widgets - Some Assembly Required

Posts tagged with "widgets"

And the widgets start rolling in...

By chaals. Saturday, 5. August 2006, 12:55:12

Well, it has taken some people a while to get into widgets. After all, just knowing that writing

<widget>
  <widgetname>My hello world widget</widgetname>
  <width>100</width>
  <height>100</height>
</widget>

and

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>Hi</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <h1 style="background:#dff">Hi!</h1>
  </body>
</html>

is easy. Put them in the same directory as config.xml and index.html, open the config.xml in Opera 9.01 (or 9 if you haven't upgraded yet), and you have made a widget.

Put them in a zip file together, register at http://widgets.opera.com and upload your widget, remember to tick the checkbox that includes it in the Widget World Cup, and you're a published widget developer. Come by our stand to tell us your username and widget name by 1800 today and you are in the running for the assembly prizes. Win and you get first pick between the

Nintendo DS Lite with Opera on it
Nokia N90 phone with Opera on it
Nokia N770 tablet. Oh, yes, with Opera on it

But the hard part seems to be thinking of a widget that is a bit more interesting than that, to win one of those prizes. Maybe people are thinking they need to re-write the office suite. But there aren't that many people at Assembly - don't be frightened to write something small, simple and useful or entertaining.

The good news is that it isn't hard. Whether (like me) you are terrified of javascript, and just want to write something simple in SVG or HTML, or you expect a DOM API to your breakfast and write scripts to wash your dishes, you just put together something that would work on a web page.

The fastest developers I saw sat down at one of the computers on the stand for half an hour and got their entries completed. Although once your widget is registered, you can update it with your improved version until midnight tonight...

So keep them coming folks.

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Splat....

By chaals. Saturday, 5. August 2006, 03:52:52

assembly, sleep, widgets

It's 6.30 am on Saturday morning. I've been here for most of the time since 10 am Thursday. I slept here for 5 hours today, and I have been out for a walk or a drink a couple of times, for an hour or so.

Someone came to our stand about half an hour ago, sat on one of the seats, and slapped his head on the table to sleep. Apparently it wasn't that comfortable, as he left about 20 minutes later.

Finns, like most Scandinavians, seem to have a habit of spitting on the ground when they are smoking. Like lots of Australian kids I gre up with the habit of going around barefoot in warm weather (or even almost warm weather...). These two things are not nicely compatible unfortunately. Unless you like really really disgusting feet.

There has been a steady stream of people until about 4am or so, but then it seems most people are either sitting working (like Velmu and I are - thanks Velmu for hanging out with us!) or sleeping - now most of the people walking around are in that dazed stage of waiting until sleep knocks them out.

I have done some useful stuff. As well as giving a talk with Gorm, I uploaded a new widget (a ten minute countdown that I use for talks, part of which was written by Doug Schepers), I have talked to people about making widgets, shown off the Nintendo browser and some other toys we have here, got some of my regular work done, and even spoken to my Mum and to my Dad (about this time last night...)

Wow! There is a machine that cleans the floor. Not before time really - it is the first time I have seen it passing. I was wondering about that.

Well, time to find coffee. At least the shops here sell some vaguely healthy food, and stay open all night to do it. Just a couple more of the very quietest hours until we get relieved....

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On the way

By chaals. Wednesday, 2. August 2006, 10:49:23

assembly, team, widgets, mini ...

Well we are at the airport ready to leave. Loaded with phones featuring Opera, we put the new Assembly06 version of mini onto a couple. We have a Nintendo DS to show, a Nokia 770, and I´m writing this on a Windows mobile.

We also have a bonus - an extra member of the team. Gautum is another member of the web applications group, bought in to ensure you get plenty of widget expertise available.

So now we have planes to catch -see you in Helsinki.

PS if you want the special Assembly06 version of Opera mini on your phone, point its WAP client to http://mini.opera.com/asm06

Thanks Balder for putting it together.

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Winning with widgets (or without)

By chaals. Tuesday, 1. August 2006, 17:24:24

assembly, nintendo, widgets, swag ...

Well, we are sponsors for several competitions at the assembly, so we're putting up various prizes.

The big one is for the Browser demo competition. This year, Opera is the default browser - if you use another one, we ask for an explanation of what didn't work in Opera that you needed. Even the most useful report will win a small thank you prize. The best demo, on the other hand, wins a big cash prize. And because we're into open standards we have put up a special standards prize. The highest-ranked demo that runs in Opera without using plugins or java (there is an exception for audio only) will receive the standards prize of 500€. Even better, we will probably throw in a t-shirt! So, if you can make do with CSS, XHTML, XML, HTML, some of the cool HTML 5 features like canvas and Audio(), serious SVG support, fast Javascript, WML, Ajax, widgets, and a few other acronyms, and top the list, you can take off both prizes - well over 1000€ (and that's not even counting the T-shirt

).

Speaking of Widgets, we're running a seperate widget competition for Assembly '06. It works like this: You write a widget, and submit it for the Widget World Cup. That puts it in the running with the others in that competition, so you could win another 3000€ there. But if you come past the Opera stand and register your widget as an Assembly'06 widget, it will also be entered into the local competition. Since we had a hard time deciding what order to make the prizes, the winner picks from the prize pool, second place chooses between what's left, which goes to the third placed widget.

Oh, what are the prizes in the widget competition? Well, they include a Nokia N90 telephone (with Opera installed). And a Nintendo DS Lite (with Opera installed).

If you're desperate for Opera swag, these are both good ways to get some. We'll run a couple of little compos too - just stuff for fun.

Or you could win the ultimate prize - a job at Opera, where you get a salary, cool workmates, various kinds of loot, and maybe get paid to go to a demoparty or two (this will be my second this year

Of course I have to work while I am there, so it might be a bit different). OK, strictly speaking that isn't a compo, but since you have to apply for it and convince us that you're the right kind of person to make a better browser, it is sort of like one...

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Partying amongst network cables

By gerdur. Monday, 31. July 2006, 08:25:17

nintendo, opera, widgets, assembly

In Iceland, my home country, people usually hit the road the first weekend of August and go camping at one of the many outdoor festivals taking place that weekend. Thinking back I see before me tons of people lying in the mud doing some heavy partying. This year I am embarking on a slightly different adventure taking place in Finland. I don't think there will be much mud this time but maybe the mud is just replaced by network cables...

Hmmm, maybe time to get serious! Hello everyone, my name is Gerdur and I got asked to join four of my co-workers from Opera (Balder, Chaals, Christer, and Gorm) to Assembly '06. I have never been there before but I happily accepted the offer.

This blog was created so you guys could get some updates about what is happening around the Opera crew at Assembly. Expect me to give the not-so-serious newcomer account of the event and maybe some of the others can fill in the gaps.

So what is Opera doing at Assembly? Meeting the ones of you there, giving you a chance to try out our cool products, and maybe even trying to recruit you. Now picture me standing there with a finger pointed at you shouting "We want you!". If that isn't enough we are also arranging the Widget competition and sponsoring the Browser demo competition.

So start working on that cool widget of yours and check back regularly for updates to see what is happening and hot. Even better, come and visit our stand! Who knows, we might have something cool like Opera on the Nintendo Ds to show you. And if you are nice to us we might even let you take it for a test drive;)

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