Mac Zealots: Get a grip
Is there anything Apple didn't invent?
Thursday, September 15, 2005 by Frogboy | Discussion: WinCustomize News
Over at MicrosoftGadgets.com, Mac zealots are giving new meaning to the term uninformed fanatic. This week, Microsoft announced Microsoft Gadgets. As has been discussed, gadgets are similar to widgets except they do not require the user to download a run-time in order to use them. They're stand-alone entities.
Microsoft's gadgets are designed to be used on Windows Vista (and on XP via Avalon) and can sit on the desktop, be placed on the Windows Side-bar and be put onto the web.
Mac zealots started foaming that Microsoft was ripping off Apple. A pretty impressive display of chutzpah considering Apple ripped off the concept from Konfabulator. Some Mac users tried to argue that no, that's not true, Apple's desktop accessories predate it all. Balderdash. I knew Apple accessories. Apple accessories were a friend of mine. Dashboard is no follow-on to desktop accesories. It's interesting to note that Mac zealots only discovered the wonder of desktop accessories AFTER Dashboard had been announced. In the 5 years DesktopX had existed, not once did a Mac user say "That's a copy of Desktop accessories". Similarly, you'd be hard pressed to go onto the Konfabulator forums and see an early post from someone saying "Isn't this just like desktop accessories?" In short, the desktop accessories comparison was manufactured by zealots to cover the fact that Apple got caught, again, ripping off its ISVs.
So it's rather ironic to hear them argue Microsoft was ripping off Apple. If anyone should be mad, it should be Stardock. After all, DesktopX was the first mini-application enabler that allowed end users to easily create them. The DNA difference between DesktopX's widgets/gadgets, Konfabulator, Dashborad, Kapsules, etc. is relatively small compared to the difference between them and something like desktop accessories (or hypercard or Incan clay tablets for that matter).
But you haven't heard Stardock complain about Microsoft's gadget strategy even though it's identical to Stardock's. People all week have been asking us for our reaction to Microsoft's announcement. Similarly, when Yahoo bought Konfabulator, we were asked for our reaction. How would it affect DesktopX? We didn't really say much. This week, users everywhere discovered the reason we've been so quiet.
I'm not the only one who finds the latest example of historical revisioning by Mac zealots galling. Paul Boyer, who was created DesktopX objects back in 1999 (as in clocks, mp3 players, drive monitors, you get the idea) without knowing programming (he's a graphics designer) is appalled as well. Check out the article below.
And stay tuned to more information on the Stardock/Microsoft gadget evolution. Exciting things are afoot.
 |
|
Page 2 of 2 | |
|
|---|
Reply #22 Saturday, September 17, 2005 7:12 PM
Reply #23 Saturday, September 17, 2005 7:52 PM
Yes, the frontpage 'News' is open to anyone....though the 'Admin/s' become 'Editor in chief' with regards to what is posted. ["Hi, for a good time call 555...." won't get in].
Last one I approved specifically was from Kona.
Frogboy does the lion's share of News posting....for one good reason....he does the lion's share of news posting. If others submitted salient News topics/items then his prominence would likely be diluted...
Reply #24 Saturday, September 17, 2005 9:30 PM
MrBiotech
1) You are corect about the shareing if all you want to do is share the home folder of a user. Shareing a none home folder or a adtional drive requires you to edit the prefferances, or use a seperate program.
2) Widgets work fine in some But if you close the weather app, (Remove it from you dashboard) and then add it again. It will lose its zip each time. Also my main gripe with dashboard widget is that they are attached to the dashboard, by default you only see them when you hit the dashboard button. If you control drag them off to the desktop they will stand alone, untill the next time you hit the dashboard button. Then you have to do it all again if you want it to stand alone. (This is just proly exicuted) and konfab is better for stand alone widgets.
3) I admit that losing my iPhote, iMovie apps was my own falt, I should have upgraged insted of doing a fresh install. I was just mad becuse this it pissed me off. I also beleve if MS did something like that, like takeing several must have apps out of windows, every distict atterny in the contry would be sueing them.
Reply #25 Saturday, September 17, 2005 9:50 PM
Reply #26 Sunday, September 18, 2005 9:47 AM
Well said. The last paragraph was what I was looking for, specifically. My final question, who owns wincustomize? If it's indeed you, Brad, then I apologize because I've been completely in the wrong here. Is it Stardock, is it the WC staff, etc?
Mormegil:
It's a good question you posit: I've found I can get my dashboard widgets to the desktop by simply dragging them. Apple apparently doesn't advertise this. Activate the Dashboard through your preferred method (Expose, hot-key) and then click on the widget you want on your desktop and deactivate Dashboard. Then drop it on the desktop.
The first time I tried this, the desktop widget disappeared once the Dashboard was reactivated, but for some reason mine are sticking to the desktop now. Dunno if there was a system update that specifically addressed this, or maybe the installation of Xcode triggered some sort of "Developers Mode."
Reply #27 Sunday, September 18, 2005 11:05 AM
| Well said. The last paragraph was what I was looking for, specifically. My final question, who owns wincustomize? If it's indeed you, Brad, then I apologize because I've been completely in the wrong here. Is it Stardock, is it the WC staff, etc? |
Stardock owns WinCustomize.com and I effectively own Stardock.
The way the site is run, however, is largely up to the community. The more the community contributes to it, the more the community controls what it does. Where there's a vacuum, Stardock steps in to fill it.
The front page news being a good example. Other pepole don't submit many news items even though they could. So I step in and write up news items. And since I have my own perspective on things, it comes through.
Reply #28 Sunday, September 18, 2005 12:02 PM
Reply #29 Monday, September 19, 2005 12:27 AM
I don't have an issue with any platform and I tend to think that competition is a good thing, Windows would be a better product with some real competition nipping at its heels.
What worries me slightly though is whether these windows widgety things will be free? Something like that bundled with the OS would surely stomp on any competition, as happened with Netscape for example.
Reply #30 Monday, September 19, 2005 11:05 AM
At any rate, I do somewhat agree with biotech on front page news... but considering the topic, I think it is front page news and should be on a few sites.
*waits to see if grand opening of skinning site becomes front page news*
Reply #31 Wednesday, September 21, 2005 7:52 PM
Please login to comment and/or vote for this skin.
Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:
- Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums and downloading skins.
- Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
- Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
- It's simple, and FREE!
|
|
Page 2 of 2 | |
|
|---|
Reply #21 Saturday, September 17, 2005 5:41 PM
Mr. Biotech,
You are free to believe whatever you choose. However, nothing is stopping others from submitting home page news. I have also always been the person who submitted most of the home page news.
And I would be willing to bet that most WINDOWS users on a Windows Customization site, would have much the same feeling as I do about Mac users trying to rewrite history.
If a false statement is repeated enough times, it becomes treated as the same as a fact.
Check this link:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=Konfabulator
When Microsoft announced its gadgets, most of the stories on it discussed how they are similar to Konfabulator without even mentioning DesktopX despite DesktopX having a very large user base and having existed for years before Konfabulator. How did that happen? Because we sat back too long and allowed Mac users to define what historical reality on widgets.
The home page of WinCustomize has never claimed to be neutral. WinCustomize.com has an agenda and we push it. That agenda is the popularization of Windows customization. We have a point of view and we make no bones about it. Even newpapers have editorial.