SimpleTimer
New version 1.3.1 (October 2010) is out!
SimpleTimer is a little application that allows you to create programmable timers, similarly to what you would do with your kitchen timer. Setting up a simple "kitchen timer" involves just 4 clicks: create a new timer from File -> New Timer, write the reminder text, set the minutes, and click Start! Once the timer expires, it can execute a few actions, such as:
- print an alert message on the screen,
- open a URL on your browser,
- play a sound (AIFF, MP3, SND, and other formats).
What else do you want?
An individual timer-window. Click on it for a bigger image.
Well, can I save my timers on the Desktop?
Matter of fact... Yes you can! It's possible to save your timers on the Desktop (or anywhere, really) and then double click them from the Finder: they will automatically open and start counting right away. You can also set up additional repetitions and save your usual duties and URLs. These extra features don't get in the way, but they can easily be enabled from the same timer window with a couple more clicks.
The dock menu. Click on it for a bigger image.
Control-Click on the dock to see a quick summary in the dock menu (pictured above), or open the Summary window to see live updates for all your timers in one window (pictured below).
The summary window. Click on it for a bigger image.
You could create reminders for other people too: employees, friends, or whoever! Provided they have SimpleTimer installed on their computers, you can set up a reminder, save it, and email it as an attachment. Once they receive it and double click it, the reminder will automatically start.
How many timers can I create?
An infinite number. It's the no-limits limit. Shoot an email if you think that's not enough.
Compatibility
SimpleTimer is a simple app, and therefore can work on every Mac OS X installation out there. Obviously Mac OS X 10.6 is supported (duh), but in addition SimpleTimer 1.3.x extended support down to Mac OS X 10.1 "Puma" -- that's the very first "usable" Mac OS X that came out of Cupertino! You may think it's unusual to extend backward compatibility, but not here at Cubelogic: we like all felines, from Pumas to Snow Leopards and beyond.
in case you forgot, SimpleTimer is a Universal Binary since version 1.2. It works flawlessly with Intel Macs and older PPC processors (G3, G4).
How big small is this SimpleTimer app?
Less than half a Meg! 429 KB to be exact. It's just a timer after all. We hate wasting space.
Can SimpleTimer replace cron?
Absolutely not! SimpleTimer does not aim to replace advanced system scheduling utilities like cron in any way whatsoever.
Downloads
History
Older versions (obsolete and unsupported)
Version 1.3, Mac OS X universal binary (.dmg, 213 KB) - Requires Mac OS X 10.1 or higher.
Version 1.2, Mac OS X universal binary (.dmg, 348 KB) - Requires Mac OS X 10.4 or higher.
Version 1.1.0b1, Mac OS X PPC binary (.dmg, 276 KB) - Requires Mac OS X 10.2 or higher.
Version 1.0.1, Mac OS X PPC binary (.dmg, 208 KB) - This is a Jaguar specific build. Use this build if version 1.0 is not working correctly under Mac OS X 10.2.
Version 1.0, Mac OS X PPC binary (.dmg, 204 KB) - Requires Mac OS X 10.2 or higher.
Version 0.4, Mac OS X PPC binary (.dmg, 169983 bytes) - Requires Mac OS X 10.2 or higher
Version 0.3, Mac OS X PPC binary (.tar.gz, 143102 bytes) - Requires Mac OS X 10.1 or higher
Nightly builds
You may also access some old nightly builds (Mac OS X 10.2 or higher) of the application. (Please be aware that these were unstable development snapshots.)
Source code
Version 1.3.1, Objective-C source code with Xcode project - Requires Mac OS X 10.4 or higher
Version 1.3, Objective-C source code with Xcode project - Requires Mac OS X 10.4 or higher
Version 1.2, Objective-C source code with Xcode project (.zip, 428 KB) - Requires Mac OS X 10.4 or higher
Version 1.1.0b1, Objective-C source code with Xcode project (tarball, 276 KB) - Requires Mac OS X 10.2 or higher
Version 1.0, Objective-C source code with Xcode project (tarball, 156 KB) - Requires Mac OS X 10.2 or higher
Version 0.4, Objective-C source code with Xcode project (.tar.gz, 180 KB) - Requires Mac OS X 10.2 or higher
Version 0.3, Objective-C source code with ProjectBuilder project (.tar.gz, 109870 bytes) - Requires Mac OS X 10.1 or higher
For the latest source code, access our public GitHub repository or our SVN repository.
Installation
Open the disk image and just drag the SimpleTimer application wherever you want.
List of Features
- One window for every timer.
- Set up the entire behavior of the timer just like you would do with a "real" kitchen timer.
- Open as many timers as you desire.
- Each timer can have its own individual messages, URLs, sound.
- Save your frequent reminder messages and URLs.
- Able to read any standard sound format (MP3, AIFF, SND, NeXT, etc.).
- Ability to program cyclic timers, with a custom repeat cycle (eventually after a specified date).
- Save timers on the disk, and double click them from the Desktop (or from anywhere on the Finder)
- Save timer in autostart mode: once opened, it will start automatically.
- Once timers are set, you may close their windows and forget them: they will run in the backround, while you do your work.
- Summary panel that shows the status of every open timer, with countdown, reminder name, actions that will be performed, repeat settings.
- Quickly glance at the status of all your timers with a single Control-click on the dock icon. (Isn't it annoying when you have to bring an application window visible to the front just to see the status of one window?)
- Since you can save a timer as an independent file on your disk, you can create reminders for other people too: employees, friends, and others (provided they have SimpleTimer installed on their computers).
- Low CPU usage: SimpleTimer doesn't keep your CPU busy, and uses a small amount of memory.
- Being a native Cocoa application, SimpleTimer blends nicely into the traditional "Aqua" user experience.
Porting
SimpleTimer is developed and tested on Mac OS X, using classes of the Cocoa/OpenStep framework. SimpleTimer should be easily portable to GNU/Linux platforms using the GNUstep framework.
Freedom
This is free software (software libero) under the GNU GPL license: read the GNU philosophy for more informations. Please consider a small donation to show your support to independent programming and free software.
Donations and Support
Please consider a donation if you like SimpleTimer. A donation is a nice sign of support for independent programming and free software. A typical amount is $5, but ultimately it's your choice. If you want to use PayPal, send your donation to this email address: e@cubelogic.org, or click on this link for an easy to use page. If you want to use regular mail, please contact us first.
What you get with a donation:
- lifetime support, free updates and update notifications for this application (if you want them);
- possibly, some random gifts :)
- a nice feeling for supporting an independent software house and free software. (Free as in freedom, not as in beer.)
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your donation, please contact us for more information.
