TaskbarMonitor 1.2.0 — Linux (Ubuntu/GNOME) support

🐧 TaskbarMonitor comes to Linux

Everything from the Windows version, unchanged — plus a full Linux port under linux/, packaged as a single .deb.

Linux highlights

• Native GNOME Shell extension (Ubuntu 24.04+ / GNOME 45–50, verified on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS + GNOME 50.1 Wayland): the GNOME top bar is far smaller than the Windows taskbar, so the UI is built for that space — compact icon + load% temp° groups in the bar, with the full breakdown in the popup: accent-colored usage meters, temperature pills, GPU model, used/total RAM, per-disk model + %util + temperature, network rates, and System Monitor / Settings shortcuts.
• Same color language as Windows: values turn amber at ≥85% load / ≥70 °C and red at ≥95% / ≥85 °C.
• Settings (Adwaita): choose what shows in the bar, temperatures on/off, position, refresh interval.
• AppIndicator tray app for KDE / XFCE / other desktops (it steps aside automatically on GNOME).
• No root, no kernel module — everything reads from world-readable /proc and /sys (plus nvidia-smi); the temperatures that needed a driver on Windows are free on Linux. See linux/SECURITY.md.

Install (Linux)

sudo apt install ./taskbar-monitor_1.2.0_all.deb
# GNOME: log out & back in, then (if it doesn't auto-enable):
gnome-extensions enable taskbar-monitor@marllongomes.github.io

Windows

The Windows app is unchanged since 1.1.2 (version bump only). Install with TaskbarMonitor-Setup-1.2.0.exe, or use the portable zips — see the README.

Also in this release

• CI now builds the .deb on every push and assembles releases (Windows zips + installer + .deb + SHA256SUMS.txt) automatically on version tags.
• Fixed: NVMe disk temperatures (NVMe exposes device/hwmonN, not device/hwmon/hwmonN).
• Fixed: the .deb launcher script was missing from clean checkouts (swallowed by a .gitignore rule).

Verify downloads against SHA256SUMS.txt.

Full changelog: v1.1.2...v1.2.0

TaskbarMonitor 1.1.2 — security hardening

Security-hardening release following a full audit. Recommended update for all users.

Security fixes

• Privilege-escalation hardening. The app runs elevated at logon, so its executable must live where only administrators can write. The installer already uses Program Files (safe); the portable build and the "Start with Windows" menu now refuse or warn before enabling the elevated startup task from a user-writable folder (Downloads, Desktop, a data drive…), which would otherwise let any code running as you gain elevated access at logon.
• Safe process replacement. Updates only replace an instance launched from our exact image — never an unrelated process that happens to be named TaskbarMonitor.
• No binary planting. schtasks.exe is invoked by its full System32 path.
• Legacy BinaryFormatter disabled (a dependency had re-enabled this RCE-prone serializer).
• Robustness: capped error.log, race-safe sensor-timer teardown, x86-safe interop, tray icon freed on exit.
• Docs & policy: added SECURITY.md (disclosure policy + the elevated / kernel-driver security model) and THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.txt (MPL-2.0 for LibreHardwareMonitor). CI now runs with a least-privilege token and a pinned Inno Setup.

Fixes & improvements

• Disk temperature now picks the representative sensor (SATA Temperature / NVMe Composite Temperature) and ignores the Warning/Critical thresholds and the hotspot — more accurate per-drive readings.
• Values rendered in a slightly heavier Segoe UI Semibold.
• Stays on the sensor library version that reads Intel CPU temperature correctly.

Verify your download

Binaries are unsigned; SmartScreen may warn. Check the SHA-256 hashes against SHA256SUMS.txt:

Get-FileHash .\TaskbarMonitor-Setup-1.1.2.exe -Algorithm SHA256

Downloads

Asset	Notes
TaskbarMonitor-Setup-1.1.2.exe	Recommended — run and done, no requirements
TaskbarMonitor-1.1.2-win-x64.zip	Portable — requires the .NET 8 Desktop Runtime
TaskbarMonitor-1.1.2-win-x64-self-contained.zip	Portable, no runtime required
SHA256SUMS.txt	Checksums for the above

TaskbarMonitor 1.1.1

Easy installer

Just download and run TaskbarMonitor-Setup-1.1.1.exe — no .NET, no zip, no scripts.

The installer bundles the self-contained build, installs to Program Files with a Start Menu entry, registers the elevated startup task (temperatures work out of the box, starts at every logon), launches the monitor immediately, and shows up in Settings -> Apps for a clean one-click uninstall. Updating: just run the new installer over the old version.

Also new: the app finally has an icon (the little green activity bars).

Downloads

Asset	Notes
TaskbarMonitor-Setup-1.1.1.exe	Recommended — run and done, no requirements
TaskbarMonitor-1.1.1-win-x64.zip	Portable (1.3 MB) — requires the .NET 8 Desktop Runtime; use install.ps1
TaskbarMonitor-1.1.1-win-x64-self-contained.zip	Portable, no runtime required; use install.ps1

TaskbarMonitor 1.1.0

New column-per-device layout

One column per device — header label on top (Segoe UI Semibold), load on the first line, temperature on the second:

• CPU | GPU | RAM | DISK 1 | DISK 2 | NET
• RAM shows used gigabytes on its second line
• NET is back as a single column with upload (up arrow) and download (down arrow) stacked
• Easy to extend: adding a device is just adding a column

Fixes and improvements

• Drives are now tracked individually — the bar shows up to two drives; the tooltip lists every drive with its name
• Correct NVMe temperature: the composite Temperature sensor is now preferred over the hotspot (Temperature 2), which reads much higher
• Typography polish: smaller semibold headers, extra top padding, breathing room between lines

Downloads

Asset	Notes
TaskbarMonitor-1.1.0-win-x64.zip	Small (1.3 MB) — requires the .NET 8 Desktop Runtime
TaskbarMonitor-1.1.0-win-x64-self-contained.zip	No runtime required

Install: extract, right-click install.ps1 -> Run with PowerShell, accept UAC once. Update: same, over the old folder. Uninstall: run uninstall.ps1.

TaskbarMonitor 1.0.0

First public release.

Minimalist hardware monitor pinned to the left corner of the Windows 11 taskbar, on every screen:

• CPU / GPU / RAM / disk: load and temperature, color-coded (yellow >= 70 C or 85% load, red >= 85 C or 95% load)
• Network: upload/download per second, compact 3-digit format
• Transparent background — numbers drawn straight over the taskbar, light/dark theme aware
• Stable fixed-grid layout (values never jitter), per-monitor DPI support
• Hides automatically while a fullscreen game/video covers a screen, per screen
• Autostart at logon via elevated Scheduled Task (needed to read CPU/disk temperatures)

Downloads

Asset	Notes
TaskbarMonitor-1.0.0-win-x64.zip	Small (1.3 MB) — requires the .NET 8 Desktop Runtime
TaskbarMonitor-1.0.0-win-x64-self-contained.zip	No runtime required

Install: extract, right-click install.ps1 -> Run with PowerShell, accept UAC once. Uninstall: run uninstall.ps1.