For the longest time I wasn’t a fan of desktop widgets. Namely because I never saw my desktop since it was always covered with applications. That changed when I discovered Hocus Focus, a neat utility that automagically hides windows that have been inactive for however long you specify. I was skeptical at first, but now I’m a believer.

With a new-found clean desktop, I started exploring widgets again. Windows users have tools such as Rainmeter which is awesome. OSX users have long relied on GeekTool which is nice, but a little long in the tooth and not always easy to get “just right”.

Enter Übersicht! Like Rainmeter and GeekTool, Übersicht lets you add widgets to your desktop. Unlike the other tools, however, Übersicht lets you build HTML5 and CoffeeScript (or plain JavaScript) widgets. With this ability, it’s relatively easy to create great looking widgets tailored exactly how you want.

You can get widgets here. I’ve also created and submitted my first widget which is a process bar that is meant to compliment Coby Chapple’s nice Memory Bar Widget.