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olePigeon · Jan 6, 2006, 04:34 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/06/l...ahoos-keynote/

Heh, yeah. So Yahoo bought Konfabulator a while back. And now it's Yahoo Dashboard.

I didn't think anyone could have a worse marketing team than Microsoft, but I guess I was wrong.

JoshuaZ · Jan 6, 2006, 04:36 PM

Ha. Wow. I have to wonder if it was just them not doing any research, or them just being very stupid.

Peter · Jan 6, 2006, 04:36 PM

original.

rickey939 · Jan 6, 2006, 04:42 PM

Chuckit · Jan 6, 2006, 04:47 PM

I think they believe the name is unoriginal enough that they can safely piggyback on Apple's marketing.

rjenkinson · Jan 6, 2006, 04:52 PM

happy new year, apple legal.

-r.

Leia's Left Bun · Jan 6, 2006, 04:54 PM

Smooth, very smooth.

volcano · Jan 6, 2006, 05:04 PM

"Yahoo Go involves little apps called Yahoo Widgets on a Yahoo Dashboard. It looks a lot like Konfabulator and Apple Dashboard."

Looks a lot like Dashboard? It's exactly the same! Even the name! Wow!

They even stole the name "Widget." Go get 'em, Apple.

d4nth3m4n · Jan 6, 2006, 05:07 PM

widget was a konfab term. careful where you throw the blame here.

any reason i would want to watch the google keynote in an hour?

i can't really think of one...

Cubeoid · Jan 6, 2006, 05:29 PM

linkage?

Salty · Jan 6, 2006, 05:30 PM

Funny, Dashboard isn't marketed as Apple Dashboard, but rather as Dashboard, I could easily see Yahoo! getting sued over this.

On another note, I saw a Yahoo! home theatre system at Walmart today, wow... that was disturbing... I did a bit of a double take... then kept walking. Almost bought something there today... honestly though I think I've decided I have such contempt for that place that I can't buy anything there.

Rolling Bones · Jan 6, 2006, 05:45 PM

Live from Yahoo's keynote with Tom Cruise.

Awesome!

Ozmodiar · Jan 6, 2006, 05:48 PM

The word widget was coined in 1920 as an alternative to gadget.

d4nth3m4n · Jan 6, 2006, 05:54 PM

Originally Posted by Cubeoid

linkage?

first post?

Adam Betts · Jan 6, 2006, 05:57 PM

"10:40 Outside, a guy talking into his phone: "Well Steve Jobs is a f--king Jedi Master of this sh-t compared to these other clowns.""

Big Mac · Jan 6, 2006, 06:20 PM

Next up: Yahoo! branded browser named "Yahoo Safari"

Chuckit · Jan 6, 2006, 06:38 PM

Yes, sir! Big business!

Yes. Big business. What business are we in?

Widgets. We're in the widget business.

The widget business?

Yes, sir! I suppose I'm the biggest manufacturer in the world of overhead and underground aerial widgets.

Cubeoid · Jan 6, 2006, 07:06 PM

This thread has turned into a cunundrum of confusion.

Rolling Bones · Jan 6, 2006, 07:11 PM

Well, I'm konfabulated.

slugslugslug · Jan 6, 2006, 07:12 PM

Uh, I think "Dashboard" is just what the engadget reporter was calling it. I don't see anything on widgets.yahoo.com (or anywhere else on the web after some cursory searches) indicating that Yahoo is officially rebranding the Widget Engine as Yahoo! Dashboard..

And yeah, Konfab was using the term Widget long before Apple (I remember when they previewed Dashboard, it seemed like they were gonna go with "Gadget")..

Cubeoid · Jan 6, 2006, 07:21 PM

How about Gidget?

Cubeoid · Jan 6, 2006, 07:22 PM

or Goget, goget is cool.

Railroader · Jan 6, 2006, 10:04 PM

Originally Posted by Ozmodiar

The word widget was coined in 1920 as an alternative to gadget.

Which was very quickly changed to "thing-a-ma-bob".

Stogieman · Jan 6, 2006, 11:08 PM

I thought it was "do-hickey"

SpaceMonkey · Jan 6, 2006, 11:22 PM

My favorite:

9:15 "I want to talk about my 13-year-old daughter. I was driving her to school .. I took a look at her when she got into the car. She had two headsets attached. One was her iPod video, the other was her Creative Zen. She had two things bulging out of her pocket. One was her cellphone - it was going off every ten seconds with alerts. I thought she was trafficking for a while. She pulled out a Sidekick and was communicating with two groups of people at the same time.

Why would anyone have an iPod and a Zen? And why not just one headset to switch between the two? And does she realize that a Sidekick is a cell phone? Is she retarded? Oh wait, she's 13. And rich.

rickey939 · Jan 6, 2006, 11:27 PM

Do not have sex with these colorful circles!

It was allllll good.

Chuckit · Jan 6, 2006, 11:36 PM

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey

My favorite:

Why would anyone have an iPod and a Zen? And why not just one headset to switch between the two? And does she realize that a Sidekick is a cell phone? Is she retarded? Oh wait, she's 13. And rich.

Or he just made that up because he wanted to illustrate a point and didn't realize how ridiculous it sounded. Even the rich wouldn't want to lug around an iPod, a Zen and two mobile phones — and wear headsets for both MP3 players simultaneously.

Salty · Jan 6, 2006, 11:39 PM

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey

My favorite:

Why would anyone have an iPod and a Zen? And why not just one headset to switch between the two? And does she realize that a Sidekick is a cell phone? Is she retarded? Oh wait, she's 13. And rich.

