topbanner_forum
  *

avatar image

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?

Login with username, password and session length
  • Friday April 19, 2024, 9:35 pm
  • Proudly celebrating 15+ years online.
  • Donate now to become a lifetime supporting member of the site and get a non-expiring license key for all of our programs.
  • donate

Author Topic: Windows equivalent to GNOME's typing break?  (Read 4671 times)

Lashiec

  • Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • Posts: 2,374
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Windows equivalent to GNOME's typing break?
« on: May 07, 2011, 02:28 PM »
Though I'm far from developing RSI on various parts of my body despite making heavy use of computers, they say prevention is the best medicine so I try to take a break every once in a while. The problem is that one tends to lost track of the time, so I cannot tell when should I take one.

Thankfully, software is there to help. On Linux, I do not have this problem thanks to GNOME's typing break feature, but on Windows things are not so straightforward. I know of the existence of Workrave, but I feel it's a pretty heavy solution to what it's a simple problem.

So, does anyone know of an alternative?
« Last Edit: May 07, 2011, 02:31 PM by Lashiec »

AndyM

  • Charter Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • ***
  • Posts: 616
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Windows equivalent to GNOME's typing break?
« Reply #1 on: May 07, 2011, 02:40 PM »
Pretty sure this has been talked about here.  Try a search for Instant Boss.

Ath

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • Posts: 3,612
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Windows equivalent to GNOME's typing break?
« Reply #2 on: May 07, 2011, 03:29 PM »
Well, besides Workrave, that's rather configurable IMHO, so can be as lightweight as you want, there's the commercial Workpace, and it also has a few nifty features like counting the number of keyboard- and mouse-clicks, and is as configurable as Workrave. (I've used both in the past, but stopped using tools like that; just listen better to what the old body says, and take more breaks/stops).

But Instant Boss, by our 'own' App103, sounds just as what you need, indeed, +1

tomos

  • Charter Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • ***
  • Posts: 11,961
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Windows equivalent to GNOME's typing break?
« Reply #3 on: May 07, 2011, 04:25 PM »
Workrave is a good programme but I found it far too intrusive (in fairness it was aimed at people who already had problems so it forced them to take a break) - but maybe it's evolved since I tried it a few years ago (yes, I see it has - I will try it again)

Instant Boss I used for years, it is a great app, but I did have a problem with it that if I hit spacebar, or return, when it's "break" window shows - it gets dismissed in a manner that it doesnt show again (IIRC it went to something like 'extend the break'). Hours later I'd be (probably surfing and) wondering what happened. This was a big problem for me cause I work with a drawing programme where I'm constantly hitting return and the spacebar... (also a big problem cause if I didnt get the reminder again, I'd just end up surfing :-[ instead of working)
Tom