Widget for Vista?

[mattunderground]

Any chance of a widget being designed for Vista's built in sidebar? So we don't have to install a 3rd party widget framework.

[Marc]

Sure is.

We have a new widget/gadget on the way (version 2.0):


We haven't released all the details yet, as it's still being developed. There's also a possibility that all the versions won't be identical, due to the different technical limitations of each platform (Vista Sidebar Gadget, Yahoo! Widget Engine, Mac OS X Dashboard).

We'll most likely have more info regarding this some time in Jan.

[hcornea]

Can't wait.  Sure you're ok for beta testers? 

[bodogbodog]

Oh how I want this so much - I just set up my Vista laptop and am having withdrawal symptoms from my old XP Pro ICETV Yahoo gadget - please please add me to the beta testers 

Some more discussion on this tpoic on this thread - http://www.icetv.com.au/iceforum/index.php?topic=580.msg4105#msg4105

[Maz78]

When will this be!??! Surprised this hasn't been released in preference of the Yahoo! widget.. Who uses Yahoo widgets when you have Vista sidebar 

[Marc]

When will this be!??! Surprised this hasn't been released in preference of the Yahoo! widget.. Who uses Yahoo widgets when you have Vista sidebar 

I wish it wasn't the case, but at this point it doesn't seem like we're able to build a widget that's at the same standard as the Yahoo! widget or Dashboard widget for Vista's sidebar.

We're definitely keeping our eye on the platform though. We'd much rather have a native widget for Vista too.

[bodogbodog]

If we can't get ALL the functionality of the Yahoo gadget and the MAC version could we at least have a VISTA gadget that provides some of the functionality (I'd be happy just to have a guide visible at this stage)

There are a lot of VISTA users out there and I don't know anyone who would want to install Yahoo's gadget engine on their VISTA setup

Is there any plan ny ICETV to provide something for customers using VISTA?

[Maz78]

If we can't get ALL the functionality of the Yahoo gadget and the MAC version could we at least have a VISTA gadget that provides some of the functionality (I'd be happy just to have a guide visible at this stage)

There are a lot of VISTA users out there and I don't know anyone who would want to install Yahoo's gadget engine on their VISTA setup

Is there any plan ny ICETV to provide something for customers using VISTA?

+1

[Marc]

Thanks for that feedback. A Vista gadget is definitely in our sights. We'd love to have the best Vista gadget in the world.

However:

at this point it doesn't seem like we're able to build a widget that's at the same standard as the Yahoo! widget or Dashboard widget for Vista's sidebar.

We haven't given up, but if we could even build something half as good as the current Yahoo! widget then it'd be probably pushing the Vista Gadget platform to the edge. I've been involved in some Vista Gadget development in the past and unfortunately it's not easy to get good results. We don't give up easily though, so we'll keep investigating.

For now please use the Yahoo widget on XP and Vista though and let us know what you do and don't like about it.

[bodogbodog]

For now please use the Yahoo widget on XP and Vista though and let us know what you do and don't like about it.

Sorry - I won't be stuffing up my working VISTA install with Yahoo Widgets

Guess I'll have to wait til ICETV is prepared to deliver a working VISTA gadget

Really - do you need to hold off waiting to be able deliver "the best VISTA gadget"? - haven't you heard of the 80/20 rule - I suspect most of us VISTA users would be happy with something as a VISTA gadget rather than nothing! (and certainly not having to install a Yahoo Wdiget engine on VISTA

What do others think?

[Marc]

As well as working at IceTV, i'm one half of a team that's developed well over 50 widgets, including 9 Vista sidebar gadgets. In my experience the Vista gadget platform has a long way to go. With all due respect, even creating a poor implementation of our current IceTV Remote widget would be near impossible.

So again... we'll watch the developments on Vista like a hawk. We do want to support the latest OSs and support them well. We realise that installing the Yahoo widget engine isn't what Vista users will want and we also realise that Vista is the future for Windows. So we want a Vista gadget too, but it's just not a good idea yet.

[Netweb]

Yawn!

From: IceTV Sales <sales@icetv.com.au>
Subject: New IceTV Widget & Vista Gadget Coming Soon
Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2007 17:10:41 +1100

.... including 9 Vista sidebar gadgets.  In my experience the Vista gadget platform has a long way to go.

I would not be bragging about the complexity of these 9 gadgets you have created.

I would also point out to you that the Vista Gadget patform is not going anywhere soon and this is the base of the Vista Gadget platform and will remain that way for many years to come, like it or not it is what it is and if you have chosen that IceTV Gadgets are your baby and you simply don't unerstand the platform it would be best that you inform management that this should be handed over to a developer that can inderstand the Windows Vista platform or have the Gadget development outsourced.

With all due respect, even creating a poor implementation of our current IceTV Remote widget would be near impossible.

No it wouldn't, your problem is that you cannot work out an authentication platform for Windows Vista Gadget and the IceTV content, you are worried that this content would then get re-published all over the internet. No great problem with you wanting to protect 'your intelectual property'.

So again... we'll watch the developments on Vista like a hawk.

As stated above I hope that for the past 12 months you have watched Vista get released, I hope that you watched Vista SP1 be released, I would have hoped that by now you should understand that a new 'Vista Sidebar Special Service Pack' is in no way near nor will one evr probably be released.

How long do you need to sit idle and just watch?

So we want a Vista gadget too, but it's just not a good idea yet.

Get used to it, even when Service Pack 2 is released for Windows Vista the core application coding for Windows Vista Sidebar Gadgets will not change so with all of your gadget expertise and trying to be the IceTV Go-Go-Gadget man it is I think time you let go and gave it to someone that is capable of performing this task.

Sheer ignorance is not the answer to the issue of a Windows Vista Sidebar Gadget for IceTV Subscribers.

[Marc]

I would not be bragging about the complexity of these 9 gadgets you have created.

I agree, they're very simple. That's kind of the point... right now Vista's gadget platform isn't capable enough to handle complex widgets. I completely agree that Vista Gadgets are the future of widgets/gadgets on Windows though.

I haven't seen any gadgets that are the same complexity as the IceTV Remote widget or iStat pro. If you do know of any then we would like to see them and there's a good chance we would contact the developer.

No it wouldn't, your problem is that you cannot work out an authentication platform for Windows Vista Gadget and the IceTV content, you are worried that this content would then get re-published all over the internet. No great problem with you wanting to protect 'your intelectual property'.

Not at all. The Dashboard and Yahoo! widgets we've created are distributed as source code. They're just HTML, CSS and Javascript and can be found as text documents (with comments!) inside the widgets themselves.

So feel free to open them up and see how they've been built. We're also releasing information on the Remote API so other people can build similar applications and widgets. If we built a Vista gadget then it'd be Javascript and XML and the source would be viewable too.

Protecting our code has nothing to do with it at all.