Kaelri
LS: Enigma in Rainmeter
Another minor update to my now-infamous desktop. (Please see that post, and the accompanying Lifehacker articles here and here, for more details. And thanks again. :)
I've taken my Samurize config and completely reproduced it in Rainmeter. In fact, as you can see, I've added a few tidbits. The only thing I have yet to find is a plugin for iTunes song information. (It's been two years, people! Two years! There must be a way!) So I've added a temporary media player widget to Google Desktop while I work on uncovering Rainmeter's secrets.
If you want to use my theme on this new platform, the good news is that this is far, far easier to set up. Just download the ZIP and extract the folder inside to your "C:\Program Files\Rainmeter\Skins". All you have to do then is add the configs one by one and drag them into place. And to edit the borders for a different resolution, all you have to do is tweak three little numbers - instructions included.
I basically went from knowing nothing about Rainmeter to completing this theme in 24 hours, which should tell you something about its capabilities. It's harder to build something from scratch than it is in Samurize, because there's no GUI editor; every element has to be hand-coded. And Samurize, frankly, has a lot more out-of-the-box capability than Rainmeter, which hasn't had an update in years and has neither a website nor any developer support; it's really been adopted by the modding community and warped beyond recognition.
Rainmeter's real strength is that it's modular. You're not restricted to a single cohesive theme; you can mix and match virtually whatever you want, and drag it around whereever you want. As for editing, the learning curve pays off; because it doesn't rely on a rigid editor application, Rainmeter enables creativity and customization one level deeper than Samurize.
Rainmeter's only limitation is its neglect. Its potential relies on plugins, many of which have yet to be written. Maybe I can use my tiny little bully pulpit here to encourage some more talented developers around here to make some. :)
Wallpaper in this shot is purebred Aqua. You can find it all over the place, but here's a link. I use it on my "clean" Yod'm desktop, for sandbox-type tasks like this.
LS: Enigma in Rainmeter
Another minor update to my now-infamous desktop. (Please see that post, and the accompanying Lifehacker articles here and here, for more details. And thanks again. :)
I've taken my Samurize config and completely reproduced it in Rainmeter. In fact, as you can see, I've added a few tidbits. The only thing I have yet to find is a plugin for iTunes song information. (It's been two years, people! Two years! There must be a way!) So I've added a temporary media player widget to Google Desktop while I work on uncovering Rainmeter's secrets.
If you want to use my theme on this new platform, the good news is that this is far, far easier to set up. Just download the ZIP and extract the folder inside to your "C:\Program Files\Rainmeter\Skins". All you have to do then is add the configs one by one and drag them into place. And to edit the borders for a different resolution, all you have to do is tweak three little numbers - instructions included.
I basically went from knowing nothing about Rainmeter to completing this theme in 24 hours, which should tell you something about its capabilities. It's harder to build something from scratch than it is in Samurize, because there's no GUI editor; every element has to be hand-coded. And Samurize, frankly, has a lot more out-of-the-box capability than Rainmeter, which hasn't had an update in years and has neither a website nor any developer support; it's really been adopted by the modding community and warped beyond recognition.
Rainmeter's real strength is that it's modular. You're not restricted to a single cohesive theme; you can mix and match virtually whatever you want, and drag it around whereever you want. As for editing, the learning curve pays off; because it doesn't rely on a rigid editor application, Rainmeter enables creativity and customization one level deeper than Samurize.
Rainmeter's only limitation is its neglect. Its potential relies on plugins, many of which have yet to be written. Maybe I can use my tiny little bully pulpit here to encourage some more talented developers around here to make some. :)
Wallpaper in this shot is purebred Aqua. You can find it all over the place, but here's a link. I use it on my "clean" Yod'm desktop, for sandbox-type tasks like this.