   Windows Programming....Desktop
  I want to make a little program that has an animated sprite sitting on the desktop.  Are there any considerations for speed I should worry about, specifically regarding interference with other applications (ie. making it flawlessly in the background)?   
  As far as I know, it sounds fine; Windows should take care of clipping and whatnot just as if you were in windowed mode.  The most accessible example of drawing straight to the desktop off the top of my head right now is a Winamp visualization that draws to your desktop; I've been meaning to look into how to do this, but I haven't gotten the time lately..   ;  GetDC(NULL); to get a handle on the whole screen...   