@APP_ID@ com.mudeprolinux.whakarere com.mudeprolinux.whakarere CC0-1.0 GPL-3.0-or-later @APP_NAME@ GTK4 WhatsApp Client #25D366 #128C7E

Karere is a production-ready GTK4 WhatsApp client that provides a native desktop experience for WhatsApp Web. Built with Vala, GTK4, and Libadwaita, it offers a clean and intuitive interface that integrates seamlessly with your Linux desktop.

Features:

https://github.com/tobagin/karere/blob/main/data/screenshots/main-window.png?raw=true Main application window with WhatsApp Web integration https://github.com/tobagin/karere/blob/main/data/screenshots/about.png?raw=true About dialog showing application information https://github.com/tobagin/karere/blob/main/data/screenshots/preferences.png?raw=true Application preferences and settings dialog https://github.com/tobagin/karere/blob/main/data/screenshots/shortcuts.png?raw=true Keyboard shortcuts and productivity features https://github.com/tobagin/karere https://github.com/tobagin/karere/issues https://github.com/tobagin/karere/discussions https://github.com/sponsors/tobagin https://github.com/tobagin https://github.com/tobagin/karere Thiago Fernandes 768 keyboard pointing touch Network InstantMessaging Chat whatsapp chat messaging web communication @APP_ID@.desktop

๐Ÿ”ง Maintenance Release

Improvements:

  • Updated build configuration and dependencies
  • Enhanced packaging for better compatibility
  • Minor bug fixes and stability improvements

๐Ÿ“ Documentation and Metadata Update

Improvements:

  • Updated about dialog screenshot
  • Updated application screenshots
  • Minor README corrections

๐Ÿ“ธ Screenshots and Documentation Update

Improvements:

  • Updated application screenshots with current UI appearance
  • Refreshed About dialog screenshot
  • Enhanced visual documentation for users

๐ŸŽ‰ Version 1.0.0 - Major Milestone Release

New Features:

  • โœ… Fixed WhatsApp Web notification banner persistence
  • โœ… Fixed notifications not working properly
  • ๐Ÿ–ผ๏ธ Added image paste support via clipboard (Ctrl+V)
  • ๐Ÿ“ฅ Implemented download manager with custom directory and toast notifications
  • โ™ฟ Enhanced accessibility with screen reader optimization and keyboard navigation
  • ๐Ÿ“ Added comprehensive spell checking system with auto-detection
  • ๐Ÿ”ค Integrated 80+ language dictionaries from LibreOffice
  • โŒจ๏ธ Added keyboard shortcuts dialog using AdwShortcutsDialog

Bug Fixes:

  • Fixed Ctrl+V paste for text content - now works for both text and images
  • Fixed WhatsApp notification permission not persisting across sessions
  • Fixed notifications banner appearing on every app launch
  • Fixed WebView zoom being enabled by default (now disabled)
  • Fixed clipboard manager intercepting all paste events
  • Removed hardcoded blueprint compiler paths for cross-architecture support

Code Quality Improvements:

  • โ™ป๏ธ Major refactor: Reorganized codebase with PascalCase filenames
  • โ™ป๏ธ Refactored Window.vala into specialized manager components
  • โ™ป๏ธ Removed custom logging and crash reporting (use system journalctl)
  • ๐Ÿ—‘๏ธ Removed Do Not Disturb feature (handled by system notification daemon)
  • ๐Ÿ—‘๏ธ Cleaned up obsolete test files and unused dependencies
  • ๐Ÿ—‘๏ธ Removed json-glib, gee, and libsoup dependencies
  • ๐Ÿงน Centralized settings management with SettingsManager singleton
  • ๐Ÿงน Removed DependencyContainer.vala (unused dependency injection)
  • ๐Ÿ“ธ Reorganized screenshots into data/screenshots/ directory

Technical Changes:

  • Implemented UserScript injection for Notification.permission state
  • Connected show_notification signal handler for WebKit notifications
  • WebKitGTK 6.0 storage persistence verified and documented
  • Updated SettingsManager to be the default for all settings access
  • Improved build system with cleaner dependency management

Documentation:

  • ๐Ÿ“š Enhanced README with accessibility features documentation
  • ๐Ÿ“š Documented all keyboard shortcuts by category
  • ๐Ÿ“š Added spell checking configuration guide
  • ๐Ÿ“š Fixed GitHub repository URLs (karere-vala โ†’ karere)

๐Ÿ› Runtime Update and Bug Fixes

Improvements:

  • Updated GNOME runtime to version 49 for enhanced compatibility
  • Improved system integration with latest platform libraries
  • Better support for modern desktop environments
  • Enhanced stability and performance optimizations

