Monday's Mac Gadget
by John F. Braun

---

Check Out The Coolest Mac Gadgets Through Konfabulator

March 24th, 2003

Konfabulator 1.0.2 ($25 Shareware)
Arlo Rose and Perry Clarke

Sure, there are lots of applications available for OS X, but you may have a very basic need that doesn't justify developing a full-blown application. Although Apple's developer tools are freely available, there's still a learning curve involved in developing an application. If only there was a way to quickly develop simple applications...

Konfabulator is a JavaScript engine that lets you run small "widgets" via a text file formatted using XML. JavaScript is the same scripting language used by many Web sites to make the page more useful or interesting. After installing Konfabulator, it will open several of the widgets so you can get a taste of what they can do. There are 10 widgets included with the download, such as AirPort Signal, Analog Clock, Battery, Picture Frame, Stock Ticker and The Weather. These widgets use the Mac Quartz rendering engine, so they look fantastic, and blend right into OS X.

Also available is a Reference Guide that explains how to format an XML file, and the objects that are contained in the XML file, to make a widget. But rather than diving into widget development, it may be best to check out the XML code contained in the current widgets. This can be done by control-clicking on a widget, choosing Open Package Contents, and examining the enclosed "kon" file with a text editor or word processor. Or check out the Konfabulator site, where, as of this writing, there are 218 widgets you can download and check out.

So start experiencing some great Mac OS X gadgets, and give Konfabulator a try.

Have any other cool OS X gadgets that act like a part of OS X? Send an e-mail to John, and he'll check it out ASAP.

Monday's Mac Gadget is here to help you with those cool things that we all just have to have on our Macs. Shareware, Freeware, Postcardware, Emailware, and even commercial apps, Monday's Mac Gadget is here to help you find and use the best of these programs.

John is a software engineer who works in the corporate R&D group of a Fortune 500 company, focusing on all aspects of communications technology. He has several degrees that claim he knows what he's doing when it comes to computers. After watching co-workers reinstall Windows, search for device drivers, and experience other horrors during the day, he's glad that he comes home to a Mac (compatible) computer. Have any comments, suggestions, or favorite Gadgets? Drop John a line at

You can also Post Your Comments below.

Current Monday's Mac Gadget

• Want to Supercharge Your Dock? Check Out Todos! - August 21st
• Worried About Your Mac Getting Jacked? Get JackSMS - June 12th
• Want iChat with Tabs? Try Chax! - April 3rd

Visit Monday's Mac Gadget Archives for more great Mac Gadgets!