Yah I pasted that into a convo with a friend and he laughed... then again WHAT PARENT WOULD LET THEIR KID HAVE THAT MANY TOYS AT 13!? Do they honestly want a lil brat...

Nodnarb · Jan 6, 2006, 11:41 PM

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey

My favorite:

Why would anyone have an iPod and a Zen? And why not just one headset to switch between the two? And does she realize that a Sidekick is a cell phone? Is she retarded? Oh wait, she's 13. And rich.

If true, that girl's an idiot.

But more likely he was just trying to show how many devices people use everyday, but it was a very stupid way to do it.

Teronzhul · Jan 7, 2006, 12:14 AM

I've got it on my pc. All I see is Yahoo! Widget Engine. I don't see the name Dashboard anywhere.

baw · Jan 7, 2006, 02:58 AM

Originally Posted by Adam Betts

"10:40 Outside, a guy talking into his phone: "Well Steve Jobs is a f--king Jedi Master of this sh-t compared to these other clowns.""

Haha!

macintologist · Jan 7, 2006, 04:19 AM

Anyone play Widget Workshop when they were a kid?

Railroader · Jan 7, 2006, 05:31 AM

Originally Posted by Stogieman

I thought it was "do-hickey"

You're thinking of the Whatchamacallit. That was a candy bar.

Eug Wanker · Jan 7, 2006, 07:17 AM

I thought the original name for Dashboard widgets were "gadgets". But then Apple chose to use "widgets" since everyone was using that term anyway.

m a d r a · Jan 7, 2006, 12:04 PM

are you all forgetting that apple nicked the whole dashboard idea off konfabulator in the first place?

TETENAL · Jan 7, 2006, 12:13 PM

I watched the keynote and to me it looked like Dashboard is another product, not part of Yahoo! Widget Engine.

olePigeon · Jan 7, 2006, 12:29 PM

Apple can't sue Yahoo because there's precedent when Microsoft sued Linspire. Microsoft lost their trademark to just the word "Windows." Any bloak can now make software called Windows (even if it's an OS) as long as it's preceded by another name.

So unfortunately, Apple can't do much about Yahoo Dashboard... or Yahoo Widgets.

Dark Helmet · Jan 7, 2006, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by m a d r a

are you all forgetting that apple nicked the whole dashboard idea off konfabulator in the first place?

And I thought Konfabulator bit it off Apple's super old desk accessories.

Chuckit · Jan 7, 2006, 01:19 PM

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet

And I thought Konfabulator bit it off Apple's super old desk accessories.

Evidently because you never used desk accessories. Konfab wasn't particularly more similar to DAs than it was to any other relatively small applications (which is basically what desk accessories amount to in a multitasking environment).

hayesk · Jan 8, 2006, 09:49 AM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

Evidently because you never used desk accessories. Konfab wasn't particularly more similar to DAs than it was to any other relatively small applications (which is basically what desk accessories amount to in a multitasking environment).

Exactly. Konfabulator was a collection of little single purpose "mini-apps" that helped you while you were working in a larger application. That's what desk accessories were, that's what Dashboard is.

People are all hung up that Dashboard is a copy of Konfab because they look pretty, and they use HTML and javascript to implement them. Who cares? Photoshop and Corel Painter were implemented in C++, does that mean Corel Painter is a Photoshop ripoff and they should be sued?

Kevin · Jan 8, 2006, 09:55 AM

And Arlo became famous for ripping off the Platinum look Apple made, when he did Aaron.

m a d r a · Jan 8, 2006, 09:59 AM

pah! - they're all just ripping off charles babbage anyway!

Goldfinger · Jan 8, 2006, 10:38 AM

Release the lawyers [/Mr. Burns]

BlueSky · Jan 8, 2006, 10:41 AM

Originally Posted by Kevin

And Arlo became famous for ripping off the Platinum look Apple made, when he did Aaron.

I thought Greg Landlubber did Aaron. Is Arlo taking credit for that too?

Kevin · Jan 8, 2006, 10:56 AM

Originally Posted by BlueSky

I thought Greg Landlubber did Aaron. Is Arlo taking credit for that too?

You are correct. My bad.

They worked together on some things did they not?

Wiskedjak · Jan 8, 2006, 11:02 AM

I can hear the judge now:

"So, Apple, you would like me to punish this company that stole your product name? This company that you stole the product idea from in the first place?"

James L · Jan 8, 2006, 01:40 PM

Isn't it funny how when someone steals from Apple there is outrage and questions of lawsuits...

But, when Apple steals from someone there is Justification?

Hypocrisy?

You decide!

Kevin · Jan 8, 2006, 02:50 PM

Originally Posted by James L

Isn't it funny how when someone steals from Apple there is outrage and questions of lawsuits...

But, when Apple steals from someone there is Justification?

Hypocrisy?

You decide!

I've seen alot of everything in this thread.

Even blanket statements.

Moderator · Jan 8, 2006, 04:28 PM

Originally Posted by James L

Isn't it funny how when someone steals from Apple there is outrage and questions of lawsuits...

But, when Apple steals from someone there is Justification?

Hypocrisy?

You decide!

So true. Dashboard is a rip from Konfabulator to an insulting degree. It would be hilarious justice if Yahoo actually did call theirs Dashboard.

Oh and that iPod "Nano" didn't seem to bother people much....hmm...a little bias perhaps?

James L · Jan 8, 2006, 06:24 PM

Originally Posted by Kevin

I've seen alot of everything in this thread.

Even blanket statements.

Well played my friend.... well played.