Comments

1. someone

   
   Posted on: July 25, 2007 at 8:25AM  

   How about shipping an out of band update for the sidebar with Silverlight support? Silverlight seems to be just the perfect thing for Sidebar gadgets. Windows Live Sidebar, MS? for XP too?
2. tangqiping

   
   Posted on: July 26, 2007 at 8:15AM  

   This may not pingbacks form other place：

   such as http://blog.sebastianfoss.com/2007/07/24/10-things-maximizing-sidebar-gadgets/

   you can see the post time:This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 24th, 2007 at 1:51 am .

   and blog here is Monday, July 23, 2007 6:25 PM .
3. Brytown

   
   Posted on: August 01, 2007 at 11:24AM  

   I use gadgets all the time i think there grea8 things i MOST wish for gagets sidebar to do and i think we can all agree.

   Even with a 22 inch monitor i cant fit all me gadgets on the front page thats no problem cause they have a next page button at the top.(I have like 20 lol.)

   Options id LOVE to see.

   *Scrolling: [] Horizontal  [] Vertical

   *If Virtical scrolling: []One by one []Page by page.

   *Return to first gadgets page after ____ seconds.

   *if the sidebar already has a checkbox to desplay on the left or right side of the screen... why no "Right Align" option in desktop icon sorting (and for that matter the start menu?

   * Still forgets "gadget order" oh about every 20 starts.

   Theese simple things would make it 10x better.

   Im a digital artist first im in the process of learning to make a gadget code wise. Im learning but its not simple. Not to bore u with "apple giberish" but why not a Gadget Maker? Simple program from u with option for making simple link gadgets ext. Too "simple"? well then add support of user scripted addons and let (users) coders make it "advanced". ALMOST sounds like an Windows Ultamate Extra. ALMOST..... kinda lol.

   Anyways i love it and use it everyday weather music searches ext its good stuff.
4. Nick White

   
   Posted on: August 01, 2007 at 6:53PM  

   Hey Brytown:  GREAT suggestions, thanks -- I'll bring them to the attention of the Sidebar Team.
5. Espiox

   
   Posted on: August 02, 2007 at 1:11PM  

   My issue with Sidebar right now is that Microsoft doesn't seem to be doing anything interesting with it. I want to see integration with MS apps, for example an Xbox Live Friends List and/or Message Box. Perhaps a miniature Windows Live Messenger applet. Even better would be a Zune "Drag 'n' Sync" panel or a Now Playing thing.
6. Nick White

   
   Posted on: August 03, 2007 at 3:11PM  

   Hey Espiox:  we built the Sidebar with the expectation that much of its extensibility would be realized by the developer community based on customers' specific needs; if you believe strongly that the gadgets you suggest should be created, I'd suggest joining the discussion over at http://microsoftgadgets.com/Forums.
7. diabulos

   
   Posted on: August 03, 2007 at 6:00PM  

   What is that post it notes gadget in the pictures? the one in vista is different, I like this one better? where is it available and under what name?
8. Nick White

   
   Posted on: August 03, 2007 at 6:10PM  

   Hey diabulos:  the post-it-style note is acutally a graphic from an internally developed gadget, as I mention in the post.  I'm afraid it's not available to non-MS employees.
9. Aldo Wandersman

   
   Posted on: August 21, 2007 at 1:42PM  

   Please take a look at the coolest gadget ever created to Windows Vista Sidebar. It´s called Timedimension and it´s the "First Design of Time", conceived by the worldwide famous designer Hans Donner. It can be downloaded at www.timedimension.net
10. betamod

    
    Posted on: August 28, 2007 at 3:28PM  

    Nick,

    I am ambivalent about sidebar.

    Dare I say, I like the Apple widget paradigm better. Generally, the way they manage screen real estate is more powerful than what is in Vista. I would love to be able to use a mouse gesture or F-key to view all my gadgets maximized and then hide them away again. Given that the sidebar is not visible under other windows I see no point in confining them to the side. At the very least, why not implement an "auto-hide" feature like in the Start menu bar, so its always on top but not in the way?

    On that note, re the start menu, there is no need to have the little strip to indicate the hidden bar. If I wanted to see it I would not have hidden it. The same goes for the proposed auto-hiding of the sidebar.

    I also concur with the recommendations made by "BERT". The way that the gadgets are implemented makes them kind of superfluous to the core user experience as well as a hassle to manage.

    I would also like to be able to select a particular maximized gadget to keep on top.

    Also, I would like to see more use of animations as a means of managing screen real estate. Apple did not invent the use of zooming /inflating icons as a way to minimize the footprint of GUI elements. I saw examples oif this sort of thing in a thesis paper from MIT's Media Lab years before this was implemented in OSX's dashboard. So I would like to see MS offer similar functionality. By using zoomable elements, it should be possible to integrate the functionality of the sidebar and the start menu in a single dashboard-type UI application without getting in the way.

    I know you guys are working on zooming UIs over there in Richmond but it would have been nice to have seen a bit more genuine innovation trickle down into XP's replacement. After all, we have been waiting a long time. (I mean, for once I would like to make the Mac users feel jealous when I whip out my laptop.)

    Tell me, did you employ a UI designer (you know, someone who is rigorous and visionary like an Alan Kay or a Edward Tufte) in the development of the sidebar concept or do you only use designers to "pretty up" what your engineers come up with? I am curious to get an explanation of the design process and decisions that lead to Vista's UI. Has anything been published on this?

    - betamod