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SmallTime 2

Nerderity Report

Next release of SmallTime is being delayed because the version compatibility system is still not finished. This happened due to an illnes, which prevented me from working during holidays.
Since there were some big changes, there was no compatibilty system between SmallTime 1.0 and 1.8. series. However, the upcoming compatibility system will be more robust and I can guarantee that all SmallTime releases from(and including) 1.8.2 will always have backward compatibility with future releases.
There may be some limitations to this to stop SmallTime from bloating too much, but there will always be a way to update SmallTime to the latest version without losing your data. I am not sure, what kind of limitations will I impose but it will probably be some time constraint, or range of versions. I am looking for at least the last 5 file modifications. And honestly I don’t think more file format revisions will be needed until SmallTime will be feature-complete.
Hopefully everything will be ready by the end of this month.
It looks like this:
A floating main window was a feature planned for SmallTime 1.8.2, but it was not pushed(rushed) into the release since both the UI and the application backend had some missing prerequisities to implement this. This will however change in the upcoming SmallTime 1.8.3. Since this release, SmallTime 2 (currently at version 1.8.3 in development) will be more feature-rich than the original release of SmallTime.
There is still much polishing to be done on this feature, and it may still have some rough edges at release, but it is very important for users who either don’t want the classic window snapped to the edge of their screen or have some other app snapped to the edge. For example, I have SmallTime snapped to the left edge of the screen and a music player snapped to the right side.
A next blog post will arrive shortly, explaining other improvements in SmallTime and why they are important for future releases. A release date will also be announced.
SmallTime 1.8.2 has just been released! Main focus for this version was to fix most of the bugs present in previous beta versions and fix all of the remaining performance issues. After this release a new phase of adding customisation options will begin. I hope that this release will be worth downloading for you and remember, if you find and bugs, please contact me at lubosmudrak93@gmail.com
You can download SmallTime 1.8.2 below:
Smalltime is a simple task tracker that lets you have a constant look-out for all the important tasks ahead of you. Create a task, set up a reminder and don’t worry about missing it!
Version 1.8.2 features many bugfixes and a more comfortable user experience!
New app icon:
Confirmation dialogue when deleting a task:
Dynamic size of task description field:
As was mentioned earlier, SmallTime had undergone a testing process to make note of bugs and inconsistencies, which are a dealbreaker for a full public release. Some of these can be fixed very quickly, some needed a deep dive into the program’s structure to get rid of them.
But at first, lest mention a feature that will make downloading next version of SmallTime worth it even if you haven’t But first, let’s mention a feature that will make downloading the next version of SmallTime worth it even if you haven’t run into any of the bugs listed below. There will be a confirmation dialogue that will ask you if you really want to delete a task. This will eliminate accidental task deletion that could possibly happen because of the minimalistic design of the application. An image is shown below.
And now back to the bugs…
User input bugs plagued a beta version of SmallTime (currently version 1.8.2 in development) for a long time, but all major issues with user input should be fixed for good now. However, there are still more issues that need solving, and I will try to get everything ready before the end of this release cycle. If I will not be able to fix everything, there will be one more beta release.
Right now, there is a list of already known issues in the current open beta version of SmallTime (1.8.1)
Thanks to the technology I use (Rust programming language), the source of crashes was not hard to identify. There are more sources of possible crashes present, but they have a low priority because their occurrence is hypothetical in most cases. They will however get taken care of in the next release to improve the stability and reliability of SmallTime even in edge cases like partial corruption of data on your hard-drive.
This month I spent several hours on a little side-project to use in my portfolio to showcase the level and style of my work. It will also be used to test feasability of using frameworks and libraries (for example, graphical user interfaces) for the next projects. Calc New Roman is not officially released yet, and only the source code is available right now.
However, if you like, you can find the source code and build Calc New Roman yourself by following the link at the
Unfortunately, to make this release according to schedule, the testing process was rushed and some features had to be cut from this release, the reason being material and physical preparation for possible war. The Army of Russian Federation invaded Ukraine, and almost two months ago there were bombs and rockets falling 200 km (140 miles) from the borders of the Slovak Republic, where I live. Fortunately, brave Ukrainian soldiers pushed Russian forces far enough for me to live in peace and continue with my work.
