Widgets
From Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki
Widget is a rather unfortunate term, since it has a generic meaning, but it covers a multitude of new technologies based around JavaScript, HTML, and plugin architectures. Unlike Web Browser Extensions, widgets typically work within some other application platform.
Application Platforms
- Yahoo Widgets (formerly Konfabulator)
- Microsoft Gadgets
- Apple MacOS X Dashboard, Download Dashboard Widgets
- Google Sidebar Plugins aresearchpaper
- Google Homepage Modules
- Opera Widgets. Although these depend on libraries from the Opera web browser, they run outside the browser.
Development
JavaScript is a key development technology (programming language) for most widgets, as well as for some Web Browser Extensions.
Microformats - Widget Examples has some useful info.
Great Examples
- Canton Public Library provides widgets for Windows Sidebar, Mac OSX Dashboard, iGoogle, and NetVibes