Check out KONFABULATOR for OS X!

Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014
Arlo Rose of Kaleidoscope fame now brings us Konfabulator!



I stumbled on <a href="http://www.resexcellence.com/snapshots/snaps_html/11-07-02_Rose.shtml"; target="_blank">this screenshot</a> at ResExcellence today!!





Here's what the official site says about Konfabulator:



PALO ALTO, California-October 16, 2002-Arlo Rose and engineering partner Perry Clarke today announced what Konfabulator actually does.



Konfabulator is a JavaScript runtime engine for Mac OS X that lets you run little files called Widgets that can do pretty much whatever you want them to. Widgets can be alarm clocks, calculators, can tell you your AirPort signal strength, will fetch the latest stock quotes for your preferred symbols, and even give your current local weather. But these are just some of the default Widgets. "We're hoping that people will not only start developing Widgets to suit their needs, but will redesign the ones we ship to give them a look and feel that fits with their personal desktop environment." said Arlo, "What I'm really looking forward to, however, are people sharing their Widgets with the rest of the Mac OS X community."



What sets Konfabulator apart from other scripting applications is that it takes full advantage of Apple's Quartz rendering. This allows Widgets to blend fluidly into your desktop without the constraints of traditional window borders. "Think of a Widget like an Audion skin that can do whatever you want it to." said Perry.



Arlo and Perry are looking for some talented people who are either well versed in JavaScript, or similar scripting languages, and people with a passion for designing cool Schemes, Themes or Audion faces. They'll have an opportunity to get a sneak peak at Konfabulator, run it through its paces, and be the first on the block to have their own Widgets to distribute. "I see a community forming where you have the gear heads and artists helping each other in a collaborative effort to make some cool stuff happen." said Arlo. "This is going to be a lot of fun and incredibly useful for a lot of people."



Konfabulator is about to enter a two month private test cycle and will be publicly available January 2003. If you're interested in joining the pre-release program, please contact us at [email protected].



Arlo Rose introduced themeable interfaces to the world with his work at Apple on the Appearance Manager and on the popular customization utility Kaleidoscope. Perry Clarke switched from another well-known OS where he worked on consumer software such as the Mplayer online gaming client.



You can join discussions about Konfabulator at <a href="http://www.konfabulator.com/forums"; target="_blank">http://www.konfabulator.com/forums</a>; or track development progress at <a href="http://www.konfabulator.com/journal."; target="_blank">http://www.konfabulator.com/journal.</a>;



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This is very exciting!! Any ideas out there for other widgets?? This take the clock and WeatherPop to a whole new dimension!



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RosettaStoned



[ 11-07-2002: Message edited by: RosettaStoned ]</p>

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 14
    Interesting...



    Wrong forum, though. Moving to Software.
  • Reply 2 of 14
    maskermasker Posts: 451member
    Finally, an app that can break out of the box.



    After seeing photoshop sevens startup screen I knew it was on;ly a matter of tim before apss went from windows to shapes.



    Imagine a bluetooth / i Sync pop up thingy... a "New Airport signal" pop up thingy...



    Cool.



    MSKR
  • Reply 3 of 14
    serranoserrano Posts: 1,806member
  • Reply 4 of 14
    kelibkelib Posts: 740member
    [quote]Originally posted by Masker:

    <strong>Finally, an app that can break out of the box.



    After seeing photoshop sevens startup screen I knew it was on;ly a matter of tim before apss went from windows to shapes.



    Imagine a bluetooth / i Sync pop up thingy... a "New Airport signal" pop up thingy...



    Cool.



    MSKR</strong><hr></blockquote> You must be Michaelm8000 <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
  • Reply 5 of 14
    [quote]Originally posted by Masker:

    <strong>After seeing photoshop sevens startup screen I knew it was on;ly a matter of tim before apss went from windows to shapes.</strong><hr></blockquote>Actually, windows have been able to be non-rectangular shapes for a long time. Don't you remember the Music Player.app Apple included with the Public Beta back in 2000?
  • Reply 6 of 14
    This is going to be cool...when I get a 23inch monitor I can have a section designated to these widgets and constantly visible..I know the dock does this now...but this looks cooler...One thing I need is a stock widget that updates Realtime quotes...instead of 20minute delayed..I know I would have to pay for a service that is fine but I don't know one that works with OS X yet....



    This is more inline to how I invisioned OS X to be...instead of the Dock I pictured more of a Modular Console with cool looking realtime updatable 3D widgets than can be stuck to eachother and stacked any which way...this doesn't do that exactly but I am going to ask if instead of this being part of the desktop it could act more like the dock and have the option to float the widgets and possibly have the option for windows to recognize it's borders....
  • Reply 7 of 14
    trevormtrevorm Posts: 841member
    This looks interesting!

  • Reply 8 of 14
    defiantdefiant Posts: 4,876member
    happly I was able to register defiant as nick on those boards.



    I encourage you to register, and post some good ideas for widgets.
  • Reply 9 of 14
    defiantdefiant Posts: 4,876member
    [quote]Originally posted by Producer:

    <strong>...am going to ask if instead of this being part of the desktop it could act more like the dock and have the option to float the widgets and possibly have the option for windows to recognize it's borders....</strong><hr></blockquote>



    they DO float. the just look if they were a part of the desktop. you can move them anywhere.



    [ 11-08-2002: Message edited by: Defiant ]</p>
  • Reply 10 of 14
    Are you sure they float above windows? Well that is awesome if true but if I have them all to let's say the right side of my computer it would be nice if the windows could optionly recognize them as a dock and not resize over them...



    Also I know this is an alpha so far but what I am wondering is how much of a hack to the system this is? I love the idea but I am not willing to give up any stability over using it...
  • Reply 11 of 14
    defiantdefiant Posts: 4,876member
    the best thing is if you ask those questions on the forum there directly.



    <a href="http://www.konfabulator.com/forums/"; target="_blank">http://www.konfabulator.com/forums/</a>;



    and they are not a hack, they just provide another interface to functions.
  • Reply 12 of 14
    drewpropsdrewprops Posts: 2,321member
    Great find~
  • Reply 13 of 14
    defiantdefiant Posts: 4,876member
    great app !
  • Reply 14 of 14
    The countdown to Konfabulator has begun!



    <a href="http://www.konfabulator.com/"; target="_blank">http://www.konfabulator.com/</a>;



    Looks like there are going to be some very cool widgets for the first release...



    ------------

    RosettaStoned
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