Google has announced the official release of Desktop Gadgets for Linux and is distributing the source code under the open-source Apache software license. Although there are still bugs and the implementation is not yet entirely complete, it works well enough for day-to-day use.

Desktop Gadgets is one of the primary features of the Google Desktop suite, which also includes a search mechanism. Gadgets are small, interactive, web-oriented applets that the user can place on the desktop or in a sidebar. Google publishes a complete Gadgets API that enables third-party software developers to create components for the platform. It also supports Google’s web-based widgets.