Umm, the desktop time is like 2 seconds late from the system time. It's a bug in Konfabulator. Time changed right before I took the screenshot.
I hate resource hungry desktop software/theme shit. Konfabulator isn't resource hungry at all, less than 10mb ram usage, depending on how many Widgets you have running. That's less than Winamps usage for gods sake. Only "system hungry crap", as you put it out, I have running is Konfabulator.
How come would it give you a heart attack? Artistic and simple isn't as good as flooding the desk with hundreds of icons? Looks good, doesn't hog resources. Works for me.
The most resource hungry stuff on there is the Windows theme poorly added using retro code, much like the rest of Windows. Right now there is software on your PC that was made for 95, but then dropped for 98. Just never removed. Which is why Windows XP is so bloadted (2000% bloated, I read on a webby, so not too sure if it is that bad), and why I run Windows XP To The Bone Edition. 200mb setup disc. About 350mb installed
Agreed konfab isn't too hard on the old ram, but I did notice that a lot of the widgets I used to run would take a chunk out of my proc >.< But I genearlly run nothing fancy. I think the most fancy thing I have on my whole system is the shadows under icons on my desktop.
As for winamp, v2 was and still is the best version. Much better back then, v5 is a slut :P But then if you get winamp v5 lite, it uses around the same as winamp v2, as it is just that. Much lighter on ye ol' system
Well, the thing is, my system can handle it I notice no difference in games nor 3DsMax/Photoshop if I have themes/Konfabulator enabled or not. Maybe it does make a big difference if you still dig up that dusty 486 box from the closet I prefer have littlebit eyecandy and little performance lost over to having ugly looking no-theme desk with useless resource gain from it.
I think Winamp 5 is great as-is. I just use classic skins, not those modern resource hogging ones. Winamp 3 is THE pos.
Classic theme (barebone w2k style) uses 2MB less memory than the "bloated one". (mem usage 353 vs 355 here) Displaying few bitmaps don't really use the processor either so I don't see the problem really Menus and and such may use the cpu a bit more but then again that's why the cpu is there. And it doesn't matter if youre gaming.
3rd party theme programs and such are different thing though.
350mb... I use that much if I have a lot of unnormal stuff open (like right now I have a lot of development programs open and am using 320mb). My normal useage is only ~210mb o_O
Which is stupid to me, as when I used the old box at home with 256mb I used all sorts of fancy themes and such. Now I have 1gb of ram, and an alround better system. I cut it back to minimal... I make no sense at times.
Running litestep here with a very personally customized theme. 6 desktops with different backgrounds. No icons. Right-click on the desktop for the start menu, as you can see in Desktop2.jpg. Desktop3.jpg shows the task bar hidden (ALT+T hides and shows the task bar). Desktop4.jpg shows a small command line called using WIN+Z. The command line can have pre-defined entries that execute certain programs or tasks. ("!psp" calls photoshop, "!cmx" calls cmx viewer, "!lfss2" runs lfs, etc etc). It is very efficient in terms of getting what you need on the screen as fast as possible. For very commonly used programs such as firefox WIN+B (B for Browser) calls it or WIN+I calls IRC. The backgrounds except the one in Desktop1.jpg are my own works.
I used to enjoy Nascar 2003 (also the game that got me into sim, and made me get my wheel). But my CD got trashed in a CD Wallet. Blasted wallet I smite thee.