Excited to share a side project I completed recently: a classic desktop clock GUI implemented entirely in C using two powerful graphics frameworks. This project was a great exercise in low-level, high-performance programming:
SDL2 (Simple DirectMedia Layer): The C implementation focused on low-level control and graphics pipelines.
CodeRaylib: This C version prioritized simplicity and rapid development, leveraging its clean, immediate-mode drawing API for a highly performant and lightweight result.
Code
Key takeaways from this project:
- Explored the trade-offs between low-level control (SDL2) and developer productivity (Raylib), all within the constraints of C.
- Gained experience in cross-platform compilation and dependency management, as reflected in the CI/CD pipeline developed for this project.
- Confirmed C's unmatched strength in creating lightweight, highly performant desktop applications.
Top comments (4)
It's an app for a clock. High-performance doesn't matter. Updating the screen at 1 second intervals is slow by computer standards.
Is there any better way, you could tell. I would love to know it.
I didn't look at how you did it. My quibble is with you seemingly needing something highly performant. Applications that scan or process data in some way (
grep, stock trading, etc.) need to be highly performant. Again, for something like a clock, performance simply doesn't matter.Thank you for your concern. I am just an Engineering student, trynna do better, day by day!