Target for 1.8.1 open beta release was to provide the same set of features as the old versions of SmallTime. This release will be available from the SmallTime page on this website, but it will not be visible on the main page. There are still small issues to be taken care of in the next release.
There is a detailed testing process planned for the upcoming version of SmallTime. The main focus will be to fix all little bugs and inconsistencies, after which there will be a full public release (version 1.8.2). With some luck, I could even bring in some of the new customisation options.
Open beta version of SmallTime. Optimised for much greater customisability in future updates.
In previous blog posts, I mentioned that the new version of Smalltime will be more demanding on your CPU in exchange for the potential for much better customisation options. This will not be true in the SmallTime 1.8.1 release, where the display system was optimised so it will use less than 0.1% of your CPU performance when running. I took the time to do this optimization because I believe I should not waste my customer’s disk space or their other hardware resources.
Another big improvement that will make the old and new SmallTime equal in the amount of features is bringing back the settings menu, where you can set the corner of your screen to which SmallTime will be attached. If time permits, I may finish the option to have SmallTime run in a classic floating window like any other program, but first I will have to setup a system for generating an alternate GUI for adding tasks and managing settings since these buttons are currently in the window’s header.
SmallTime 1.8.1 will be released in April 2022 as a live public beta release. I am excited to bring you a better optimised, good-looking product that will help keep track of your tasks, plans, and achievements that matter to you.
According to the original plan, SmallTime 1.8.0 should have been released as a working beta version without any major issues for home usage. However, due to the appearance of serious issues with user input, this public beta release will happen at the end of the next development cycle. As of now, few people have gotten a private alpha build of SmallTime 2 (currently 1.8.0). The app itself can be considered as operational but there are several serious known issues:
Crashes are the most serious issue that has not been solved because user input bugs, which I was fixing were much deeper than anticipated. However, I believe that stability issues caused by the bug fix will be resolved in next release, which is planned on April of 2022. Until then, new Smalltime will need some more time closed in our /lab.
If you want to participate in the internal testing process of SmallTime 2.0, please send me an e-mail to lubosmudrak93@gmail.com
Task editor for new version of SmallTime (currently 1.7.0) is almost fully operational, which means I am finally using it instead of the old version. There are no user interface changes to be seen except new darker theme, but under the hood, the task editor has a big potential. New features will be easy to add and there is much more to come.
However, there are still some bugs that make user experience a bit uncomfortable so theese need to be fixed first. Last thing missing is implementing a system for sound notification when your task starts. Also note, that this version of user interface is a work in progress and is not a representation of a final product.
There will hopefully be an open beta at the end of this year to find out if there are any bugs that were not caught in process of internal testing. After that a new set of features for everyone and a set of customisation options for future premium users will be implemented. Those features will be added troughout next year or two to make SmallTime better, more flexible tool to jumpstart your life and to remind you of things you need to get done.
For the past few months I spent a LOT of time with providing multiplatform capabilities to the new version of Smalltime (currently 1.7.0). Unfortunately, technology that I use is not yet mature and well optimised for operating systems based on Linux and cooperation with library developers will be needed to fix this, since Smalltime uses quite exotic approach to window manipulation. This is the reason why I am abandoning simultaneous development for multiple operating systems until a public version for Windows is released. Then I will gradualy start to provide Linux versions of this software. This will speed up the development by A LOT.
Anyway, the time has come to get back to the drawing board. I am working on creating the rest of graphical user interface. Window with selected task information is completed and right now I am working on an interface for adding and editing tasks. Technical design of a new task editor will be improved to be less prone to bugs and inconsistencies.
Regarding the design of user interface, it´s design is pretty basic and will need some tweaks, for example some texts are not properly centered, buttons could use some beautyfication and an old, low resolution icon set from Smalltime 1.0 is still being used. This will be addressed shortly after a beta release.