Re: IBM Navigator for i: Disabling dashboard

Rob said:

Plugs to a web browser? Is that a thing? I've heard of plug in's to
fat clients like Eclipse.

It definitely is a thing. There is some confusion over terminology:

<http://colonelpanic.net/2010/08/browser-plugins-vs-extensions-the-difference/>
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plug-in_(computing)>

But absolutely, software that increases or enhances the capabilities
of browsers is very definitely a thing. Browsers are a kind of fat
client, very analogous to Eclipse, and are similarly extensible and
pluggable.

Aaron said:

Think more like Chrome extensions vs. Microsoft Sharepoint portal widgets.

I believe what Aaron is trying to say is (1) there is a marked
difference between Chrome extensions and SharePoint widgets; and (2)
what he has in mind for the community dashboard project is more like
Chrome extensions.

On Tue, Feb 7, 2017 at 5:16 PM, Nathan Andelin <nandelin@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I don't know what SharePoint Portal Widgets are. But I would suggest that
the entry-point to the vast majority of web applications is a URL (whether
you call the application an "extension" or "widget" or whatever).

So, I think one of us has missed Aaron's point(s). It could be me. But
it sounded to me as though Rob had already talked about a portal
widget model of what a new dashboard might be, and Aaron was trying to
contrast his vision with that. I believe Aaron's idea is more akin to
the dashboard playing the role of Eclipse or the browser, and then
additional utilities would be akin to, say, iSphere (to take an
example many folks here are probably familiar with).

To give more ideas about the scope and style of what I believe Aaron
is talking about:

<https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/extensions>
<https://marketplace.eclipse.org/>

It's true that some extensions feel small and frankly kind of widgety.
But some are rather ambitious, and not something that would work in
the portal model.

John Y.