The Shortcut - Internet Explorer

The Shortcut - Internet Explorer is a desktop widget that can be integrated into the dock of Yahoo! Widget Engine to provide immediate access to Internet Explorer. This can become an alternative to launching the web browser from the quick launch menu, desktop, Start Menu or Screen.

Users should be aware that the Yahoo! Widget Engine project has been discontinued for a while. However, it's still possible to download the software framework to deploy widgets optimized for it. These featherlight tools are no longer available for download at the developer's website, but they can still be obtained from Softpedia.

Installing The Shortcut - Internet Explorer is a matter of opening the downloaded file and confirming the action, provided that Yahoo! Widget Engine is already installed. It becomes accessible from its dock, showing a tiny frame with the IE logo right in the middle of it.

Clicking on it should fire up an instance of Internet Explorer. If this doesn't work, then the settings panel of the widget can be visited to change the IE's full path if it was installed in a location different than the one offered at setup by default.

Technically, users can configure options to run any other application than IE, since the gadget doesn't actually recognize the web browser but only its executable file. However, the logo cannot be replaced.

Yahoo! Widget Engine comes with a set of options of its own, available for all widgets. The window can be asked to stay on top or remain below the windows of all active programs, and its transparency can be tweaked. Moreover, it can be instructed to ignore any mouse events and prevent dragging.