One of the strengths of Linux is the vast number of small, niche utilities that are made available under an open source license.
One of the most basic utilities supplied with any operating system is a clock utility. The clock typically resides in the taskbar /menubar, showing the current system time. Nothing very exciting there.
In this article we pick the finest terminal-based clocks. Most of them offer a TUI, with the remaining few running from the command-line. They are all small, well-crafted, unobtrusive utilities that are released under an open source license.
Hopefully, there will be something of interest for anyone who wants more functionality offered by the standard clock featured in desktop environments. Here’s our verdict captured in a legendary LinuxLinks-style ratings chart.
Let’s explore the 11 clock utilities at hand. For each title we have compiled its own portal page, providing a screenshot of the tool in action, a full description with an in-depth analysis of its features, together with links to relevant resources. GUI-based clocks are covered in a separate roundup.
| Terminal-Based Clocks | |
|---|---|
| sigye | Much more sophisticated than the typical tray |
| Peaclock | Customizable clock, timer, and stopwatch for the terminal |
| ClockTemp | Inspired by tty-clock that displays the time, date, temperature and more |
| tty-clock | Terminal digital clock |
| talking-clock | Highly configurable talking clock |
| shalarm | Bash script that functions like an alarm clock |
| mongoclock | Humongous clock for the terminal |
| clock-tui | Clock app in terminal which supports local clock, timer and stopwatch |
| TetroTime | Clock, timer, and stopwatch that renders time using falling tetromino shapes |
| stardial | Space-anime themed terminal clock |
| Clox | Geeky clock for terminal enthusiasts |
 Explore our comprehensive directory of recommended free and open source software. Our carefully curated collection spans every major software category.This directory is part of our ongoing series of informative articles for Linux enthusiasts. It features hundreds of detailed reviews, along with open source alternatives to proprietary solutions from major corporations such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk. You’ll also find interesting projects to try, hardware coverage, free programming books and tutorials, and much more. Know a useful open source Linux program that we haven’t covered yet? Let us know by completing this form. |