KDE Countdown Timer

Since breaking away from GTK, one of the features of Xfce that is missed is the countdown timer panel applet. The user interface is thoughtfully designed as a vertical progress meter much like a classic mercury thermometer. The timer does one thing only — count down from a starting time. Such timers are useful as a reminder to perform a task when the task is a one-time event and unsuitable for traditional task reminders or calendar tools.

KDE 5 comes with a similar countdown timer panel widget that functionally is the same. In KDE 5.22 the timer is somewhat difficult to see. The interface is improved in 5.27, but the timer is digital and requires excessive horizontal space on the panel.

There is a KDE “toy” that has existed since the KDE 3.5 days called KTeaTime. That timer is functionally the same although the target user is somebody steeping different flavors of hot tea. The timer is easy to configure to perform the same as the KDE widget and Xfce timers. The KTeaTime timer uses only the traditional icon width of space on the panel. Much like the Xfce timer, the panel icon provides real-time visual feedback of the remaining time.

The only caveat is the popup message is not easily configured. Popup reminders are always about XYZ “is now ready,” where XYZ is presumed to be the name of a tea.

Posted: June 14, 2023 Category: Usability Tagged: KDE

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