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+ttym - terminal countdown / stopwatch
+=====================================
+
+A small countdown timer and stopwatch in C. Single binary, libc-only,
+no daemon. Default build is intentionally minimal:
+
+    T-24:13 +00:47 [>>>>>>>>>>------------------------------]  25%
+
+  - countdown when given a duration; stopwatch when not
+  - pause/resume with [space], quit with [q] or Ctrl+C
+  - ASCII progress bar
+  - one-shot terminal bell on completion
+
+Anything beyond that is an optional patch under patches/. See
+patches/README for the available set and apply order.
+
+
+Requirements
+------------
+
+A C compiler and POSIX make. No external libraries.
+
+
+Installation
+------------
+
+Edit config.mk if needed, then:
+
+    make
+    sudo make install      # to $(PREFIX)/bin/timer ; default /usr/local
+
+Override the prefix at build time:
+
+    make PREFIX=$HOME/.local install
+
+The installed binary is named `timer`.
+
+
+Configuration
+-------------
+
+Compile-time knobs live in config.def.h. On first build the Makefile
+copies it to config.h; edit config.h and re-`make` to change defaults.
+
+
+Usage
+-----
+
+    timer [FLAGS] DURATION    countdown
+    timer [FLAGS]             stopwatch
+
+    DURATION:  25m | 90s | 2h | 1h30m | 01:30:00 | 25:00
+
+    FLAGS:
+      -q              no sound
+      -s              silent
+      --              end of options
+      -h              help
+
+`timer -h` always reflects the build: each patch updates the help text
+in lockstep with the flags it adds.
+
+
+License
+-------
+
+MIT. See LICENSE.