You may remember it from the past: the Active Desktop of Windows. The desktop provided you with dynamic content, such as the weather forecast and the latest news.
The makers of Rainmeter offer similar functionality in 2021. With the program you provide Windows 10 with dynamic skins, which you can use to visualize practical matters. Think of memory usage, weather forecasts and battery status.
You can use fixed skins, but you can also compose your own skins. Compared to the aforementioned Active Desktop from days gone by, Rainmeter offers more functional skins. There are extensions to record sounds, create shortcuts to favorite apps and control the media player. The large amount of functions is also an immediate improvement of the program: prior to ‘installation’ of a skin it is not always clear which functions it has. The makers would do well to offer a library function with information per skin.
The community is very nice: here you can exchange skins with each other.
Product: Rainmeter, www.rainmeter.net
Price: free
Pros:
* skins customizable in detail
* skin sharing community
* compose your own skin
Cons:
* skin features not always clear