Widgets are not Spacely Sprockets
The term widget leaves a lot of people confused, even though they probably use widgets everyday at the office. Do you know what a widget is? It’s not a spacely sprocket, or a thing-a-ma-jig, or a whatcha-ma-call-it. A widget these days is a sophisticated piece of software, usually flash, that performs a single function easily. Did you call up your computer’s calculator today to do some quick math? Welcome to the most recognizable widget in the world.
Of course there are many kinds of widgets, some of which live on your computer’s hard drive, and others that rely on streaming information from the Internet. And there are more everyday, as people love to develop fun widgets and share them with their friends. Another classic example is a widget from an online weather site, that embeds in your homepage and lets you know your current temperatures.