MARCELOPersistent settings
12/24-hour modes, optional seconds, scale, opacity and theme choices persist through a native Rainmeter settings panel rather than source-file editing.
05 · Focused project · Shipped · Rainmeter + Web
MinimalClock
A small desktop utility I wanted for my own Windows setup that became an exercise in finishing a focused tool properly: restrained architecture, persistent settings, measurable performance, validation and release packaging.
FOCUSED / RELEASESHIPPED
Desktop runtimeRAINMETER
Clock CPU · seconds off0.0086%
Added working set~2.17–2.35 MB
Network measuresNONE
MEASURED / RELEASED
The design choice
Use the smallest runtime that solves the job.
The desktop version only needs local time, text rendering and a small settings surface. Rainmeter already provides those capabilities, so embedding a browser runtime or desktop framework would add memory use and complexity without improving the core job.
The project therefore ships as a native Rainmeter skin with no plugins or network measures. A separate dependency-free HTML/CSS/JavaScript implementation demonstrates the same visual idea in the browser without making the web runtime a dependency of the desktop clock.
Measured performance
“Lightweight” is measured rather than assumed.
Three 45-second scenarios were sampled on the same Windows development machine: Rainmeter baseline, MinimalClock with seconds hidden, and MinimalClock with seconds visible.
Rainmeter baseline CPU0.0029%
clock CPU · seconds off0.0086%
clock CPU · seconds on0.0287%
working set · baseline57.86 MB
working set · seconds off60.03 MB
working set · seconds on60.21 MB
added working set~2.17–2.35 MB ON TEST SYSTEM
Engineering surface
Small software can still be deliberate.
Performance validation
Repeatable PowerShell tooling measures CPU and memory overhead against a Rainmeter baseline instead of relying on subjective “feels lightweight” claims.
Release engineering
Windows GitHub Actions validates project structure and browser JavaScript, while the native release is packaged through Rainmeter's Skin Packager.
Scope discipline
No Electron, Node runtime, embedded WebView, background service or unnecessary network dependency is added to a utility whose job is simply to show time well.
Shipped utility
A tiny project that still has architecture, benchmarks, CI and a release path.
The point of MinimalClock is not complexity. It shows that even a one-purpose desktop tool can be finished with measurable non-functional requirements and a clean technical boundary.