<s>
A	O
software	B-Application
widget	I-Application
is	O
a	O
relatively	O
simple	O
and	O
easy-to-use	O
software	B-Application
application	I-Application
or	O
component	O
made	O
for	O
one	O
or	O
more	O
different	O
software	B-Device
platforms	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
desk	B-Application
accessory	I-Application
or	O
applet	B-Language
is	O
an	O
example	O
of	O
a	O
simple	O
,	O
stand-alone	B-General_Concept
user	O
interface	O
,	O
in	O
contrast	O
with	O
a	O
more	O
complex	O
application	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
spreadsheet	O
or	O
word	O
processor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
widgets	O
are	O
typical	O
examples	O
of	O
transient	B-General_Concept
and	I-General_Concept
auxiliary	I-General_Concept
applications	I-General_Concept
that	O
do	O
n't	O
monopolize	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
attention	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
other	O
hand	O
,	O
graphical	O
control	O
elements	O
(	O
GUI	B-Application
"	O
widgets	O
"	O
)	O
are	O
examples	O
of	O
reusable	O
modular	O
components	O
that	O
are	O
used	O
together	O
to	B-Application
build	O
a	O
more	O
complex	O
application	O
,	O
allowing	O
programmers	B-Application
to	B-Application
build	O
user	O
interfaces	O
by	O
combining	O
simple	O
,	O
smaller	O
components	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Graphical	O
control	O
element	O
(	O
GUI	B-Application
widget	O
)	O
is	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
(	O
GUI	B-Application
)	O
that	O
allows	O
a	O
computer	O
user	O
to	B-Application
control	O
and	O
change	O
the	O
appearance	O
of	O
elements	O
for	O
operating	O
a	O
software	B-Application
application	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
this	O
context	O
a	O
widget	O
may	O
refer	O
to	B-Application
a	O
generic	O
GUI	B-Application
element	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
check	O
box	O
,	O
to	B-Application
an	O
instance	O
of	O
that	O
element	O
,	O
or	O
to	B-Application
a	O
customized	O
collection	O
of	O
such	O
elements	O
used	O
for	O
a	O
specific	O
function	O
or	O
application	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
dialog	O
box	O
for	O
users	O
to	B-Application
customize	O
their	O
computer	B-Device
screen	I-Device
appearances	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Widget	B-Library
toolkit	I-Library
is	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
programming	B-General_Concept
tools	O
that	O
help	O
developers	B-Application
reuse	O
GUI	B-Application
widgets	O
to	B-Application
build	O
a	O
user	O
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
desktop	O
widget	O
is	O
a	O
specialized	O
GUI	B-Application
widget	O
intended	O
to	B-Application
run	B-General_Concept
on	O
a	O
computer	O
desktop	O
for	O
computer	O
users	O
to	B-Application
control	O
simple	O
utility	O
functions	O
such	O
as	O
clocks	O
,	O
messaging	O
services	O
,	O
and	O
calendars	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
smart	B-Application
phones	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
web	O
widget	O
is	O
a	O
portable	O
application	O
installed	O
and	O
executed	O
,	O
typically	O
by	O
non-expert	O
webmasters	O
on	O
HTML-based	O
web	O
pages	O
,	O
to	B-Application
offer	O
site	O
visitors	O
shopping	O
,	O
advertisements	O
,	O
videos	O
,	O
or	O
other	O
simple	O
functionality	O
from	O
third	O
party	O
widget	O
publishers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Social	O
networking	O
services	O
such	O
as	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
Myspace	B-Application
host	O
these	O
applications	O
and	O
provide	O
them	O
underlying	O
platform	O
services	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
display	O
and	O
storage	O
of	O
user-provided	O
photos	O
and	O
other	O
content	O
,	O
profile	O
information	O
about	O
end	O
users	O
and	O
communications	O
features	O
with	O
other	O
users	O
)	O
through	O
special-purpose	O
application	B-Application
programming	I-Application
interfaces	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
is	O
used	O
fairly	O
loosely	O
,	O
in	O
that	O
many	O
such	O
applications	O
are	O
more	O
complex	O
internally	O
and	O
in	O
operation	O
than	O
the	O
simple	O
applets	B-Language
that	O
are	O
called	O
"	O
widgets	O
"	O
in	O
other	O
contexts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
relationship	O
between	O
platform	O
and	O
developer	B-Application
is	O
mutually	O
beneficial	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
social	O
network	O
offering	O
hardware	O
and	O
software	O
infrastructure	O
,	O
and	O
access	O
to	B-Application
the	O
social	O
network	O
's	O
end	O
user	O
base	O
,	O
and	O
with	O
application	O
publishers	O
ranging	O
from	O
amateur	O
developers	B-Application
to	B-Application
organized	O
companies	O
such	O
as	O
RockYou	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
present	O
,	O
there	O
is	O
no	O
fee	O
or	O
payment	O
between	O
developers	B-Application
and	O
social	O
network	O
platforms	B-Device
,	O
and	O
attempts	O
to	B-Application
realize	O
revenue	O
from	O
widgets	O
(	O
primarily	O
advertising	O
by	O
the	O
widget	O
