Rainmeter

Looking for the best desktop customization platform? Try Rainmeter.

Through Rainmeter, you can enhance your Windows computer with skins: handy, compact applets which float freely on your desktop, much like Windows Sidebar gadgets, or dashboard widgets for the Mac.

The thing that I love about Rainmeter is that you can populate your desktop with all the gadgets and widgets you want, and at same time keep your desktop look nice and clean. Plus Rainmeter skins are written in a simple, well-designed language that's easy to learn for anyone who's willing to put in the effort. Skins call upon measures, a set of powerful built-in modules that do all the heavy lifting, and create interactive meters to display that information however you decide.