DeskRipple v0.1.2 (beta)

DeskRipple v0.1.2 (beta)

An update to the v0.1.1 beta focused on reliability and a friendlier first run. If DeskRipple is already installed, it updates itself in the background — there's nothing to do. New here? Grab DeskRipple-beta-Setup.exe below.

⚠️ This is a beta. Things may break or behave unexpectedly. Please report anything you hit (see Feedback below). A paid version is planned later, with a founder discount for beta testers.

⏳ Free beta — this build stops working after September 1, 2026. It keeps itself updated automatically (you can turn that off in Settings → Updates). By downloading you agree to the beta license (EULA).

🔧 What's new in 0.1.2

• Your folders stay put. Fixed several edge cases where a relaunch could come up with an empty profile, no folders, or a wedged state — for example after a quick exit-and-restart, when a momentary file lock interrupted a settings load, or when a stale single-instance lock was left behind. DeskRipple now recovers your real setup from disk instead of falling back to empty defaults.
• A friendlier first run. Brand-new installs now start with a small, fully-deletable "Getting Started" example folder so you land on a live, openable example instead of a blank desktop. Delete it whenever you like — it never comes back.
• The Grid layout now animates. Opening a folder in the Grid style flies its icons out of the folder to their slots, and flows them back in on close. Also fixed a brief flash that could appear when re-opening a panel quickly.
• Tidier folder placement. Folders you create from the Manager now snap to a free spot on the desktop grid instead of stacking or landing at a fixed offset.
• Polish & fixes. Drag-out now displaces the native desktop icon underneath it more reliably, the Fan layout and live panel-opacity were tightened up, the right-click Properties item now opens the real shell property sheet, and the expanded panel collapses immediately when you open Settings.

Everything from v0.1.0/v0.1.1 — desktop folder docks, five expand styles, drag-and-drop, desktop-icon displacement, acrylic panels, multi-monitor/mixed-DPI, multi-profile, opt-in diagnostics — is unchanged.

📦 Install / update

• Already installed: nothing to do — DeskRipple checks this repo in the background and applies the update silently at an idle moment. A tray notification confirms it. (Or force it now from Settings → Updates.)
• New install: download DeskRipple-beta-Setup.exe below and run it. It installs per-user (no admin prompt), adds a Start Menu entry, and launches.

🛡️ SmartScreen prompt on the installer. DeskRipple is code-signed (Microsoft Trusted Signing). Because it's a new app still building download reputation, Windows SmartScreen may show a prompt — if it does, click More info → Run anyway.

🔎 Can't find the tray icon? On Windows 11 it starts hidden in the ^ overflow chevron near the clock. Drag it onto the taskbar, then right-click → Open Manager.

System requirements are unchanged: Windows 11, 64-bit. Full details. (The .nupkg, releases.beta.json, and meta.json assets are the updater's feed; DeskRipple-beta-Portable.zip is an unsupported convenience — the installer is the supported path.)

🐛 Feedback

Found a bug or have a suggestion? Report it here — no login required. The easiest path is right-click the tray icon → Send feedback (it pre-fills your version, OS, and DPI scale, which makes reports far easier to act on).

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🔒 Privacy: DeskRipple runs locally — no account, no login. Out of the box its only network traffic is the background update check against GitHub (no identifiers; can be turned off). Anonymous usage diagnostics are strictly opt-in and off by default — you choose on first run and can change it anytime in Settings. Privacy policy.