Rainmeter is a free program (GPLv2) which allows the user to display utility information concerning their system (memory available, processor speed, etc.) utilizing various skins available from the community to display on the desktop.
After a long hiatus w/ the development of Rainmeter, the wheels seem to be turning once again in favor of interest. This particular version of Rainmeter is the last version before the extended period of no production, and unfortunately it does have some issues w/ WINE that need to be resolved.