Widgets for Windows XP

By Frogboy
in Tips, Tweaks & Customization

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Grand Master

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Before everyone bows down assuming that Mac developers somehow make better Windows developers make sure you give a fair shake to the native Windows XP programs:

Kapsules:

http://kapsules.shellscape.org/

Description: This basically is Konfabulator for Windows - but today. Does require .NET run-times. But it's free.

Avedesk:

http://www.avedesk.com

Description: Not quite as flexible as the others but its widgets are skinnable. And it's free.

Samurize:

http://www.samurize.com

Description: Also free, comes with a ton of system reporting utilities.

DestopX:

http://www.desktopx.net

Description: Has a free version, widgets are actual .EXEs (no .widget stuff) so you don't even have to have DesktopX's environment running to use them.

DesktopX vs. Konfabulator on memory

dxmem.th.jpg

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Grand Master

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Why would someone say Samurize is "dead"?

I don't work on Samurize, I have nothing to do with it. But it's that kind of talk that is really harmful to the community as a whole.

Here are some guys who have been working on some terrific stuff FOR FREE for the past year and a half and some Mac developer ports a widget program (that isn't free) and after looking at some of the default widgets you're ready to proclaim Samurize dead?

Ever tried making a Konfabulator widget? I'm a registered user of Konfab on the Mac. Making widgets for it is not trivial. Samurize, by contrast, comes with a visual design studio for creating widgets.

Moreover, Samurize uses a LOT LOT less memory. Every Konfabulator widget uses around 10 megs of ram. So if you manage to throw together a CPU widget, weather, system info, music player and a stock monitor you're eating up over 50 megabytes of memory with Konfabulator. Samurize can do the same thing in around 10 megabytes. -for free-.

I'm not saying Konfabulator isn't a great program (on the Mac it is). And I'm sure someone is going to accuse me of bad mouthing Konfabulator but my point is that some of you guys are getting starry eyed. I should dig out some of the quotes that Arlo has said about Windows users over the years. Take a look at the other programs out there. Many are free and most do more than Konfabulator does.

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karma_police

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Samurize isnt dead, you can even put a widget in the taskbar and I havent seen any other do the same, and that's a reason why I use Samurize but also Avedesk.

And finally as Frogboy said the main problem with Konfabulator is the memory usage and it isn't free.

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RoP

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hmm i doubt people will stop using avedesk/kapsules... they are free. However, frogboy, meaning no insult to you, you should've really picked better widgets to display. The desktopx widget looks really bad compared to the konfabulator widget... that's the reason most people are attracted to konfabulator. It comes with cool default widgets and the widgets can really be very useful and eye-candyish...

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andrew_

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Traffic at Ye Ole Website has been considerably less today. Im really hoping it isnt a trend, but staying optimistic at the same time. If anyone is into testing out beta software, theres a new beta of Kapsules (youll have to get the stable version first).

From the reactions that I've had emailed to me and comparisons (yeah, already) that I've read; Users completely new to desktop widget apps are completely taken in by Konfab, while those who have been around the pond for a while are midly impressed to 'color me unimpressed'.

My personal reaction to the software is more towards the functionality and professionalism that pay-for-software is supposed to carry. For a non-beta, Shareware application, 1.8 sure has alot of quirks and bugs which need to be ironed out.

Welcome to Windows, Gentlemen.

Rising Star

Manicdvln

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I still prefer samurize, because I can get the weather, a calendar, an email checker as well as time customized in one window, and it takes only 2-3megs of ram.

None of the other widget apps were able to accomplish this. So samurize is far from dead in my opinion.

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bontakun

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  andrew_ said:
Traffic at Ye Ole Website has been considerably less today. Im really hoping it isnt a trend, but staying optimistic at the same time. If anyone is into testing out beta software, theres a new beta of Kapsules (youll have to get the stable version first).

From the reactions that I've had emailed to me and comparisons (yeah, already) that I've read; Users completely new to desktop widget apps are completely taken in by Konfab, while those who have been around the pond for a while are midly impressed to 'color me unimpressed'.

My personal reaction to the software is more towards the functionality and professionalism that pay-for-software is supposed to carry. For a non-beta, Shareware application, 1.8 sure has alot of quirks and bugs which need to be ironed out.

Welcome to Windows, Gentlemen.

584886833[/snapback]

in terms of software i think kapsules is a ton better than konfabulator, but the thing about konfabulator is that there are ton of polished great looking widgets for it, while with kapsules i've only found dk's and JACBM 's fit very well on my desktop, but it seems the two haven't made any new ones in a while, in fact it seems that really only rad is making kapsules widgets anymore

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andrew_

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We go through spurts. There will be a period of about a week where no new widgets get released, and then someone steps up and releases a couple. I would gladly write more widgets, but between writing the app, working on the IDE for it, maintaining the website, college and work... bleh. You get the idea.

Grand Master

Redestium

Posted
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  Frogboy said:
Why would someone say Samurize is "dead"?

I don't work on Samurize, I have nothing to do with it. But it's that kind of talk that is really harmful to the community as a whole.

Here are some guys who have been working on some terrific stuff FOR FREE for the past year and a half and some Mac developer ports a widget program (that isn't free) and after looking at some of the default widgets you're ready to proclaim Samurize dead?

Ever tried making a Konfabulator widget? I'm a registered user of Konfab on the Mac. Making widgets for it is not trivial. Samurize, by contrast, comes with a visual design studio for creating widgets.

Moreover, Samurize uses a LOT LOT less memory.  Every Konfabulator widget uses around 10 megs of ram.  So if you manage to throw together a CPU widget, weather, system info, music player and a stock monitor you're eating up over 50 megabytes of memory with Konfabulator.  Samurize can do the same thing in around 10 megabytes. -for free-.

I'm not saying Konfabulator isn't a great program (on the Mac it is). And I'm sure someone is going to accuse me of bad mouthing Konfabulator but my point is that some of you guys are getting starry eyed.  I should dig out some of the quotes that Arlo has said about Windows users over the years.  Take a look at the other programs out there. Many are free and most do more than Konfabulator does.

584885675[/snapback]

I would be really interested to see those.

Veteran

StealthMode

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Samurize is awsome, just takes while yo get anything mae if you're new to it. But the customization is almost limitless, which I like. Kapsules is probably my fav widget app, I just wish there were more widgets, which for me, konfabulator is winning. Doesn't mean it's better though.. I use it on my PB all the time. Not sure I want to pay for a version on my PC too yet :p

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