Bug Fixes:

  • Resolved compatibility issues with newer GNOME environments
  • Fixed potential rendering inconsistencies
  • Improved error handling and recovery mechanisms

โœจ Enhanced Emoji Support, External Link Handling, and Build Improvements

New Features:

  • Added high-quality Noto Color Emoji fonts (v2.047, Unicode 16.0 support)
  • Enhanced WebKit rendering with maximum hardware acceleration
  • Improved emoji consistency with bundled font system
  • Optimized font loading to eliminate display conflicts
  • Added WebKit cache control setting for improved rendering consistency
  • Cache disabled by default to prevent emoji rendering issues

Bug Fixes:

  • Fixed external links not opening in default browser when running in Flatpak
  • Improved external link handling with proper Flatpak portal support
  • Fixed random emoji display issues and blank emoji problems
  • Fixed invalid meson version requirement preventing builds
  • Corrected dependency version specifications in meson.build
  • Resolved flatpak-builder compatibility issues
  • Enhanced URL validation for external link detection

Improvements:

  • Eliminated WebKit cache corruption affecting emoji rendering
  • Streamlined font stack for consistent emoji appearance
  • Enhanced 2D canvas acceleration for better graphics performance
  • Improved font loading stability and reduced race conditions
  • Better sandboxed environment compatibility
  • More reliable link opening mechanism
  • Enhanced logging for external link operations
  • Better build system compatibility with different environments
  • Enhanced CI/CD pipeline stability
  • More robust dependency handling

Technical Changes:

  • Removed unnecessary mobile user agent switching (WhatsApp Web is desktop-only)
  • Disabled problematic WebKit caches causing font corruption
  • Simplified emoji font configuration to single high-quality source
  • Restored Safari Linux user agent for native WebKit experience
  • Added subpixel font scaling and advanced rendering optimizations
  • Implemented Flatpak portal system for external link handling

๐Ÿ”ง Code Refactoring and Architecture Improvements

Improvements:

  • Converted template files to preprocessor directives for cleaner code
  • Eliminated .vala.in template substitution system
  • Added compile-time conditional compilation using DEVELOPMENT flag
  • Improved build system maintainability and type safety
  • Added contributors Aman Das and Cameo to about dialog

Technical Changes:

  • Replaced window.vala.in and preferences.vala.in with direct .vala files
  • Updated meson.build to use Vala preprocessor directives
  • Simplified source file management in build system

๐Ÿ› Bug Fixes and Improvements

Bug Fixes:

  • Fixed crash when handling invalid user input data
  • Resolved memory leak in notification cleanup
  • Corrected accessibility focus handling

Improvements:

  • Better error handling for network timeouts
  • Enhanced stability for extended usage
  • Performance optimizations for scrolling

๐Ÿ”ง Metadata and Standards Compliance

Bug Fixes:

  • Fixed duplicate provides tags in metainfo validation
  • Corrected AppStream metainfo format compliance
  • Resolved invalid markup in release descriptions

Improvements:

  • Updated all references from appdata to metainfo format
  • Enhanced Flathub compliance and validation
  • Improved translation file consistency

๐Ÿ› Bug Fixes and Improvements

Bug Fixes:

  • Fixed crash when handling invalid notification data
  • Resolved memory leak in WebKit manager cleanup
  • Corrected window state persistence on shutdown

Improvements:

  • Better error handling for network disconnections
  • Enhanced stability during long sessions
  • Performance optimizations for faster startup

๐Ÿš€ Major Architecture Migration: Python to Vala/GTK4

BREAKING CHANGE: Complete rewrite from Python to native Vala for better performance and integration.

โš ๏ธ Important: After upgrading, you will need to re-sync your mobile device with WhatsApp Web as this is a completely new application implementation.

New Features:

  • Native Vala/GTK4 implementation for optimal performance
  • Modern LibAdwaita UI with Blueprint declarative interface
  • Enhanced WebKitGTK 6.0 integration
  • Advanced notification system with native desktop integration
  • Comprehensive accessibility support
  • Professional logging and crash reporting system
  • Keyboard shortcuts and productivity features
  • Multi-language spell checking support
  • Granular privacy and notification controls
  • Hardware-accelerated rendering
  • Improved memory efficiency and startup performance

Technical Improvements:

  • Migrated from Python 3 to native Vala compilation
  • Modern Meson build system with Blueprint UI compilation
  • Comprehensive test suite with unit and integration tests
  • Production-ready error handling and crash recovery
  • Enhanced security with proper sandboxing
  • Complete internationalization support
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