Google Gadgets

This weekend I researched Google Gadgets, while looking for an alternative web widget framework to the one I used for The Curious Dreamer widget I created. I have been educating myself on these semi-autonomous chunks of code that can be dropped in other sites. I want to be able to offer the creation of such things in my freelance developer business. I looked at the Microsoft version, but it is, as may be naturally expected, sort of tangled up with Windows and Microsoft development tools. At least the expectation is that you will use a Windows development system and do things the Microsoft way. There is nothing wrong with that, but I'm more comfortable in a Unix style environment, using vi as my editor and a combination of shell scripts and commands with Nautilus. Also, some research revealed that Google Gadgets can be repurposed as Microsoft widgets. I delved into Google Gadgets with the thought that I would try to get a hello gadget working and start to understand the framework. Fortunately, my experience with Prototype was useful in my understanding of how Javascript is used in Google Gadgets. I started late Sunday morning, and my five o'clock I had a working prototype that duplicates the functionality of The Curious Dreamer web widget. After I complete my current client project this week, I will flesh out the gadget I've created and test it. Google's framework is a pleasure to use and is really well designed and practical. I'm going to be able to finish this gadget and I'm keeping notes on some others that I think people will find to be useful. I want to be able to approach site owners and offer a service to create such work for others.