One thing that I keep hoping for with the Mac OS X Dashboard that never materializes is an "every man's executive decision making tool." In other words, a tool similar in concept to a customizable web page (think iGoogle) where widgets are able to connect with various resources both on your computer and externally to display information and results.

When Dashboard was announced years ago, I hoped that Apple would lead the way in using it for just this kind of thing. In other words, a place where I can fit various widgets that would display information that I want, whether it be a direct display or an aggregated display of many things.

An example of a direct display would be displaying something like a widget created by your bank to display your account balances and alerts/messages. An aggregated one would be akin to the Mint service that would show all your financial data. The point here is that it would be my choice for how I set up my Dashboard.

However, I feel that Apple is allowing the Dashboard to languish. What it needs is some of the Apple-inspired guidance. Apple should be building more than just a weather or contacts widget. The company needs to show how these things can be built and integrated into the larger picture. (Thanks to J. Scott Anderson for the inspiration for today's column.)

-- Dennis Sellers