Yahoo left holding the bag..
Microsoft anououncing that it will soon be supporting gadgets begs the question: Did Yahoo have any idea that Microsoft was about to get into the mini applet business?
On September 1st, the future of widgets and gadgets seemed all but settled. Developers would go with Konfabulator. After all, it was free. Sure, users would have visit Yahoo and download Konfabulator first but it would be a free download.
Stardock's strategy was one of providing an alternative: Gadgets. Gadgets don't require an additional download. Therefore, developers had full ownership up their creations. Stardock vs.Yahoo? Not a fair fight.
Microsoft's announcement changed all that. Now it's Stardock + Microsoft vs. Yahoo. The dynamics have changed. What's the point of developing for Konfabulator? Macintosh support? At a certain point, it's easier to just make Dashboard widgets for the Mac version and gadgets for the PC.
The only people we know are definite winners are the developers of Konfabulator who sold out just before the ship went under water. Whatever value Konfabulator had on September 1st when its future looked bright changed remarkably when Microsoft announced Microsoft Gadgets. The battle is no longer for the hearts and minds of end users but rather for widget and gadget developers. What are the odds that Konfabulator is going to support Avalon on Windows Vista? Nill I would guess.
In a recent article, Konfabulator's lead developer Arlo Rose was quoted as saying "We wish the Stardock guys the best of luck, because we know that they’re in the same business, and suddenly ours is free," Rose said.
One has to wonder what Mr. Rose's thoughts are now. Microsoft wishes the Yahoo guys the best of luck because they know that they're in the same business and now suddenly, theirs is free and part of the operating system. What percentage of users are going to be willing to download additional run-time files to use a widget when gadgets simply work natively?