Desktop Widgets vs GKrellM

Desktop Widgets is a marketplace of desktop mini-apps for trading, research, monitoring, and automation. Its site describes widgets being installed in one click and running natively across Windows, macOS, and Linux, while also promoting a Windows runtime and saying macOS and Linux are coming soon. Traders, operators, researchers, and developers are named as intended users who can combine mini-apps into an always-on workstation. Developers can make TypeScript widgets with @desktopwidgets/sdk, using Claude, GPT, or another model; the listed build and publishing tools include an MCP server, REST API, and CLI. Uploads are pending review, and automatic publication through signing is planned for Phase 3. The runtime is described as sandboxed by default, with gate-enforced capabilities. The Free Trial costs 0.00 USD for 7 days and includes all 31 widgets and themes and customization, with three device activations and no credit card required. Professional is $34.99, paid once purchase; Enterprise is $149.99, paid once purchase. Both paid plans include one year of updates, then optional paid maintenance renewals for further updates.

GKrellM is a free system-monitoring program that stacks multiple readings in one interface and supports themes matching a window manager, GTK or another theme. Its built-in monitors cover CPU, processes, disks, network interfaces, memory, swap, filesystems, uptime and internet connections. When supported by the system’s hardware and software, temperature, fan and voltage monitors can show configurable warnings and alarms. A mailbox monitor checks mbox, maildir, MH, POP3 and IMAP mailboxes, and can launch a mail reader or mail-checking program. GKrellM can also run as a client and collect data from a gkrellmd server on a remote machine. Both the program and server support plugins for specialized monitors. Builds or compilation options are listed for Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X, NetBSD, OpenBSD and Windows. GKrellM requires GTK, GDK and GLib; the server requires GLib and can be installed without GTK or X libraries. It is released under the GNU General Public License at no cost.