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What's new in Starsky v0.9.0?

· 3 min read
Dion
Dion
Software developer

Version 0.9.0 is a landmark release, the biggest architectural shift in the desktop app since the project started, plus a round of stability fixes across the back-end and front-end. The headline: Electron is gone, replaced by native desktop apps on both macOS and Windows.

🚨 Breaking Changes​

  • Native desktop apps replace Electron (PR #3238, #3234)

    • The Electron-based desktop app has been removed. Starsky now ships two native desktop apps:
      • macOS: a Swift/AppKit application wrapping the web UI via WKWebView
      • Windows: a WPF-based application
    • Native apps mean a smaller footprint, faster startup, and tighter OS integration.
    • Windows users upgrading from below 0.8.2 must uninstall the old version first before installing 0.9.0. The packaging has changed enough that an in-place upgrade won't work cleanly.

  • ExifTool namespace reorganised for AI features (PR #3296)

    • The namespace housing AI-related ExifTool functionality has been restructured. If you integrate at that level, review the changes in PR #3296.

  • Windows desktop wrapper changed (PR #3234)

    • The way the Windows app wraps the backend has changed significantly as part of the Electron-to-WPF migration.

🆕 New Features​

  • macOS Sparkle auto-updates with pre-release opt-in (PR #3261, #3275)

    • The macOS app now publishes an AppCast feed and supports Sparkle-based auto-updates. Users can opt in to pre-release builds directly from the app's preferences.

  • Windows pre-release update opt-in (PR #3266)

    • The Windows app gains the same pre-release update channel as macOS.

  • Next / Previous by keyboard in Archive (PR #3244)

    • Arrow key navigation now works in the Archive view, letting you step through photos without touching the mouse.

🛠️ Bug Fixes & Improvements​

Back-end

  • Background service execution restricted (PR #3292)

    • Services that previously ran more freely in the background are now gated more carefully, reducing resource contention during long-running sessions.

  • Reduced cache duration (PR #3292, #3294)

    • Cache lifetimes have been shortened to address memory pressure issues that could accumulate over time.

  • SQLite unique constraint violations handled (PR #3282)

    • Error code 19 (unique constraint violation) is now caught and handled gracefully rather than surfacing as an unhandled exception.

  • GetAllRecursiveAsync timeout handling (PR #3282)

    • The method now correctly recognises CommandTimeoutExpired instead of hanging indefinitely.

  • XMP read/write for ImageStabilization tag (PR #3290)

    • Starsky can now read and write the ImageStabilization XMP tag.

  • Improved CompareStringDictionary (PR #3259)

    • Internal dictionary comparison logic has been made more robust.

Front-end

  • ExifTool pipeline closes correctly (PR #3262)

    • The ExifTool pipeline now shuts down cleanly after processing instead of leaving a dangling process.

  • Read-only path setting fixed in preferences (PR #3259)

    • The read-only path field in preferences is no longer editable when it shouldn't be.

  • File move client-side (PR #3245)

    • Moving files from the client is more reliable.

⚠️ Upgrade Notes​

  1. Windows users on versions below 0.8.2: uninstall the existing app before installing 0.9.0. The new WPF-based packaging is not compatible with an in-place upgrade from the Electron version.
  2. If you integrate with the ExifTool AI namespace directly, review the namespace changes in PR #3296 before upgrading.

For the full list of changes, see history.md.