google desktop: other "gadget" options?

[thinktank]

So I am officially starting to dislike anything google other then the fact that I already predicted when they had their IPO that they would go down sooner or later for a variety of reasons.

So my new T60 came with google desktop. Following the advice here and some common sense, I got rid of it. However, since I am curious, I installed it on another PC and as expected, it started to index along. Well, I don't really need anything to "index" my stuff and send it God knows where. What I did like though, were the "gadgets", especially the more basic stuff like weather and even the access to googles calendar that may or may not be a replacement for my old Palm at some point. Would have been great to really test the calendar that way. But then again, there is no way to stop the stupid "indexing" even after you tell google to index nothing.

Any alternatives for these gadgets? Maybe GearGuidr? Any way to use google's gadgets without the "indexing" and them placing their ridiculous search bar all over the place?

[christopher_wolf]

Yeah, there are various widgets available for stuff like Samurize and Yahoo! widgets that let you do the same thing. If you are using Firefox, you might as well get the extensions for it that allow you to do that. There are also some others that I am forgetting and are right on the *tip* of my tongue, but I can't quite get them out. I will post back once I remember them.

Also, I don't use the Google Desktop for many of the same reasons.

[DIGITALgimpus]

Yahoo Widgets is based on the original concept (Konfabulator).

IMHO Google Desktop is well worth it... turn off that useless windows search utility. Once it indexes (which can take hours), it's indexing is transparent and it's speed/accuracy has no competition. Just make sure you turn off the multi-computer search.

[bigtiger]

I do not like Google desktop, the same reason as everybody. Google is not the old google. It is more and more like Yahoo. Bloated.

[christopher_wolf]

I consider Google Desktop bloatware and could care far less for how long it takes to index; compared to X1, it takes a ridicuously long time to index my files and, from what I have seen, doesn't go so far as to do live indexing and monitoring of new files. All of which X1 does better. I am not waiting hours to have *files on my system* indexed just to save a few seconds in searching for them occasionally. I also don't want to have three services popping up weather for my location. If I wanted that, I will get a small, lightweight weather monitor and optimize it myself seperately. As for competition, X1 pretty much beat google desktop when I compared the two.

You can also use DesktopX or Konfabulator for a set of several widgets. Calendar, Weather, ToDo, etc.

http://www.stardock.com/products/desktopx/

The Yahoo! widget enigne is actually pretty light on mmory too, around 4MB for all the widgets I have up now (which is far more than the simple weather monitor).

See; https://webfiles.berkeley.edu:443/chris ... idgets.PNG

Also, I might add, Yahoo! has a WereWolf monitor widget (you should be able to figure out what it displays and does); useful for me the plan my rampages or just to get a quick late night snack of little lost gir...I mean 7/11 or AM/PM hops, yeah that's it.

[thinktank]

Yahoo Widgets is based on the original concept (Konfabulator).

IMHO Google Desktop is well worth it... turn off that useless windows search utility. Once it indexes (which can take hours), it's indexing is transparent and it's speed/accuracy has no competition. Just make sure you turn off the multi-computer search.

How do you turn it off? And why does it index even after you tell it to index NOTHING?

I checked out the yahoo widgets today. Neat, eben though some of their world-clocks were way off...

[bigtiger]

https://webfiles.berkeley.edu:443/chris ... idgets.PNG

A very cool desktop. Are you running XP or Linux? I cannot figure it out. It looks more like a Linux.

[christopher_wolf]

https://webfiles.berkeley.edu:443/chris ... idgets.PNG

A very cool desktop. Are you running XP or Linux? I cannot figure it out. It looks more like a Linux.

That screenshot came from Windows XP; some apps there should have given it away.

Re-shelled with the BBLean Blackbox port for Windows (I also use Blackbox and Fluxbox on my BSD and Linux installs), I did the Rocket Dock icons myself and have a bunch of other screenshots in that directory and one up as well.

[bigtiger]

Re-shelled with the BBLean Blackbox port for Windows (I also use Blackbox and Fluxbox on my BSD and Linux installs), I did the Rocket Dock icons myself and have a bunch of other screenshots in that directory and one up as well.

I am bought. Working on BBlean Blackbox now. How do you make the Mac-like Menu at the bottom?

Man, you are way like an artist. Is your background computer science or biology or art? You know way too much than ordinary people.

[christopher_wolf]

Working on BBlean Blackbox now. How do you make the Mac-like Menu at the bottom?

That is Rocket Dock (the history of docks go back all the way to RISC OS, the Newton's button bar, Palm's work area, and then NeXT's dock; that may have been the first time it was actually called a "dock," not entirely sure though); grab the Thinkpad themed icon pack I made for it here

As for the wallpaper you see, I made that myself and have a set of them here. Browse around and see what you like.

Man, you are way like an artist. Is your background computer science or biology or art? You know way too much than ordinary people.

LOL; thanks. Right now, mix of everything really in Bioengineering and Medicine. Check out my profile if you want.

[bigtiger]

Thank you very much. To save my time of searching cost, where should I put these Icons? I find that I like your dock menu.

you got a very good background. Just browsed through your website. You are very smart. (But I do not like the background of your personal site though- )

I do not have time working on the wallpaper yet (learning curve not so sharp, but it takes time. )