applications	O
and	O
sale	O
of	O
electronic	O
commerce	O
goods	O
and	O
services	O
within	O
the	O
widgets	O
)	O
have	O
been	O
relatively	O
unsuccessful	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Disclosure	O
widgets	O
are	O
specific	O
types	O
of	O
GUI	B-Application
widgets	O
that	O
may	O
be	O
hidden	O
or	O
expanded	O
by	O
computer	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
metawidget	O
is	O
a	O
GUI	B-Application
widget	O
for	O
controlling	O
the	O
operation	O
of	O
other	O
widgets	O
within	O
a	O
GUI	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
widget	O
engine	O
is	O
the	O
software	B-Device
platform	I-Device
on	O
which	O
desktop	O
or	O
web	O
widgets	O
run	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
of	O
these	O
widgets	O
can	O
be	O
created	O
with	O
a	O
few	O
images	O
and	O
about	O
10	O
to	B-Application
several	O
hundred	O
lines	O
of	O
XML/JavaScript/VBScript	O
source	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
allows	O
several	O
desktop	O
widgets	O
to	B-Application
be	O
built	O
sharing	O
resources	O
and	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Widget	O
engines	O
are	O
not	O
to	B-Application
be	O
confused	O
with	O
widget	B-Library
toolkits	I-Library
.	O
</s>
<s>
Toolkits	O
are	O
used	O
by	O
GUI	B-Application
programmers	B-Application
,	O
who	O
combine	O
several	O
widgets	O
(	O
reusable	O
components	O
)	O
to	B-Application
form	O
a	O
single	O
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
widget	O
in	O
a	O
toolkit	O
provides	O
a	O
single	O
,	O
low	O
level	O
interaction	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
prepared	O
to	B-Application
communicate	O
with	O
other	O
widgets	O
in	O
the	O
toolkit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Desktop	O
and	O
web	O
widgets	O
are	O
stand-alone	B-General_Concept
,	O
task-oriented	O
applications	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
composed	O
of	O
several	O
related	O
interactions	O
on	O
its	O
own	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
graphical	O
control	O
element	O
(	O
often	O
called	O
GUI	B-Application
widget	O
)	O
represents	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
(	O
GUI	B-Application
)	O
which	O
the	O
user	O
can	O
use	O
to	B-Application
interact	O
with	O
the	O
program	O
the	O
GUI	B-Application
belongs	O
to	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Widget	B-Library
toolkits	I-Library
and	O
software	O
frameworks	O
,	O
like	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
GTK+	B-Application
or	O
Qt	B-Language
,	O
contain	O
them	O
in	O
software	B-Library
libraries	I-Library
so	O
that	O
programmers	B-Application
can	O
use	O
them	O
to	B-Application
build	O
GUIs	B-Application
for	O
their	O
programs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
builders	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
Glade	B-Language
Interface	I-Language
Designer	I-Language
,	O
facilitate	O
the	O
authoring	O
of	O
GUIs	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Desktop	O
widgets	O
(	O
commonly	O
just	O
called	O
widgets	O
)	O
are	O
interactive	O
virtual	O
tools	O
that	O
provide	O
single-purpose	O
services	O
such	O
as	O
showing	O
the	O
user	O
the	O
latest	O
news	O
,	O
the	O
current	O
weather	O
,	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
a	O
calendar	O
,	O
a	O
dictionary	O
,	O
a	O
map	O
program	O
,	O
a	O
calculator	O
,	O
desktop	B-Application
notes	I-Application
,	O
photo	O
viewers	O
,	O
or	O
even	O
a	O
language	O
translator	O
,	O
among	O
other	O
things	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	B-Application
gadgets	I-Application
in	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
and	O
in	O
the	O
Windows	O
Live	O
system	O
-	O
No	O
longer	O
supported	O
,	O
use	O
now	O
discouraged	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Various	O
implementations	O
for	O
Linux	B-Application
,	O
including	O
Plasma	B-Language
widgets	O
(	O
available	O
for	O
KDE	B-Application
since	O
version	O
4	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
widget	O
engine	O
used	O
by	O
GNOME	B-Language
Shell	I-Language
(	O
available	O
for	O
GNOME	B-Application
since	O
version	O
3	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Desktop	I-Application
running	O
Google	O
Gadgets	B-Application
-	O
No	O
longer	O
supported	O
,	O
discontinued	O
,	O
some	O
security	O
issues	O
re	O
:	O
data	O
sharing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Widgets	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
,	O
macOS	B-Application
-	O
No	O
longer	O
supported	O
by	O
Yahoo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Still	O
functioning	O
on	O
Windows	O
;	O
since	O
OS	B-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
10.11	I-Operating_System
El	I-Operating_System
Capitan	I-Operating_System
the	O
Yahoo	O
widget	O
dock	O
is	O
non-functioning	O
but	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
widgets	O
still	O
operate	O
as	O
expected	O
and	O
are	O
accessible	O
instead	O
from	O
the	O
menu	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
XWidgets	O
-	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
and	O
