Dashboard (Mac OS)
Dashboard is an application for Apple's Mac OS X operating systems, used for hosting mini-applications known as widgets. First introduced in Tiger, it is a semi-transparent layer that is invisible to the user unless activated by clicking its icon in the Dock. Alternatively, the user can invoke Dashboard by moving the cursor into a preassigned hot corner, by pressing a hot key, or mouse button, any of which can be set to the user's preference.
When Dashboard is activated, the user's desktop is dimmed and widgets appear in the foreground. Like application windows, they can be moved around, rearranged, deleted, and recreated (so that more than one of the same Widget is open at the same time, possibly with different settings). New widgets can be opened, via an icon bar on the bottom of the layer, by dragging a widget icon out into the layer. After loading, the widget is ready for use.
Starting with OS X 10.7 "Lion", the Dashboard can be configured as a space, accessed by swiping four fingers to the right.
Read more about Dashboard (Mac OS): Creation of Widgets, Widget Functions and Capabilities, Graphics, Comparison With Konfabulator, Included Widgets, Widgets On IOS