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Submission details

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Create "Pin Program to Desktop" functionality

Submitted by Dunross on February 3, 2009 to Usability

Some programs like Windows Live Messenger, Calculator, Media Player etc. are often opened in small windows, which look like and behave like gadgets.
It would be nice to have ability to pin them to desktop ("make them gadgets"), so that they would be still accessible using "reveal gadgets" feature instead of having them on the program bar.

Add ability to pin programs to desktop and make them behave like gadgets.

Low

Low

Not fixed

Discussion (4 comments)

Dunross wrote on February 3, 2009, 4:31pm

Changed problem description.

xombie wrote on February 3, 2009, 5:03pm

Not a bad idea, except gadgets are programmed in web languages, and those programs are not.

Dunross wrote on February 3, 2009, 6:17pm

I know, but in my point of view - why should we distinguish the two types?:-)

I personnaly miss an ability to write gadgets using clasic programming languages like C# and using technologies like WPF. Gadgets based just on HTML and javascript are "boring" AND - they form a completely "standalone" technology, which I find the main reason why they aren't much popular in developer community.

Therefore, this submission may also mean: "Add ability to create gadgets using technologies like MS .NET and WPF, as it will stimulate developers interest in the feature".

tino wrote on February 3, 2009, 11:05pm

@Dunross: You can use Silverlight for gadgets. There is at least one Xbox 360 Gamertag gadget build on Silverlight. So it is almost WPF.

I don't get the point of the suggestion: So instead just to click the taskbar button for the specific app you want to first pin it to the desktop and than access it via the "Show Desktop" button? I don't see a benefit here. Just more confusion and incompatibilities.

Bodprobe wrote on January 23, 2010, 1:47am

I think the OP has a good suggestion. From a user standpoint, it would be nice to have something like a "pin to desktop" option when right-clicking on the program window in a similar vein to the "pin this program to taskbar" functionality. The idea here is that the application would just stay there on the desktop without taking up any real estate on the taskbar, hence acting like a gadget and improving aesthetic appeal of the overall view of the screen.

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