Widgets Move Beyond Spacely Sprockets
As web 2.0 becomes a business strategy, not just some cyber-theory, more people are looking into the new ways of participating on the Internet. If you’re new to the Internet world or just took a five year nap, then you are probably asking what is a widget?
Widgets used to mean any mechanical part that you didn’t know the name to, so the question “What is a widget” didn’t used to make sense! But what makes them so popular, and how do you learn about all the kind of widgets there are out there? But today, the term has been co-opted by Internet software enthusiasts and there are more widgets available every day.
A widget is an application that is still distributed freely - at least that is similar to its old meaning - but everything else is new. Widgets typically perform one function, although some widgets are designed to work with Internet access while others are simply for the desktop. A desktop widget is a simple application that performs a function, like a pop-up calculator. Operating systems like Vista is designed to use widgets on the desktop as well as to allow users to download all kinds of web widgets.
Internet-based widgets are downloaded so you can check the weather, stock market statistics, or even a rss newsfeeder for specialty news. For example, a weather widget will check the latest forecasts when you’re online and provide an easy-to-read graphic for your destination of choice.
Now that you can answer the question what is a widget, can you guess what a thing-a-ma-jig is?