ArXClock

We're always puzzled when we encounter programs that needlessly complicate what should be very simple tasks. That's the case with ArXClock, a basic alarm clock that performs the same functions as numerous other programs, but does so in a way requires extra effort on the part of the user. It works, if you want to bother with it, but we're not sure why you would when there are so many similar programs that are easier to use.

ArXClock has a plain interface that makes it easy to configure alarms. Alarms can be set to count down a certain number of seconds, minutes, or hours or to go off once at a certain time, and users can also create alarms that go off once a minute, hour, day, week, month, or year. Each alarm can show a message, play a sound, and run a command.

This is all pretty straightforward until you try to configure a sound or song to go with your alarm. In most alarm programs, this is simply a matter of browsing to the sound file that you want to use. With ArXClock, however, users must download and install DirectSound filters, because the program uses the Qt Phonon library for music playback. If you don't already know what that means, don't expect any explanation, as ArXClock doesn't come with any documentation. Overall, we think that ArXClock is probably a fine -- if very basic -- alarm clock program for users who are comfortable with the needed extra steps. For everyone else, though, we recommend skipping ArXClock and choosing a program that's ready to use out of the box.