DeskRipple v0.4.2 (beta)

DeskRipple v0.4.2 (beta)

An update to the v0.4.1 beta — a visual and usability refresh: redesigned settings, a cleaner look for open folders, and expand styles that line up with your desktop grid, plus a batch of interaction fixes. 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 the About dialog). By downloading you agree to the beta license (EULA).

🔧 What's new in 0.4.2

• Redesigned settings. The Manager's settings screen was rebuilt with a cleaner, two-tier Windows 11 layout: a Hover/Click control at the top that only shows the options that matter for the mode you picked, on/off toggle switches instead of checkboxes, and sliders that read in plain seconds ("0.3 s", or "Instant") instead of raw numbers. Related options are grouped into collapsible cards.
• A fresh look for open folders. Expanded panels now use a Windows 11-native surface — a soft vertical gradient with a crisp 1px edge and slightly rounder corners — for a cleaner, more native feel.
• Expand styles line up with your desktop grid. The Fan now stays centered on the folder it opens from; the Grid, Column, and Row styles drop their shortcuts onto your actual desktop icon grid; and the Ring's band hugs its icons more tightly.
• The Ring grows to fit. Rings with more than about 7–8 shortcuts no longer overlap — the circle expands to make room — and adding, removing, or dragging items in and out no longer makes the ring jitter.
• Smoother hovering between folders. Moving your cursor straight from an open panel onto another folder's icon now opens that folder right away (before, you had to move off it and back).
• Live changes apply to open folders. Switching the expand style, or the hover/click mode, while a folder is open now cleanly closes and reopens it instead of leaving a half-updated layout.
• New folders land where you'd look for them. Creating a folder from the Manager now places it where your next desktop icon would go, instead of in the middle of the screen.
• Snappier rearranging. Dragging a shortcut to reorder it is now instant by default, and the animation timing scales with your chosen speed so small and large folders both ripple smoothly.
• Fixes & robustness. Fixed the Column and Row styles clipping the shortcut closest to the folder. Switching between profiles is more robust now — a crash-safe rebuild, with memory released after each switch.

Everything else from the earlier betas — desktop folder docks, five expand styles, drag-and-drop, desktop-icon displacement, multi-monitor and mixed-DPI support, multiple profiles, automatic updates, and opt-in diagnostics — works as before.

📦 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. (Prefer to update on your own schedule? The About dialog has an "Install updates automatically" toggle.)
• 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: Windows 10 and 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.