The Spaceborne Windows Desktop

Your desktop is a utility, but that doesn’t mean it can’t also be something that inspires you. Flickr user De Mango agrees and put together this stunning desktop with a fictional space scene, tiny ships streaking past in the background, application icons at the bottom of the screen, and the time, date and system stats hovering in space.

The best part is that none of the widgets or icons are terribly out of place, and when it’s time to get to work, they’re not distracting. Want the same look for your Windows desktop? Here’s what you’ll need:

• The wallpaper from Wallbase
• The Rainmeter system management and configuration utility for Windows
• The Encoded skin for Rainmeter to get the date and weather
• The Enigma suite for Rainmeter for the system stats on the right side of the screen
• The Google bar for Rainmeter for the search bar in the upper right
• StarDock’s ObjectDock to replace the Windows taskbar
• The Token icon set for the dock at the bottom

If nothing else, the wallpaper is worth downloading on its own, but the whole desktop is easy to configure and set up. Want to give it a shot, but not sure how to get started with Rainmeter? We have a great guide to getting started on Rainmeter that can help you out, or you can drop by De Mango’s Flickr page to ask your questions.

If you’re a Mac user, you can definitely get the same look with GeekTool and our guide to using it. Linux user? You can get much of the same with Conky for the desktop widgets and Docky for the dock, if your favourite flavour of Linux doesn’t have a dock already.

Space_1 [Flickr]