NeoStarr Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 http://rainmeter.net/RainCMS/ I've just heard that this is a pretty nifty tool. Apparently it's like a more customizable version of the Gadgets included in Windows 7 and I think Vista. Just lets you fill up your desktop with a whole bunch of useful and/or useless information. The kind of stuff people have done tends to turn out hit or miss, ranging from the overcrowded to the perfectly organized, from the highly informative to the utterly absurd. Here are some random examples... Going through the old desktop thread, I didn't see too many people using this. I think I'm gonna give it a shot soon, was just wondering if anyone had any good or bad experiences with it and what kind of setups you have if you do use it. And favourite skins are always cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 I've used it in the past, but when I'm using my PC it means I'm not staring at my desktop. So yeah it makes pretty screenshots but in the long run it's pretty useful. It's also mighty fiddly to get it set up like in the Star Craft stuff. Most of what you can make will look like the water flame one. Just the default set up arranged about a bit. Generally it means making new icons, using a very specific wall paper, and putting in a fair bit of work to line it all up looking nice. It's losing usability over improved aesthetics. But should you get something nice made do share. anywho: http://rainmeter.deviantart.com/ http://ca.lifehacker.com/tag/rainmeter/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockyRan Posted March 9, 2011 Report Share Posted March 9, 2011 I got Rainmeter installed myself and I have to say it's really nifty. But like Dean said, I pretty much don't use it at all seeing as I'm actually using the computer when I sit down in front of it. I got the Enigma skin (one of the ones showcased in the Rainmeter site itself) against a low-lit wood pattern background and it looks oh-so-classy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pirandello Posted March 9, 2011 Report Share Posted March 9, 2011 I've seen and read of people using it, but trying to set it up myself is complicated as frick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faiblesse Des Sens Posted March 9, 2011 Report Share Posted March 9, 2011 It's never been worth the effort in the end. You get it customized just right and then go "oh... well im barely going to use this. at least it looks pretty whenever i happen to see my desktop" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoStarr Posted March 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2011 Oh man, I love this thing so far. Been playing around with one of the themes from Dean's Lifehacker link and this is what I've got so far... The Charlie Sheen thing I made myself. Based it off some Chuck Norris quotes plugin and just changed the picture and the quotes. The rest is mostly lifted, but I want to change a bunch of the icons (already started with the recycle bin). It is complicated but it's rather rewarding. Eventually I'd like to gradually transform this into something totally original and tailored to my needs. I can't say I don't see my desktop a whole lot; my monitor is kind of the centerpiece of this room and the computer is always on regardless of whether or not I'm using it, so I'm always looking for new things that make people say "Holy shit, what did your computer just do?" I think I'm going to enjoy this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 http://lifehacker.com/#!5788337/five-best-desktop-customization-tools If you're wanting to try similar but different tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted August 10, 2011 Report Share Posted August 10, 2011 http://forums.eidosgames.com/showthread.php?t=119077 Looks pretty nice. Not quite sure if I want to deal with Rainmeter n co again. Bonus I guess is my PC isn't used much for work anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enervation Posted August 10, 2011 Report Share Posted August 10, 2011 I think a big problem with Rainmeter is that it requires a lot of screen space to work with. My monitor (1280x1024) is at least several years old, so the real estate that I can bounce around on screen is primo. Not sure if I should bounce back into it either (not to mention my previous experiences with Rainmeter have all ended with failure). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Posted August 10, 2011 Report Share Posted August 10, 2011 So much time and system resources used to pretty up (clutter up) a portion of your computer you hardly look at. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enervation Posted August 10, 2011 Report Share Posted August 10, 2011 So much time and system resources used to pretty up (clutter up) a portion of your computer you hardly look at. Yea. The only real way I could see a use for Rainmeter is if I had an absurdly large resolution where I'd have plenty of real estate for my web browser while still having open desktop space on the sides to use for Rainmeter.. That's about the only way to get it to be useful since otherwise you'd have to be minimizing whatever you're doing to look at your prettied-up desktop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faiblesse Des Sens Posted August 10, 2011 Report Share Posted August 10, 2011 I have two monitors and still don't bother. Then again my foobar looks great so I have no problem basically dedicating my entire second monitor to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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