widget screen like Mac Dashboard

[cpagetx]

It would be cool to have a addition screen that would pop up widget like the Mac Dashboard does with the click of a button the desktop darkens and the widgets slide onto the desktop. Apple has opensource it widge platfrom so it should be fairly easy to work them into linux.

[fldc]

uh, use the widget plugin and screenlets?

[FunkyM]

I'd like to see a more integrated (out of the box) compiz plugin/application specifically for that purpose. Somehow like the decoration plugin interacting with the window decorator.

Alongside that, support for existing widget engines should be exposed first using a plugin framework. So you could use your dashboard/yahoo widgets, m$ gadgets, others and a custom Linux widget system (screenlets?) (Jackfield shows how to do it but the implementation is not that good).

Most people might try screenlets at some point but miss usage of the widget plugin. The optimal solution should give an out of the box experience.

Now if I just had endless coding time available... ;)

[mikedee]

AFAIK - The major problems getting apple widgets running is getting libmozembed to do what you want. Prom personal experience I know it is very painful.

Apple widgets are plain HTML/JS with a few apple special functions so all we need is a good HTML host. KHTML will hopefully be another contender for that, but I expect KDE will make Apple widgets work natively anyway.

[RYX]

@FunkyM: If MacSlow's insider-info about gtk becoming more "bling-aware" is true (which I think it is), we will soon be able to use widgets with transparent backgrounds. This is the major requirement for creating a screenlet that acts as a general widget-host for JS/HTML-based widgets (like Jackfield). A hacked gtkmoz/gecko-widget is no good solution for that problem so I didn't pick up that task yet. But I am open for any suggestions on that topic :) ...