Android	B-Application
-	O
Last	O
updated	O
in	O
:	O
2	O
March	O
2015	O
(	O
Windows	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kludgets	O
-	O
for	O
Windows	O
-	O
Allows	O
Mac	B-Device
dashboard	B-Application
widgets	I-Application
to	B-Application
operate	O
on	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Opera	B-Application
Widgets	O
on	O
all	O
platforms	B-Device
(	O
desktop	O
,	O
mobile	O
TVs	O
,	O
gaming	O
consoles	O
)	O
using	O
the	O
Opera	B-Application
browser	I-Application
's	O
rendering	O
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Opera	B-Application
Widgets	O
were	O
discontinued	O
since	O
the	O
version	O
12	O
of	O
the	O
browser	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
,	O
desk	B-Application
accessories	I-Application
were	O
developed	O
to	B-Application
provide	O
a	O
small	O
degree	O
of	O
multitasking	B-Operating_System
in	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
that	O
could	O
only	O
held	O
one	O
main	O
application	O
at	O
a	O
time	O
,	O
but	O
when	O
real	O
multitasking	B-Operating_System
OSes	I-Operating_System
became	O
available	O
,	O
these	O
were	O
replaced	O
by	O
normal	O
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
intention	O
is	O
to	B-Application
standardise	O
some	O
aspects	O
of	O
widgets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Opera	B-Application
browser	I-Application
is	O
the	O
first	O
client	O
side	O
widget	O
engine	O
to	B-Application
adopt	O
this	O
draft	O
W3C	O
standard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apache	O
Wookie	O
(	O
Incubating	O
)	O
is	O
the	O
first	O
server	O
side	O
widget	O
engine	O
to	B-Application
adopt	O
this	O
W3C	O
standard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wookie	O
is	O
a	O
server	O
that	O
manages	O
widget	O
instances	O
and	O
allows	O
them	O
to	B-Application
be	O
embedded	O
in	O
web	O
applications	O
in	O
addition	O
to	B-Application
being	O
provided	O
for	O
client	O
devices	O
such	O
as	O
Opera	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
mobile	B-Application
widgets	I-Application
are	O
like	O
desktop	O
widgets	O
,	O
but	O
for	O
a	O
mobile	O
phone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mobile	B-Application
widgets	I-Application
can	O
maximize	O
screen	O
space	O
use	O
and	O
may	O
be	O
especially	O
useful	O
in	O
placing	O
live	O
data-rich	O
applications	O
on	O
the	O
device	O
idle-screen/home	O
-screen	O
Java	O
ME-based	O
mobile	O
widget	O
engines	O
exist	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
standards-based	O
APIs	B-Application
for	O
Java	O
to	B-Application
control	O
the	O
mobile	O
device	O
home-screen	O
makes	O
it	O
harder	O
for	O
these	O
engines	O
to	B-Application
expose	O
widgets	O
on	O
the	O
phone-top	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
AJAX-based	O
native	O
widget	O
platforms	B-Device
are	O
also	O
available	O
for	O
mobile	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
growing	O
pervasiveness	O
of	O
mobile	B-Application
widgets	I-Application
is	O
easily	O
understood	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Android	B-Application
,	O
of	O
all	O
mobile	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
,	O
has	O
supported	O
mobile	B-Application
widgets	I-Application
natively	O
since	O
April	O
30	O
,	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
widgets	O
on	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
operating	I-Application
system	I-Application
include	O
DashClock	O
,	O
Google	O
Keep	O
and	O
HD	O
Widgets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
iOS	B-Application
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
also	O
supports	O
mobile	B-Application
widgets	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
web	O
is	O
an	O
environment	O
well	O
suited	O
to	B-Application
distribution	O
of	O
widgets	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
does	O
n't	O
require	O
explicit	O
interaction	O
from	O
the	O
user	O
to	B-Application
install	O
new	O
code	B-Application
snippets	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
a	O
game	O
applet	B-Language
offered	O
by	O
Uproar.com	O
(	O
the	O
leading	O
online	O
game	O
company	O
from	O
2000	O
-	O
2001	O
)	O
that	O
appeared	O
on	O
over	O
35,000	O
websites	O
ranging	O
from	O
GeoCities	O
personal	O
pages	O
to	B-Application
CNN	O
and	O
Tower	O
Records	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
purpose	O
is	O
to	B-Application
provide	O
relevant	O
information	O
to	B-Application
the	O
user	O
in	O
a	O
non-intrusive	O
manner	O
and	O
using	O
few	O
resources	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Basically	O
,	O
desktop	O
widgets	O
enable	O
the	O
user	O
to	B-Application
view	O
on	O
demand	O
,	O
encapsulated	O
information	O
from	O
predetermined	O
data	O
sources	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
supposed	O
to	B-Application
provide	O
the	O
most	O
important	O
information	O
that	O
a	O
user	O
requires	O
on	O
a	O
daily	O
basis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
of	O
the	O
desktop	O
widgets	O
are	O
available	O
as	O
free	O
downloads	O
from	O
the	O
developers’	O
websites	O
.	O
</s>
