Widgets

Widgets Calling
By Rob Griffiths, rgriffiths@macworld.com
As was reported at http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/07/07/privacy/index.php?lsrc=mcweek-0714 Apple quietly included a Widget update mechanism in the OS X 10.4.7 update. It's pretty much a non-issue, save for two complaints. The first is that it's not user controllable. Most every other program I own that check for updates do so through a mechanism I can disable. With the Dashboard update tool, I have to use it, unless I modify the system by moving a file, as detailed at the end of the news story.
The update mechanism should be controllable through the already-present Widgets widget -- this is the widget that lets you delete third-party widgets, as well as jump to Apple's site to download other third-party widgets. It would be most logical to have a Check for Updates button here, as well as a setting on the back of the widget for the update feature -- a pop-up to set the updates to automatic, manual, or disabled. (If not on the Widgets widget, then how about in the Dashboard & Expose System Preferences panel?)
The second thing that irked me is that Apple didn't tell us about it. The rationale for confirming that a third-party widget is both current and what you think it is is a good one -- widgets can do many things, since they're really miniature programs. So I actually admire the fact that Apple is stepping in to try to make sure that the widgets I have really are the widgets I think I have. However, adding such a feature without telling anyone raises suspicions; instead of thinking about the benefits, people are more likely to speculate on what ill use the feature could be put to.
Imagine now, if instead of letting this new feature be discovered by those who monitor all their outbound Internet connections, Apple had been proactive, and included an explanation in the update release notes. I believe the response would have been positive, not negative -- especially since the data being sent via this feature contains nothing more than the name of each widget and their version numbers.
Since the data being sent about my widget usage is completely innocuous and contains no personally identifiable information, I'm quite fine with this new feature. I just wish Apple would learn from mistakes like this January's brouhaha over the iTunes Mini Store and announce these new features ahead of time, rather than letting a firestorm erupt when they're discovered. I think it'd be easier on Apple and easier on the users. Most important of all, it's the right thing to do.