From 4d91120b575b45adc5983b21f7dcdd01a44b8601 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Strycher Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:17:59 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] docs(#359): restructure 1.2.0 release notes per Ben's review Reordered + marketed per direction: platforms-first (Android/Windows/ Linux/Web now shipped every release), then the interface redesign as the headline (left rail, pinned rail, in-place channel nav), storage, GIFs (cross-client tap-to-view + Tenor render), a big FEM/LNA callout, deeper diagnostics (persisted rxTime, honest path units), and performance. Added placeholders at the hero, pinned-rail, and FEM-LNA spots for Ben to drop captures into the GitHub release editor (real screenshots must be captured from the running app; not faking them). No em-dashes. Part of #160. Agent: SapphireCompass (session 8d755b5e) --- release-notes/1.2.0.md | 117 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++----------- 1 file changed, 87 insertions(+), 30 deletions(-) diff --git a/release-notes/1.2.0.md b/release-notes/1.2.0.md index 85038df..2ac176c 100644 --- a/release-notes/1.2.0.md +++ b/release-notes/1.2.0.md @@ -1,44 +1,101 @@ ## Offband Meshcore 1.2.0 -A big one. This release rebuilds how Offband stores your data, gives the app a -new navigation shell, and makes GIFs work across every MeshCore client. It is -also the first Offband release built, signed, and published across all platforms -automatically through CI. +Our biggest release yet. A ground-up interface redesign, a real database under the +hood, GIFs that work across every MeshCore client, and hands-on control of your +radio's RF front end. This is also the first Offband release built, signed, and +shipped to every platform automatically. -### Your data now lives in a real database + -Messages, contacts, channels, and the rest have moved from scattered preference -entries to a proper drift / SQLite database. **Your existing data is migrated -automatically the first time you open this version, and nothing is thrown away.** -Message history is kept in full, storage errors no longer fail silently, and on -desktop the database no longer gets tangled up in OneDrive/Documents sync. +### One app, every platform -Because this is a one-time on-device migration, it is worth backing up nothing in -particular but simply being aware that the first launch does a little more work -than usual. +From this release on, every Offband build ships everywhere at once, signed with +the same key so updates just work: -### A new way to get around +- **Android**: install from Google Play or sideload the signed APK +- **Windows**: desktop build +- **Linux**: desktop build +- **Web**: run it right in your browser, no install, at offband.app -There is a new navigation drawer you open from the hamburger button, and you can -pin it open so it stays alongside your chat. The channel list lives there and you -can switch channels without leaving the one you are in. Map layer toggles moved -into the panel, Disconnect and Settings moved to its footer, and Contacts gained -a filter rail. The back button now behaves the way you would expect: it -backgrounds the app instead of killing it, and it no longer knocks you off a -connected radio. +Pick your platform below. -### GIFs that work everywhere +### A brand-new interface -GIFs are now sent as a plain Giphy link instead of an Offband-only code, so -people on other MeshCore clients can actually see them. Pasted Giphy and Tenor -links render inline, behind a trusted-host allowlist. +The headline feature. Offband has been rebuilt around a modern navigation shell +that finally gets out of your way. -### Also in this release +- A **left rail** you open from the hamburger button, and can **pin open** so it + lives right alongside your conversation instead of covering it. +- Your **channels live in the rail** and switch **in place**, so jumping between + channels never loses your spot or your scroll position. +- Map layer toggles, Disconnect, and Settings all found sensible new homes in the + panel, and the back button finally behaves the way it should: it backgrounds + the app instead of killing it, and never knocks you off a connected radio. -- Desktop remembers your window position and size. + + +### Your data, on solid ground + +Under the surface, Offband now keeps your messages, contacts, and channels in a +real SQLite database instead of a pile of loose preference files. + +- Your **existing data migrates automatically** the first time you open this + version. Nothing is thrown away, and your **full message history is preserved**. +- Storage problems that used to fail silently now surface, so nothing goes wrong + in the dark. +- On desktop, your data no longer gets swept into OneDrive/Documents sync. + +### GIFs everyone can see + +GIFs are no longer an Offband-only party trick. + +- Send a GIF and it goes out as a **plain Giphy link**, so people on **stock + MeshCore and other clients can tap it and watch it** too, not just Offband + users. +- Paste a **Giphy or Tenor** link and it renders inline, behind a trusted-host + safety allowlist. + +### Take command of your radio's front end + +Power users, this one's for you. On supported hardware, Offband now gives you +direct control of your radio's **FEM / LNA** (the front-end module and low-noise +amplifier that shape receive sensitivity and transmit path). + +- Toggle **FEM LNA** right from Radio Settings. +- Device Info now reads out your radio's Offband capabilities, so you can see at a + glance what your hardware supports. + +Both are gated on firmware capability, so they appear only where the radio +actually supports them. + + + +### Deeper diagnostics + +More signal, less guesswork when you need to see what your mesh is doing. + +- Message **arrival time is now logged and persisted** separately from the claimed + send time, so you can tell when a message really reached you versus when the + sender says it left (#285). +- Path diagnostics report **honest, width-aware units** instead of mislabeled hop + counts, and path lengths decode exactly per the firmware contract. + +### Faster across the board + +The new storage engine and a round of under-the-hood work add up to a noticeably +snappier app. + +- Connecting no longer rewrites your entire preferences file for every channel, so + connect time is quicker and lighter on storage. +- Bulk reads and writes go through the database now, which scales far better as + your message and contact history grows. + +### And a few more + +- Desktop remembers your window size and position between launches. - Reach a contact's settings straight from its long-press menu. -- FEM LNA control and Offband capability readout in Device Info, where the radio - supports it. - You can no longer accidentally block your own node. -Full details in the changelog. +--- + +See the full, itemized changelog in the repository.