Is Dashboard dead?

Sad Professor · 27-07-2012 1:23pm #1

It's still in Moutain Lion, though many people are wondering why, with Ars Technica predicting its likely demise if Apple doesn't act soon. It seems most developers have abandoned it. Just this morning I learned that the developer of iStat Pro won't be updating it for Mountain Lion and is instead encouraging people to use iStat menus instead. (iStat Pro still mostly works on 10.8, but the Processes section is broken. There's a fix here for anyone who wants to keep using it.)

I still use Dashboard, mostly for the Apple widgets: Dictionary, Weather, Calculator and Unit Convertor. But most of my Dashboard needs can be filled elsewhere, either via dedicated apps or Alfred, etc. And now that iStat Pro has been abandoned I'm thinking it might be time I did the same.

So does anyone still use Dashboard anymore? And if so, for what? Does it have a future? Apple made some slight changes to Dashboard in 10.8, suggesting they haven't abandoned it just yet, but is there any need for it?

brav · 27-07-2012 1:50pm

I still use dashboard everyday.
I have a few timer widgets I created, as well as a few others I threw together in Dashcode.

I am definitely in the minority though, I just find it quick and easy to switch to dashboard to check these

Dont be at yourself · 27-07-2012 1:56pm

Still the quickest way to get a look at a calendar, isn't it?

I also use it for the calculator, even though I know you can just stick it in Spotlight.

Sad Professor · 27-07-2012 2:09pm

Dont be at yourself wrote: »

Still the quickest way to get a look at a calendar, isn't it?

Fantastical is far better for this. Sits in the menu and can be activated with a shortcut. Great for adding calendar entries as well. I always found Dashboard too slow for things like this. Like the iTunes widget - you could have switched to iTunes in the time it takes to respond.

Dont be at yourself · 27-07-2012 2:32pm

Sad Professor wrote: »

Fantastical is far better for this. Sits in the menu and can be activated with a shortcut. Great for adding calendar entries as well. I always found Dashboard too slow for things like this. Like the iTunes widget - you could have switched to iTunes in the time it takes to respond.

Yeah, responsiveness is a massive issue for all the widgets. Thanks for the tip about Fantastical -- although I don't like clogging up the menu bar with that sort of thing.

The one feature I wish Apple would borrow from Windows: clicking the date/time to pull up a mini browsable calendar.

Cabaal · 27-07-2012 3:22pm

I like the idea of the dashboard but I find the widgets just don't load very quickly so that puts me off,

squonk · 27-07-2012 3:27pm

I haven't really used it in years. Back when I used an MBP regularly I had a widget made up that displayed Met Eireann's rainfall radar. I found I used it less and less as my MBP got upgraded with newer OSs and became a bit slower. Loading all those widgets took time and after a while I stopped using it, even when I moved onto more capable hardware too.

silvine · 27-07-2012 3:34pm

Well this is news to me. I use it regularly. I use the simplenote widget, the currency converter , the iTunes lyrics widget , the calendar and isat. And if it's dead how cOme mountain lion streamlines the installation of widgets?

Kbeg3 · 27-07-2012 4:50pm

I use it for notes, converter, dictionary and the calculator.

Josey Wales · 27-07-2012 9:06pm

I have only ever used it for quick currency conversion. Very handy but never found anything else particularly useful. I would echo other comments that say the widgets are too slow to load. Just better off going to the real application, i.e. iTunes or the real website like IMDB.