bherbruckandClaude Opus 5.5
a6928abf48
At start, and at most once a day, a background thread asks GitHub for the latest stable release (one HTTPS GET to releases/latest, nothing else sent; 15 s timeout; silent when offline; GitHub's rate limit respected). When it is newer than this build, an Update button appears next to Report a bug. It opens a window with the version, the release notes and Download (the asset that fits this installation), Skip this version and Remind me later. - Versions compare as semver; a nightly counts as the release it was built after, so it is offered only a newer stable release. - The installation is detected (AppImage, Flatpak, Snap from the store or a file, deb, rpm, tar.gz, Windows MSI/portable/exe, macOS app); Download picks the fixed-name asset. Development builds and the Flatpak (no network permission) never check. - Preferences > General > Updates: Check for updates automatically (on) and Check now. - HTTP via ureq + rustls with the operating system's certificates (desktop app only). - docs: Updates and privacy page. Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
70 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown
70 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown
# Updates and privacy
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SolidCraft tells you when a newer release is out. It never updates itself without asking, and
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the check sends nothing about you or your designs.
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## What you see
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When a newer stable release exists, an **Update** button appears in the title bar next to
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**Report a bug**. It opens a small window with the new version, its release notes and three
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choices:
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- **Download** opens the file that fits your installation (see the table below) in your
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browser, or the release page when there isn't one.
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- **Skip this version** hides the button until an even newer release comes out.
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- **Remind me later** hides it for three days.
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**Preferences ▸ General ▸ Updates** has **Check for updates automatically** (on by default) and
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**Check now**, which checks right away and shows the window even for a version you skipped.
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## What is sent
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One HTTPS request, at start and at most once a day while SolidCraft runs:
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```text
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GET https://api.github.com/repos/bherbruck/solidcraft/releases/latest
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User-Agent: SolidCraft-update-check
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Accept: application/vnd.github+json
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X-GitHub-Api-Version: 2022-11-28
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```
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That's all: no version number, no machine or user identifier, no usage data, no cookies. GitHub
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sees the request like any other visit to the API (your IP address, the time); see
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[GitHub's privacy statement](https://docs.github.com/site-policy/privacy-policies/github-general-privacy-statement).
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SolidCraft compares the answer with its own version on your computer.
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- Offline, or GitHub doesn't answer within 15 seconds: nothing is shown, and the check is tried
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again an hour later.
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- GitHub's rate limit for anonymous requests (60 an hour per address) is respected: when GitHub
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says to wait, SolidCraft waits that long, Check now included.
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- Turning off **Check for updates automatically** stops the checks; only **Check now** asks.
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- Setting the environment variable `SOLIDCRAFT_UPDATE_CHECK=0` turns all checks off, for
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example on managed machines.
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Builds you compile yourself, the Flatpak and the browser app (which updates itself) never check.
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## Which file Download gets
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Releases attach the main packages under fixed names (see [releasing](https://github.com/bherbruck/solidcraft/blob/main/docs/releasing.md)),
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and SolidCraft picks the one matching how it was installed:
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| Installed as | Detected by | Download | How to update |
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|---|---|---|---|
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| AppImage | `APPIMAGE` is set | `solidcraft-linux-<arch>.AppImage` | Replace the old AppImage with the new one |
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| Flatpak | `FLATPAK_ID` is set | doesn't check (see below) | `flatpak update ai.storyteller.solidcraft` |
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| Snap from the Snap Store | `SNAP` is set | release page | `sudo snap refresh solidcraft` (snapd also refreshes by itself) |
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| Snap from a downloaded file | `SNAP_REVISION` starts with `x` | `solidcraft-linux-<arch>.snap` | `sudo snap install --dangerous ./solidcraft-linux-<arch>.snap` |
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| `.deb` | under `/usr`, dpkg knows `solidcraft` | `solidcraft-linux-<arch>.deb` | `sudo apt install ./solidcraft-linux-<arch>.deb` |
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| `.rpm` | under `/usr`, an rpm database exists | `solidcraft-linux-<arch>.rpm` | `sudo dnf install ./solidcraft-linux-<arch>.rpm` |
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| `.tar.gz` | anywhere else on Linux | `solidcraft-<version>-linux-<arch>.tar.gz` | Unpack over the old copy |
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| Windows installer | under Program Files | `solidcraft-windows-<arch>.msi` | Run the installer |
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| Windows portable | `solidcraft-cli.exe` beside it | `solidcraft-windows-<arch>-portable.zip` | Unzip over the old copy |
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| Windows `.exe` | anywhere else on Windows | `SolidCraft-<version>-windows-x64.exe` | Replace the old `.exe` |
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| macOS | inside `SolidCraft.app` | `solidcraft-macos-universal.dmg` | Drag the new app to Applications |
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The window shows the command for Snap, `.deb` and `.rpm` installations, with a Copy button. The
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Flatpak has no network permission and Flatpak itself (or your software center) offers its
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updates, so it never checks. Release builds compare versions as [semver](https://semver.org): a nightly build counts
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as the release it was built after, so it's offered only a newer stable release, and release
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candidates are offered their final release.
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