The Google Gadgets directory contains thousands of gadgets you can use on various google.com sites. In October 2006, we released Google Gadgets For Your Page, allowing you to embed your favorite gadgets in your blogs, websites, and other webpages. Now you can take Google Gadgets and convert them to run in your Windows Vista Sidebar or Mac OS X Dashboard. With the use of third-party utility applications, this is trivial to do.
Mesa Dynamics offers a free widget converter application called Amnesty Generator which converts Google Gadgets to Mac OS X Dashboard Widgets. On February 2nd, they announced a public beta release that's capable of converting Google Gadgets to Windows Vista Sidebar Gadgets as well. This increases distribution of Google Gadgets further and gives gadget authors access to an even wider audience. In addition to Amnesty Generator, Widgetops Universal Google Gadget Widget is a Mac OS X Dashboard Widget that converts Google Gadgets to run on the dashboard.
Viewing Google Gadgets on different sites or platforms does not require any changes. The answer to the question "Why should I write a Google Gadget?" is hopefully becoming more and more clear as rendering platforms become increasingly available, which now includes:
- Google Personalized Homepage
- Google Gadgets For Your Webpage (anywhere on the web)
- Google Page Creator
- Google Desktop
- Windows Vista Sidebar (converter)
- Mac OS X Dashboard (converter, dashboard widget converter)
There are some 404 links in here, so you might want to fix them.
ReplyDeleteThat's useful info!!!!
ReplyDeleteBump! This article is really old; What is the current view on this posulation?
ReplyDeletei cant make my own gadget how to?
ReplyDeleteSeems like the question is less "Why should I write a Google Gadget?" and more "Why would I write anything other than a Google Gadget?". Kicking myself for starting with Windows since Google Desktop solves the XP problem, but glad to have this info. Thanks.
ReplyDelete