This is extremely fun. Jeff Lindsay has created Topframe, and writes:
Anybody that knows how to mess around with HTML can now mess around with their desktop computing experience. Topframe is an open source tool that lets you customize your desktop screen using HTML/CSS/JavaScript.
The default screen after installing has some hardcore weirdweb energy.
But it’s super easy to customize. It’s just an index.html file at ~/.topframe/index.html. It auto-refreshes when you save the file.
My first thought was to fill my desktop with everything Dave likes from his RSS feed. But I tried dropping that JavaScript in and it didn’t work. I couldn’t debug it because there is no console to look at or anything. Oh well. I imagine practical use-cases include building little widgets with live data you want to keep an eye on at all times.
The other hiccup I had is that it messes with taking window screenshots. You know how you can go Command + Shift + 4 then Space on macOS to select just one window to screenshot? You can’t do that with this running because it’s always the top window. Hence “top frame” (get it?). I think it would be more fun to be “bottom frame” in that it would act more like a background instead of being always on top.
Apparently, Windows could do this a long time ago, proving (yet again) that there is nothing new under the sun.
It reminds me of geektool :)
There’s a great app called Plash that does this well. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/plash/id1494023538?mt=12
Übersicht does this quite well. Lot’s of good widgets already and easy to write new ones using a similar stack.
Plus one to this (Ubersicht), I’ve been using it for years, and the newer stack (old one was cofeescript), is great.
If I recall correctly the reason “active desktop” was removed from Windows was security vulnerabilities and no desire to invest in resolving them, so without a fully functional browser running this (one that has some good security smarts) it is probably a good thing that its functionality is limited.
“Apparently… a long time ago.”
Be right back I have to take out my dentures.