Yahoo! grabs Konfabulator

Yahoo! has acquired software "widget" engine Konfabulator in a move to spur third-party developers to devise new applications for the internet giant's services.

Konfabulator is a JavaScript runtime engine that lets people run very small applications, or widgets, on either Windows or Macintosh systems. Konfabulator is owned by parent company Pixoria, a Palo Alto, California-based start-up founded in 2003.

Yahoo! plans to run the widgets via XML feeds. The applications can perform any of a range of functions, from informing people of their Wi-Fi signal strength to dishing up the local weather or providing a battery monitor, according to a notice posted on Konfabulator's website.

"When we first thought of Konfabulator, one of the key pieces was accessing internet content. Well guess what Yahoo! has boatloads of?" Konfabulator said on its site. "And what's really great is that they're starting to open it up to everyone in a format that's useable outside the traditional browser, as XML feeds."

According to Konfabulator, the acquisition also marks the formal launch of Yahoo!'s Developer Network.

"Since we're kick-starting Yahoo!'s Developer Network, this means our current Konfabulator community will become the founding members of Yahoo!'s Developer community," according to a posting on Konfabulator's site.

A Yahoo! representative said that the company had a developer network prior to its Pixoria acquisition but that with this deal, Yahoo! plans to formalise its relationship with developers.

Konfabulator, which had charged rates from $19.95 for a single user licence to $2,500 for a worldwide site licence, said that its service will now be free and that it will refund purchases of its version 2.0 or later.

Yahoo!'s acquisition comes as it is looking for ways to get outside developers more involved with writing applications for its content and putting greater pressure on its archrival Google. Both companies, for example, started sharing their respective code for their mapping service with third-party developers this summer.

Apple, which also offers a widgets dashboard, got into a heated debate with Konfabulator last summer over the concept and its use.

According to a Yahoo! representative, the deal closed on Tuesday. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Dawn Kawamoto writes for CNET News.com