Have you noticed that every app nowadays tries to do everything? My weather app has a news feed. My alarm app has a social network attached to it. It’s too much noise.
I built XClock because I was tired of “Super Apps.”
The Unix Philosophy
There is a coding philosophy from the 1970s called the Unix Philosophy. It basically says: “Do one thing and do it well.”
I wanted XClock to be the opposite of a Swiss Army Knife. I just wanted a knife that cuts really well. That’s why there are no ads popping up over the interface, and no “sign up for our newsletter” modals blocking the buttons.
The Cognitive Load of “Settings”
When you open a complex app, your brain has to make decisions. “Where is the button?” “What does this setting do?” This uses up “Cognitive Load”—basically your brain’s battery power.
That’s why the [Countdown Timer] on this site has no complex menus. You type the number, you hit start. That’s it. It saves your brain power for the actual work you need to do.
Privacy Matters
A lot of free clock apps track your location or sell your data. Because XClock runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript, your data stays on your device. I don’t want to know when you set your alarm. That’s your business.
Sometimes the best tool is the one that gets out of your way.