How dare konfabulator copy apple's "expose'" feature with "Konspose'"! or use Apple's patented "transparency". Apple makes the tools, konfabulator uses them. Being critical of them now that they are actually making use of the tools themselves seems a bit on the destructive side.

I'm not advocating their idea theft, as I don't use konfabulator-- it looks pretty, but the functionality sucks. same with opt-tab. it was a mighty fine idea, but too many programs hijack the ability to opt-tab, making it damn near useless. expose works everywhere opt-tab would, and does a fine job. however, I do wonder how long dashboard has been in the works as opposed to konspose. A vague curiosity, because I don't foresee myself using either one.

Anyway, I am on this soap box because every article the past 3 days has had some sort of jab at apple for their konfabulator theft.

I'll show it to my friends to show off my pretty apple-y goodness and it's GUI.. but I won't be using it to increase my productivity.

Okay, end rant.

Tiger does look nice. I'll be buying.

Or is Konfabulator another one of SJobs companies, there must be something more to it than Apple merely copying or stealing other companies ideas. What gives? Apple is supposedly the innovator not the plagiarizer.

Now Arlo Rose is crying foul about Dashboard saying it was copycatted from Konfabulator.

Funny thing is, I've been using and administering Macs for 14 plus years now. I've NEVER even heard of Konfabulator.

He must have a niche of the niche.

Konfabulator's a fairly recent development, so I'm not surprised you haven't heard of it.

That said, though, Konfabulator's essentially a "rip-off" of Mac desk accessories (anyone -- other than Tiger here -- old enough to remember those?) or NeXT/OpenStep dockapps. All the same, Arlo runs around claiming to have "invented" widgets, and even that no similar programs existed when Konfabulator was launched -- despite the fact a similar Windows program did indeed exist before Konfab.

But whining about how Apple wronged you does get the sympathy vote from some of the Mac market.

Perry Clarke
The Managementâ„¢



Joined: 26 Aug 2002
Posts: 650
Location: near Gilroy, CA
Posted: Jun 28, 2004 3:35PM Post subject: The Sincerest Form Of Flattery

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It seems that Apple thinks Konfabulator is pretty cool! Just to clear the air, Apple has not bought Konfabulator, it hasn't hired the developers, it hasn't even talked to us. They just seem to like our product. A lot!

We already knew that many individuals at the company liked Konfabulator (for various reasons but mostly because it was something that differentiated the platform in a very Mac-like way). Now we know that the corporation likes it ... or something that looks just like it.

So what does this mean for Konfabulator? Well, for starters, Dashboard wont be available for at least 9 months (perhaps 12) so your options are limited to the original for quite a while. Secondly, people seem a little unsure that they only want to see or interact with their Widgets in a special Expos�¹ mode. Some Widgets (iTunes controllers spring to mind) should be on the screen all the time. Personally, I would have liked to see an enhancement to Expos�¹ that would let me nominate apps (like Address book or System Preferences) that were only visible in a special mode. That would have been a logical evolution of the functionality.

Konfabulator is already way ahead of Dashboard in terms of functionality (from what I've seen in the demo) and over the next year it'll get a whole lot better. Make sure to tell us what you want to see.

For Widget users things are looking pretty rosy. They can have something that's better than Dashboard now and they can rest assured that Widgets will be around for some time to come.

Remember, Konfabulator is Whatever you want it to be, anything else is just a sincere imitation.
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Konfabulator Kreator

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Looks like Mr. Jobs is giving the green light to cloning photocopying if you will.

Well, how about bringing back the Apple Compatibles, and start gaining some market share.

However, to put up those Microsoft start your photocopiers banners, a very foolish stunt, in front of thousands of dedicated Apple developers. It could be your bread and butter that Apple (under SJobs megalomania) photocopies next time around.