The latest articles on DEV Community by bloodSUCKER (@iambloodsucker). https://dev.to/iambloodsucker https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3956096%2Fc9a21832-6b44-4d59-886b-eba115b16cb1.jpeg https://dev.to/iambloodsucker en bloodSUCKER Thu, 28 May 2026 08:13:37 +0000 https://dev.to/iambloodsucker/i-got-tired-of-bloated-reminder-apps-so-i-built-one-in-java-4b3 https://dev.to/iambloodsucker/i-got-tired-of-bloated-reminder-apps-so-i-built-one-in-java-4b3 <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Faiztneyq5gqlu6d591f5.gif" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Faiztneyq5gqlu6d591f5.gif" alt=" " width="612" height="480"></a></p> <p>I got tired of bloated reminder apps, so I built my own</p> <p>I only wanted this:</p> <p>“Remind me about X at time Y.”</p> <p>Not a full planning system. Not 20 screens. Not extra friction.</p> <p>So I built <strong>Reminot</strong> — a minimal Windows reminder app that stays out of your way.</p> <h2> What it does </h2> <ul> <li>quick text + date/time reminders</li> <li>clean active reminders list</li> <li>tray/background mode</li> <li>Windows notifications</li> <li>local storage (no cloud dependency)</li> <li>single-instance behavior (no duplicate background processes)</li> </ul> <h2> Why this exists </h2> <p>Most reminder apps feel over-engineered for tiny real-life tasks like:</p> <ul> <li>“call back in 15 minutes”</li> <li>“turn off the kettle”</li> <li>“send that file at 18:30”</li> </ul> <p>I wanted reminders in seconds, not workflows.</p> <h2> Stack </h2> <p>Java 17 + Swing + local persistence + <code>jpackage</code> + GitHub Actions.</p> <h2> Try it </h2> <p>Repo:<br><br> <a href="https://github.com/IAMBloodSUCKER/Reminot" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://github.com/IAMBloodSUCKER/Reminot</a></p> <p>Latest release:<br><br> <a href="https://github.com/IAMBloodSUCKER/Reminot/releases/latest" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://github.com/IAMBloodSUCKER/Reminot/releases/latest</a></p> <p>If you test it, tell me one thing:</p> <p><strong>What would make this your default reminder app?</strong></p> java productivity showdev sideprojects