About four years ago, I used a program called Rainmeter. The program is a manager for add-ons that accessorize desktops. It allows users to fully customize their computer desktop to their liking.

Users can easily download other users add-ons through places like DeviantArt and Reddit. Or they can code their own plugins and create an entirely personalized one-of-a-kind desktop.

Most people share their creations and submit their skin, which is the entire desktop, to the sub-Reddit and the individual plugins to Deviant Art. Four years ago, I did not realize its potential and saw it as a handicap slowing down my computer.

Now that I have a computer with a solid state drive, Rainmeter is a lot easier to run. So I started using it again. I love it so much I change my skin almost every week, but for the first time I have made my own skin. I used a lot of other people’s plugins, but I still had to do my own coding.

I customized things like font size, colors, and positioning, and  I also made my own basic plugin after reading several guides to learn how to do this. The skin is pretty simple and I posted an image with a guide on Reddit.

Now that I am more familiar with the programming of the plugins, I know I can make better ones, and I most certainly will. Instead of asking for help now, I can give the help to the “noobs”, like the mid-level skin makers did for me.

Even though my skin will probably never be the most popular skin, it’s nice to know that my contributions have added to the giant pool of creativity that is the Rainmeter sub-Reddit.