Conky 1.7.1 has several new features, some of which will be highlighted here in brief:

Using Lua to enhance top output
- Lua scripting support
- Image drawing via Imlib2
- Built in support for APC UPS daemon monitoring
- Several new variables such as:
- $combine: places variables next to each other, in a column-like manner
${combine ${head /proc/cpuinfo 2} - ${head /proc/meminfo 1}}
- $eval: evaluates the output of any variables as per Conky's TEXT interpretation
${eval ${exec echo '${color #ff0000}lol!${color}'}}lol!
- $combine: places variables next to each other, in a column-like manner

Example of $cpugauge
- Gauge widgets
Conky 1.7.1 awaits your hacking.
Full list of changes is as follows:[]
2009-05-31 * Fix hostname resolution for mpd_host * Made sure that no X11 stuff is in the binary with --disable-X11 2009-05-19 * Added inotify support to reload the config when modified automatically on systems that support it * Added inotify support for reloading Lua scripts automagically 2009-05-17 * Added support for the Lua programming language * Added support for rending images by way of Imlib2 * Patch to fix rounding error with CPU values (thanks Filipe) * Added support for execbar without X 2009-05-16 * Added another builtin config that is used when compiled with --disable-X11 2009-05-13 * Fix segfault when there is no config available 2009-05-12 * Make sure if_gw isn't checked twice 2009-05-11 * Added arguments to hwmon for value precalculation 2009-05-10 * Added support for APC UPS daemon monitoring * Fixed hwmon for kernel 2.6.29 * Fixed removing comments 2009-05-09 * Allow the use of '#' for comments within text area (can be escaped with '\#') 2009-05-08 * Only include disp when needed * Made sure update_uname works without X11 2009-05-07 * Fix occasional cpubar segfaults * Added top_name_width config option 2009-05-05 * Added some completely pointless OpenMP optimizations(?) 2009-05-03 * Added Sony VAIO fanspeed info (thanks Yeon-Hyeong) 2009-05-01 * Added diskio_avg_samples patch (thanks Yeon-Hyeong) * Fixed $texeci regression 2009-04-30 * Added $combine, a var that places 2 other vars next to each other, even if they have a output of multiple lines. This also makes the moving of RSS-itemes with $goto (see change from 2009-04-19) no longer necessary. 2009-04-28 * Various XMMS2 updates (thanks Lassi) * Make ALSA mixers available on Linux, and added $if_mixer_mute (thanks 2009-04-19 * Make it possible to place spaces in front of RSS-items as a workaround for the problem that $goto only moves the first RSS-item. This is only a workaround and should be replaced by a permanent fix that makes $goto move all RSS-items ! 2009-04-13 * Fix broken compilation without X11 2009-04-09 * Added default_bar/graph/gauge_size config options (thanks wire64 for the idea) 2009-03-24 * Added eval text object to realise double parsing 2009-03-15 * Added gauge widget patch, sf.net id #2676128 (thanks Aner)