Forum Moderators: open
I do have a question. What in heavens name is a 'widget'. Maybe it's just my lack of knowledge of the english language that is causing the problem, but...
People in here dont want to be specific about items they sell, so they use the general term widget to make it easier to describe what they are talking about.
Hope this clears it up for you!
I had a widget once. It was yellow widget.
Haven't you heard of a Weegee Board.
A widget is the part that moves ALL BY ITSELF! ;)
Alternative if you get bored with widgets - gizmos
Which is why so many web sites sell their own brand of widgets now.
Yes, quite...
btw - I thought someone around here with more adspend than sense was going to place an adword for it. ;)
Chiyo, do you happen to know if the history of using widgets as placeholder predates your MBA school?
In any case that clearly dmonstrates where the benefit of using widgtes lies: it's for education.
I know when I joined WebmasterWorld, Jan Rencke welcomed me with the words: Welcome to WebmasterWorld, the University of search engine optimization.
So in a way we seem to continue an honourable tradition here.
It's a term that was derived from the early part of the last century.
It actually originated in the fashion industry. In the 19th century, at a time when a suit was general attire for men, they also wore vests (US), or waistcoats (Britain) underneath the jacket - especially toward the latter part of that century. This 3 piece suit continued to be worn into the 20th century but, by about the 1930s, this style began to be seen as too formal. Thus many suits were made 'wiyj' (pronounced 'weedj') - This was a suit that just comprised the jacket and pants. During the World War II era a vest or waistcoat was considered superfluous and way too extravagant for the times, so suits were regularly worn with just the jacket and pants, and described as 'wiyj'd' (pronounced 'weejeted'). The word went thru a major transformation during the aftermath of the war when the term 'weedjet' took on a more general meaning, describing 'anything in general'. It was a slang term that just found it's way into everyday life. Today's incarnation is 'widget'.
Down Under here, it has a relative called a 'herkamizer', but that's another story...
2odd... ;)
I always thought gizmos to be high tech widgets.
The earliest known appearance of the widget word seems to be in a 1924 play by George Kaufman in which it is used in exactly the same sense as it is used today - as a hypothetical manufactured article. Kaufman was a great humorist and wrote several Marx brothers scripts including Animal Crackers and A Night At the Opera. I should think he invented the word for the occasion, it's the sort of thing he would do, but of course we cannot be sure.
1. Is Widget the most used word (minus stop words!) on WebmasterWorld?
1a) or is widget a stop word? :)
2. Who has the honor of being the first member to use the term in WebmasterWorld?
I dont care much for widgets, but my fave tellie show for a while was Gidget... (I may be testing the longetivity of members with this one..)
And if I'm not mistaken, he wore such a 'wiyj'd' suit to the opening of his play ;)
2odd...
I would say a gizmo is a widget that is a bit of a gadget...
In Thailand, Wichit (pronounced more or less just like widget) is quite a common name. One of the main roads in Phuket Island is Wichit Songkran Road.
Widget stems from the inventor Charles H. Widge....
He doesn't show in a Google search so now you've invented him what you gonna do with him :)
The difference of widgets and gizmos is that gizmos have no practical use, but where in fact invented with a purpose.
Not according to any dictionary I looked in.
The difference of widgets and gizmos is that gizmos have no practical use, but where in fact invented with a purpose.
Sinner_G, you got me confused here.
Lets take a practical example :
I just invented garlic flavored dental floss. Would that be a widget or a gizmo?
What interesting things you can find when you do searches in that database ;)
I just invented garlic flavored dental floss. Would that be a widget or a gizmo?
I think we have a category error here - that would just be useless. ;)
He doesn't show in a Google search
Well, many of the people here won't believe it, but you can exist without being googlable. The proof you can see on the site Great Inventors of their Time [sinner_g0.tripod.com]. I would not dare to invent it!
I just invented garlic flavored dental floss. Would that be a widget or a gizmo?
Easy. It has an use, although it is not a practical one, so it is a gizmo.
Sinner
I just invented garlic flavored dental floss. Would that be a widget or a gizmo?
Naw, that would be a marketing tool. Free Samples of said dental floss should enhance your fresh-breath product line.
Kind of like a spyware enhanced virus checker. <grin>
~Dian
The proof you can see on the site Great Inventors of their Time. I would not dare to invent it!
I think you meant "The spoof you can see on...."
