[via vowe]

If you are a geek (who’s not a geek here?), you need to try this tool called Kapsules ;-) It is a scripting engine that lets you run small desktop widgets. It works on Windows 2000, XP and 2003, It needs the Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 and Microsoft Scripting 5.6 in order to run. The current version is the 0.9.4.5. A lot of widgets are available here (date and time, weather, post-it, news, system info, launchers, Email, music and audio, etc.). Kapsules is now a freeware (not Open Source), not completely mature, but stable enough!

Kapsules is desktop widget engine for Microsoft Windows.

What’s a widget you say? A widget is like a miniature application which rests on your desktop. Widgets can do all sorts of things. A widget could show you the current weather conditions, display news from your favorite website, or even check your email for you.

Kapsules makes use of the Microsoft Active Scripting Engine, which is a part of Windows. Using this built-in scripting engine, Kapsules can allow widgets to be written in a multitude of scripting languages, provided that a user has a language’s add-on engine installed. That being said, widgets can make use of a certain languages strengths, weaknesses, and special features. Kapsules does not limit a developer to what language they can use!

It is worth noting that Kapsules was very much inspired by Konfabulator, a similar – yet very different application for the Apple Macintosh OSX platform. Kapsules ceases its similarities with Konfabulator beyond its general purpose and ideology.

I have installed it and I am using now two widgets: KapWeather and MrStickies: