0.3.6 Release

Version 0.3.6 | @OldValencia

What's new

• A menu on every site tab. Right-click a tab, or press the keyboard's menu key, for Back, Reload, zoom, Copy link, Open in browser, sound, Mobile version, Move left / right, Clear site data and Edit site. It works on any tab, not only the one on screen.
• A simpler three-dot menu. Back and zoom moved to the tab menu; the three-dot menu now holds Settings and Extensions.
• A way back when a site sends you elsewhere. When a site takes you to another website or opens a page of its own, a bar above the page shows where you are: ✕ returns to the page you left on the site, Open in browser continues in your default browser. It replaces Close page and Open start page.
• Keep a page as a site. + on that bar adds the page as a site of its own, with the name the website gives itself filled in; the new tab opens on that page and the site you came from goes back to where you were.
• A window size for each site. Turn on Remember size for … in the Window size menu, and the window takes that site's size whenever you open it. Pick a preset and the site follows the preset, resize by hand and it keeps that size, or Fill the screen. Outside the dock the tabs stay under the pointer.
• Mobile version. Turn it on in a tab's menu, and the site shows the layout it gives a phone, handy for Instagram, X or YouTube in a tall, narrow window.
• Mute a site, always or only while Spark is hidden, from its tab's menu. Settings → Browser sets both for all sites at once.
• See which site makes noise. A tab that plays sound shows a speaker, crossed out when the site is muted.
• Sign out of one site. Clear site data… in a tab's menu clears that site's cookies and storage; the other sites stay signed in. Sign-out questions now use Spark's own dialogs.
• Find a site by name. Ctrl + Shift + L, even inside a page, opens All sites with its search ready.
• Drop files into any site. Hold a file from Explorer over a tab for a moment to open that site, then drop the file into its page. Hold it near either end of the tabs to scroll to the others.
• A dot on the tray icon when a site changes while Spark is hidden, for example when a chat finishes an answer. Its tooltip names the site.
• The open site's tab is in view when Spark starts, and stays in view when the window gets narrower.
• Menus close when you click into the page, not only when you click Spark itself.
• A new README, with the mascot showing you around each part of Spark, fresh screenshots and a new tour video.
• Meet Sparky. Spark has a new icon: its mascot, now called Sparky, who also says hello in the first-run tour.
• A livelier Sparky. Sparky now blinks and looks around, beams when a slow or broken page arrives, cheers a new site and waves goodbye to a removed one, gasps when a site sends you elsewhere or a file is carried in, sways while a site plays sound, and goes "shh" when you mute one. Click it too many times and it gets dizzy.
• A sharp tray icon. The tray draws Sparky at its own size instead of shrinking a large picture. The dot that marks a changed site is now blue and sits above Sparky's face, so it stays visible.

0.3.5 Release

Version 0.3.5 | @OldValencia

What's new

• Spark stays out of the way of fullscreen apps. Over a fullscreen game, video or presentation, the top-edge pill hides and the top edge no longer opens Spark on that monitor. The global hotkey and the tray still work. You can turn this off under Settings → Pill → Hide over fullscreen apps

  Faster and lighter

• Faster startup. The first site starts loading about 0.35 s sooner, and the window appears a little earlier too. More of the startup work is now prepared ahead of time when the installer is built

• Less memory. Spark's own process now reserves about 70 MB less memory and runs 20 fewer threads

0.3.4 Release

Version 0.3.4 | @OldValencia

What's Changed

• Each site now remembers its own zoom level.
• Zoom no longer flickers back to 100% when a page loads, and now also scales embedded frames and pages opened by a site.
• Turning zoom off in Settings now resets every open site, not just the current one.
• The window outline now takes a subtle hint of the open site's color and fades smoothly when you switch sites.
• Switch sites from the keyboard: Ctrl + 1…8 by position, Ctrl + 9 for the last site, Ctrl + Tab / Ctrl + Shift + Tab for the next and previous one. Site tooltips show the shortcut.
• After switching sites or reopening Spark, the page gets keyboard focus again, so you can type right away.
• A thin line in the site's color under the Spark bar shows when a page takes a moment to load.
• The highlight of the selected site tab now slides to the new tab and blends into its color.
• The mascot has moods: it turns its gears while a page loads, looks sad when a page can't load, dozes off when Spark sits untouched for a while, and wakes up when you come back.
• With the mascot turned off, the site tabs move into its place instead of leaving an empty gap.
• A small dot on a site's tab tells you that site changed its page title while you were on another one - for example, a chat got its name or a new message arrived. Opening the site clears it.
• The tray menu has Open site with all your sites in tab order, so you can jump straight to one.
• Spark now runs on Java 25 and starts faster: classes are loaded and linked ahead of time from a cache built with the installer.
• An open but idle Spark window no longer keeps the CPU busy redrawing nothing, and a hidden Spark no longer wakes up every second.
• About 1 MB smaller: tht the FlatLaf UI library.
• The Extensions window is created the first time you open it, so Spark starts a little lighter.
• Reduce background memory is now off by default. When it is on, Spark gives
  memory back only afterutes, so quickly hidingand showing it no longer shows a black window.
• Settings → Backup → Ex icons and preferences toa ZIP file, with instructions for using it on another PC.
• The installer now showcome, finish and innerpages.
• A short first-run tourflies to three bubbles - your sites, the window menu and the shortcut - and looks at what it explains. Skip it anytime, or re→ Show tutorial.

0.3.3 Release

Version 0.3.3 | @OldValencia

What's Changed

Browser extensions (Windows x64, experimental)

• New Three dots → Extensions window.
• Install extensions from the Chrome Web Store by pasting a store link or extension ID.
• Import ZIP/CRX packages or drop unpacked extensions into the extensions folder.
• Enable, disable, remove, and open an extension's settings.
• Open an extension's popup from its icon; click the icon again to close it.
• Extensions know which site is open in Spark, so Dark Reader, uBlock Origin, and others act on the current page.
• Check for updates updates Chrome Web Store extensions in place; importing a newer package updates other extensions. Settings and data are kept.
• Deleting an extension's folder unloads it, so it stops using memory.

Performance and stability

• The Extensions window opens instantly with the last known list and verifies it in the background.
• Extension popups open faster, and an open popup uses no CPU while idle.
• Startup no longer waits for extension checks.
• Updated WebView2 native libraries for all Windows architectures: fixed memory leaks after closing browser windows and a possible hang during startup.

Interface

• Larger, more readable text across the app: tabs, Your sites, Settings, Extensions.
• Dark text fields that match the app.
• Active tab names are no longer cut off.
• Fixed: typing in Your sites search after switching tabs went to the website instead of the search field.

Documentation

• New README video and screenshots, plus an extensions guide.

0.3.2 Release

Version 0.3.2 | @OldValencia

What's Changed

• Smooth window reveal and prevent visibility flashes
• Make upward reveal gesture easier to trigger
• Clarify browser navigation actions in window options
• Add named window size presets with per-slot save and reset

0.3.1 Release

Version 0.3.1 | @OldValencia

What's Changed

• The handler for authorizations and external windows/pages has been modified - it now prioritizes opening them within the app
• A micro-mascot has been added that tracks the mouse and reacts to minor events (mouse clicks, mouse position, tab switching, etc.)
• RAM and CPU usage have been optimized

0.3.0 Release - UI redesign

Version 0.3.0 | @OldValencia

What's Changed

• Redesigned the interface, top bar, menus, and settings
• Added a searchable site list with drag-and-drop and keyboard reordering
• Improved site editing and accent color selection
• Added S / M / L window presets, top docking, and window position persistence
• Added a top-edge pill with hover opening and optional auto-hide
• Added an optional quick upward gesture to open the window, disabled by default
• Grouped pill settings together and added a Reduce motion option
• Fixed the missing Java HTTP module in the packaged application
• Refactored the codebase for readability and maintainability
• Expanded regression tests and refreshed the README with real screenshots

UI comparison:

Before 0.3.0

0.3.0

0.2.9 Release

Version 0.2.9 | @OldValencia

What's Changed

• Preserve drafts, scroll position, and ongoing requests when switching sites or hiding the panel.
• Restore the last visited page independently for each site.
• Fix browser startup, rapid show/hide, and shutdown issues.
• Add an animated loading indicator and clear loading errors with Retry.
• Add recovery after browser and renderer process crashes.
• Fix session-data clearing, including HttpOnly cookies and site storage.
• Release completed session-clearing callbacks without accumulating them.
• Add optional background memory reduction without unloading open pages.
• Improve URL validation and navigation tracking.
• Fix native library extraction and concurrent loading across processes.
• Update native libraries with build metadata and SHA-256 checksums.
• Harden native API calls and browser thread ownership.

0.2.8 Release

Version 0.2.8 | @OldValencia

What's Changed

Release 0.2.8 - #19

• Remove unused dependency, replace Gson with Jackson

🖥️ OS Support

• Windows First: The Windows version is fully stable, offering a highly optimized and lightweight experience.
• Note on macOS: To maintain high-quality standards, macOS support is temporarily disabled

0.2.7 Release

Version 0.2.7 | @OldValencia

What's Changed

Release 0.2.7 - #18

• Hotfix for hdpi monitor bug

Release 0.2.6 - #17

• Fix monitor scale handling
• Remove splash screen and fix bugs
• Update settings UI
• Update icon color extractor algorithm

🖥️ OS Support

• Windows First: The Windows version is fully stable, offering a highly optimized and lightweight experience.
• Note on macOS: To maintain high-quality standards, macOS support is temporarily disabled