: SearchDay - Nextaris pulls together all of the tools you need to find, save, and share information with others in a single online location....

Dashboard is most anticipated Tiger
feature

Dashboard is most anticipated Tiger
feature 04/08/2005 12:26 PM
Mac fans are getting keyed up for the immanent launch of Tiger, which, according to Apple, will launch in the first half of this year. Macworld readers were asked: "What Tiger feature are you looking forward to the most?" in an online poll. With 1,532 votes cast it emerged that more than a quarter (29 per cent) were most excited about Dashboard.
Grok Description matches for Dashboard: Stolen or Reclaimed--you be the judge!
GrokA matches for Dashboard: Stolen or Reclaimed--you be the judge!

Dashboard: Stolen or Reclaimed--you be the judge!

The following phrases have been identified by the grok system as matching this entry: