Programming with the Vista Sidebar

By John Swindells 19 Jun 2006 | Comment
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I couldn't believe it when I saw this: Microsoft's Gadget Development Overview. A gadget is a useful mini-application on the desktop (in the sidebar, actually) and there are already gadgets for clocks, CPU meters, RSS feeds, etc. Sure enough, in these enlightened times, you can write your own and Microsoft talks about an SDK (Software Development Kit). Uhoh, methinks, this is going to be a C#/.NET exercise involving enormous projects. Well, actually the gadget is organised by XML and the interface can be good ol' HTML/Javascript. No compiling or development tools required! This is a total steal on the Firefox Mozilla extensions methodology, but what the heck? You can easily integrate whatever development you like straight into your desktop!

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