I’ve been hoping for a universal widget standard for some time now, continue to believe that it’s the only way to rationalize the multiple widget frameworks that are available and only serve to confuse the marketplace.

Netvibes has been working on their UWA for a while, we (NewsGator) are using it with success and see it as a highly viable offering in the broader market.

Netvibes Universal Widget API (UWA) enables developers to quickly build Universal Widgets in just a few lines of code. Universal Widgets are automatically distributed across the newly redesigned Netvibes Ecosystem, the Web’s largest community-driven directory of widgets and RSS feeds. Netvibes now offers its users more of the best widgets from top publishers and continues to work with content providers to help them rapidly promote and distribute their widgets. These strategic relationships enable Netvibes users to enjoy even more high quality widgets, as well as rate and share them with their friends.

Tags: Netvibes, widgets, NewsGator