Interest Guage: NB.org Dashboard Widget for OS X?

[jcroft]

Guys...

As you know, Iv'e been working on hard (along with James and with input form the rest of the staff) on the new NewBeetle.org homepage. I think you all are really going to like it. It should be ready in the next few weeks.

At that point, I'll be looking for my next project for the site, and I was thinking it might be cool to do a Mac OS X Dashboard widget. Now, as a disclaimer, I've not written any Dashboard widgets to date, so I could get into it and find it's way more trouble than it's worth -- but at least in theory, it seems doable.

As for what would be on it: I haven't thought it through too much yet, but I'm thinking like your subscribed threads, your buddy list, your private messages, and maybe another thing or two. The idea would be to notify you when your threads are updated, when you get PMs, when your buddies come online, etc.

What I want to know from you guys is how many people would be interested in this. We're sitting at about 8% Mac users here at NewBeetle.org. So, I'm well aware this isn't going to benefit everyone. I mostly want to do it as a learning experience for myself and as a way to throw a bone to my fellow Mac users. But, if there's simply no interest, then it's probably no worth my time.

What do you think? Anyone interested?

[Pulgamovil]

MEGA UBER ULTRA COOL

ID MAKE IT LIKE A Miniature dashboard pod with only 3 info to keep it simple:
o km per hour NO PM 80 mph new PM
Number of new threads on the odometer.
and the cel comes on when some of your buddies post...

Cool

[macdave]

Sounds cool, I wish that the dashboard widgets would be on the desktop all the time.

[SMG]

I designed the widget that won the initial Apple Widget Design contest.

http://www.smsmac.com

My site with portfolio: http://www.buyicons.com

I will design it if you want, just let me know...

I already have some wicked ideas for it

AIM: somemacguy

Thanks!

SMG

[jcroft]

Originally Posted by SMG

I designed the widget that won the initial Apple Widget Design contest.

http://www.smsmac.com

My site with portfolio: http://www.buyicons.com

I will design it if you want, just let me know...

I already have some wicked ideas for it

AIM: somemacguy

Thanks!

SMG

I might consult you for sure. I'm a designer myself by trade, so I have my own opinions, but some collaboration could be good!

[SMG]

Sounds good Jeff!

SMG

[Dave]

Another Mac user here that thinks a NewBeetle.org widget would be pretty cool !

-dave

[oneighturbo]

jeff,

would love to help out in anyway I can.

jordan, nice work. i was going to hit you up the other day but my creative director was a PITA!

[FineExampl]

i thought a widget was the little thing in the bottom a can of Guiness??

john

[angelworks]

Will be one more Mac user here in about 3 weeks time.

Counting down my last days on an IBM compatible.

(yeeeaaaaaa!)

[ASurroca]

I was just thinking the same thing!

However... since very few users log in from a Mac, let's go for cross-platform and make it a Konfabulator widget. I'm sure porting it back to Dashboard can't be a problem; as most of the stock Dashboard widgets have been ported to Konfab just fine.

There are more RSS feed widgets than you can shake a stick at, and they're all pretty bland. So, I'm glad Jeff that you're wanting to make it do a little more than just spew out RSS feeds.

One other note: I'm thinking something small, like 150x150 px would be better. Most of these RSS widgets are obnoxiously huge.

[flandoman]

Originally Posted by Dave

Another Mac user here that thinks a NewBeetle.org widget would be pretty cool !

-dave

been mac for life and once i got a newbeetle and found this sight last year i thought a widget for konfabulator and now dashboard would be cool

[dnyed]

Can you explain, in laymans terms, just what a widget is?

[2k2tdi]

Originally Posted by dnyed

Can you explain, in laymans terms, just what a widget is?

It is a little self-contained application that generally focuses on one function and is readily accesible. For example, a window that shows the current temperature as reported from the National Weather Service or a stock quote.

On the Mac, the widgets typically are viewed via the Dashboard. The Dashboard is a sort of a desktop overlay that can be enabled using the F12 key.

[Deserion]

Go for it, Mac user x2.

-Des

[CyberGypsy]

oh yes.....PLEAZE!!!!!!!!!!

[SMG]

Originally Posted by CyberGypsy

oh yes.....PLEAZE!!!!!!!!!!

I offered, my offer was kind of dismissed, nothing became of it when it could very well have.

SMG

[SMG]

Jeff,

Are we doing this or not?

Every time I try to contribute to the community, such as this widget and the screensaver, I am snubbed and it's getting old.

SMG

[mcH]

Originally Posted by CyberGypsy

oh yes.....PLEAZE!!!!!!!!!!

Here's another vote for a nb widget. PM's, etc would be good!