I had this silly idea a while back: since Windows98 supports setting a HTML file as a desktop background, why not use that to make desktop widgets?

So, here it is:

Github link: https://github.com/sdz-mods/Glass98
More photos: https://github.com/sdz-mods/Glass98/tree/main/images
A really short YT video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAK6-dE8_Zo

Prerequisites: Windows98 SE (did not test ME) with IE updated to IE6 SP1.

Currently implemented widgets:

System
CPU/RAM meters, CPU name and frequency, display adapter/mode, Windows version, and system uptime.

Disks
Used and free space for selected drives. Adapts automatically to missing drives and empty media.

Network
Selected network interfaces, transfer rates and totals, IP address, gateway, and hostname.

Performance
Scrolling graphs for CPU, RAM, network activity, and file read/write activity.

System Resources
Free SYSTEM, USER, and GDI resource pools.

Memory Details
Physical RAM, Windows paging capacity, collector virtual space, and largest free virtual block.

Battery
Charge level, AC/charging state, and driver-reported remaining runtime.

Clock
Digital clock with 12/24-hour modes and up to six fixed-offset world clocks.

Calendar
Month navigation, today highlighting, and dated notes.

Sticky Notes
Scrollable text notes and clickable checklists.

Timer
Countdown timer and stopwatch with pause, resume, reset, and an optional finish sound.

Event Countdown
Shows the number of days remaining until—or elapsed since—a selected date.

Volume
Master, Wave, CD, and MIDI volume/mute controls where supported.

Winamp
Track title, playback controls, and volume for compatible running Winamp instances.

Audio CD
Physical CD playback with previous/next track controls and wraparound, optional offline MusicBrainz titles, and editable local titles.

Quick Launch
Six labeled slots for programs, files, folders, or shortcuts.

Places
Four favorite folders and eight recent documents.

Removable Media
Media status, open-drive controls, and CD eject.

Picture Frame
Displays up to six local images with manual navigation or slideshow mode.

Desktop Controls
Wallpaper switching, screensaver controls, Windows Appearance schemes, and Glass98 themes.

Calculator
Arithmetic, unit conversion, and unsigned hexadecimal/decimal/binary conversion.

Character Map
Latin characters with click-to-copy support and a configurable font.

Daily Checklist
Up to 24 tasks, with check marks automatically resetting at local midnight.

Clipboard
Scrollable plain-text clipboard preview without clipboard history.

Network Tools
On-demand host/gateway ping and quick access to Network settings.

News
Rotating RSS/Atom headlines.

-All widgets share the same width (adjustable), can be moved anywhere on the screen and locked if desired. When moving, they snap to the screen edges and to other widgets. New added widgets are placed under existing widgets, if there's enough room. If not, they are placed on the next column.
-Separate positions and enabled widgets for each screen resolution. If a specific resolution doesn't yet have a layout defined, and you switch from a higher resolution, the widgets will be rearranged, and those that don't fit will be hidden. After that, that specific layout for that resolution can be configured as desired.
-built-in themes, user definable themes, themes per specific widget and themes generated based on the desktop background.
-widget manager for adding/removing/configuring widgets (click on the bottom right of the screen)

Regarding performance, this needs a decently fast CPU for a smooth experience (on an i7 4940MX CPU with Voodoo4 graphics @ 1920x1080 it is incredibly smooth). It can be used on slower systems (tested on a PII@300MHz), if transparency is disabled and not all widgets are enabled.

Disclaimer: since I don't enjoy HTML/CSS/JS that much and I also value my time, clankers were used.