WWDC/Stevenote: Streamed vs. Word-of-Mouth
Well, having watched the actual Stevenote just now, I am vastly more excited and optimistic about 99% of the things covered.
My question is how many people were bummed today, when various things didn't materialize (or that some others did) but then felt completely different after watching the actual webcast?
Reality distortion field is at work for sure (love the sweater comment) but it was the actual technologies shown and little details that blew me away.
I'd say the one niggling thing was Steve's stunning audacity to describe Dashboard with such a straight face (why could not even one developer yell out "Hey, that's a Konfabulator rip-off!"). That said, I like what I saw (not the look and feel of any Widget in particular, that's irrelevant) but that they seem more live and immediate and I love the flip over effect (yes, Sun pioneered that in the labs?but it's all about execution and bringing to market that counts).
But I certainly don't expect him to publicly say "Yeah, we saw Konfabulator and liked it so much we decided to completely mimic it without licensing it..." That war will rage for a while I think, but to me it's between Arlo and Steve.
Having only read text accounts and Mac-site news pieces I've decided to never again listen to the perpetually-crestfallen "is that all??" crowd prior to watching the video.
It was MUCH better than the text-only accounts lead me to believe.
My question is how many people were bummed today, when various things didn't materialize (or that some others did) but then felt completely different after watching the actual webcast?
Reality distortion field is at work for sure (love the sweater comment) but it was the actual technologies shown and little details that blew me away.
I'd say the one niggling thing was Steve's stunning audacity to describe Dashboard with such a straight face (why could not even one developer yell out "Hey, that's a Konfabulator rip-off!"). That said, I like what I saw (not the look and feel of any Widget in particular, that's irrelevant) but that they seem more live and immediate and I love the flip over effect (yes, Sun pioneered that in the labs?but it's all about execution and bringing to market that counts).
But I certainly don't expect him to publicly say "Yeah, we saw Konfabulator and liked it so much we decided to completely mimic it without licensing it..." That war will rage for a while I think, but to me it's between Arlo and Steve.
Having only read text accounts and Mac-site news pieces I've decided to never again listen to the perpetually-crestfallen "is that all??" crowd prior to watching the video.
It was MUCH better than the text-only accounts lead me to believe.
Comments
But after watching the Keynote, I gotta say... I want Tiger now... Spotlight looks freaking awesome. And I like the fact that Dashboard hides the widgets... something that Konfabulator doesn't do.
Bring on Tiger.
iDunno
I've never been a big fan of Konfabulator. Its a very geeky thing to have and I honestly cant see mainstream users knowing how to properly use it. I'm not too excited about to be honest. My screen is usually full of either Safari or Entourage or I'm gaming... I hardly get to see my desktop.
I hope it becomes easier to use and more intuitive by the time Tigger ships..
Originally posted by ZO
You've succumbed to the RDF...
I've never been a big fan of Konfabulator. Its a very geeky thing to have and I honestly cant see mainstream users knowing how to properly use it. I'm not too excited about to be honest. My screen is usually full of either Safari or Entourage or I'm gaming... I hardly get to see my desktop.
Yup, that's one of the big problems I've had with Konfabulator - widgets are either over your windows, or you have to move your windows to see them. Bleah!
Dashboard solves that. Widgets are on a single layer that goes *OVER* all your other windows, but *only when you trigger it*. Otherwise it's simply not taking up any screenspace at all.
I hope it becomes easier to use and more intuitive by the time Tigger ships..
It already did.
But still, this doesnt "feel" right.
The widgets are really awesome, but far from being streamlined in look & feel. This really really looks like yet another "layer" (sorry for pun) of "stuff" you can do.
Joe user, or someone like my mom, is gonna come accross it one day maybe by mistake, and be a bit overwhlemed by it.
So, lets see...
To get your documents you double click on "Macintosh HD" and select from the left handed list... or you also use a very very different "Dashboard" to make shortcuts... as opposed to possibly using the Dock as well where I can put links????
I just do not see how something like this can fit in smoothly.
Its bascially like an "alpha channel dock" that appears once you call for it... but you ALSO have the normal Dock.
I'm lost.
Originally posted by ZO
To get your documents you double click on "Macintosh HD" and select from the left handed list... or you also use a very very different "Dashboard" to make shortcuts... as opposed to possibly using the Dock as well where I can put links????
I just do not see how something like this can fit in smoothly.
Its bascially like an "alpha channel dock" that appears once you call for it... but you ALSO have the normal Dock.
I'm lost.
WHAAAAAAA?
Yeah, you are.
Dashboard is *only for widgets written for Dashboard*. It does not hold files. It does not hold folders. It does not hold applications.
It holds widgets. Tiny little pseudo-apps that basically are just like the old Desk Accessories from 1984.
If you want a better feel for what they are and what they can (and can't) do, go hit www.konfabulator.com. Arlo's product is very close to Dashboard, and should give you a feel for what's coming down the pipe.
It is *not* a Dock replacement.
It is *not* a Finder replacement.
It is for bringing up a quick layer of 'glance-and-get-info' widgets, like current weather, a few stocks, or your CPU use. Not for launching apps, not for finding or holding files.
Seriously, there is zero, and I mean zero, overlap between the Dock and Dashboard.
Originally posted by Kickaha
They link to, they do not replace. They do not launch. They do not subsume.
Seriously, there is zero, and I mean zero, overlap between the Dock and Dashboard.
This is absolutely correct. Zero.
However...
If one were to, say, completely rethink the Dock, I myself would make (yet) another layer which behaves similarly to Dashboard.
Imagine triggering Dock 2 (by irrelevant method/s).
The screen blackens Dashboard style.
Things which you have plopped into this layer, folders, programs, files, aliases, are all laying about in a user controllable level of neatness or messiness (think Desktop).
Move, use these things anyway you want. (You could drag to and from the layer)
Trigger it to go away Dashboard style.
wouldn't need a Dock in a specific place
wouldn't need to clutter the desktop
wouldn't need to see things that you only need to see occasionally
wouldn't need to have the Dock in a too-triggerable position (no accidental triggering as is the case now when hidden)
anyway, something to chat about for 9+ months....
Oh yeah, idea (c)johnq
Damn, I'm offtopic in my own thread. I guess I can do that
iDunno.
they do exactly the same thing in VERY different ways...
and dashboard uses MUCH less CPU... IIUC it ONLY takes up CPU cycles when it is invoked... konfabulator is a resource HOG regardless of what you can actually SEE. If the widget is loaded, it is using cycles, LOTS of cycles...
but getting back ON TOPIC
the stream is always much more convincing then text accounts... it is so hard to convey the excitement of a keynote without going crazy and typing in all caps with way too many exclamation points... (!!!11!!one!1ONE!!!)
Originally posted by johnq
This is absolutely correct. Zero.
However...
If one were to, say, completely rethink the Dock, I myself would make (yet) another layer which behaves similarly to Dashboard....
Nice.
Originally posted by Kickaha
Widgets are on a single layer that goes *OVER* all your other windows, but *only when you trigger it*. Otherwise it's simply not taking up any screenspace at all.
And when dashboard disappears, it stops being a CPU pig.
With more and more items appearing in the menubar, dock, and now dashboard, perhaps we are seeing the shortcomings of the dock come to light?
Originally posted by Kickaha
Nice.
Hey, WAIT Mr. FaceTop...forgot who I was talking too...
Ok so hire me...