Windows Sidebar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia is a widget engine for Microsoft Gadgets, which is anchored to the side of the desktop. The Sidebar is included with Windows Vista and is available on Windows Server 2008 as an optional component. Sidebar gadgets can perform various tasks, such as displaying the time and date and showing the CPU usage. Several gadgets ship with Vista, however anyone can develop gadgets.The Sidebar contains mini-applications or Gadgets which are based on a combination of Script and HTML. They may be used to display information such as the system time and Internet-powered features such as RSS feeds, and to control external applications such as Windows Media Player. Gadgets can run "docked" in the sidebar or they can "float" anywhere on the desktop. It is also possible to run multiple instances of a gadget simultaneously.