Yahoo! has been on a bit of a shopping spree lately. First they aquire Flickr, then pick up blo.gs. Now they have purchased Konfabulator. This predecessor to Apple’s Dashboard performs many of the same type of functions, enabling small widgets to run on the desktop.

The deal, finalized late last week for an undisclosed price, gives Yahoo access to a toolbox of mini-applications — known as widgets — that have built a cult following since Palo Alto-based Konfabulator first introduced them for Apple Computer Inc.’s Macintosh in 2002.

Not only does the Yahoo! deal give confabulator loads of content to use in its widgets, it has also made the program a free download.