v1.2.0 — HiDPI scaling & resizable window

New in v1.2.0

HiDPI / Retina scaling

• Fixed tiny remote desktop on Retina displays. The remote used to render everything microscopically because macOS reported the full physical pixel count to the server. A new Scale setting sends a DPI scale factor to Windows (the same knob as Windows' "Display scaling"), so text and UI render at a normal, readable size.
• Options: 100 / 150 / 200 / 250 / 300%, defaulting to 200% (Retina). Change it in Advanced settings if 200 isn't right for your panel.

Display modes

• Windowed is now genuinely resizable, the remote desktop reflows as you drag the window edge.
• Fullscreen stays real macOS fullscreen (its own Space).
• Removed the confusing "Smart" mode.

Requirements

• macOS 11 Big Sur or later, Apple Silicon
• One-time prerequisites: brew install krb5 and add the GEWIS realm to /etc/krb5.conf (see README)

Installation

1. Download GEWIS Remote Desktop-1.2.0.dmg
2. Open it. A volume called GEWIS RDP Installer mounts on your desktop.
3. Drag the app into the Applications shortcut, then eject the installer disk (drag it to Trash, or right-click → Eject).
4. First launch from /Applications. If macOS says "can't be opened", run:

   xattr -cr "/Applications/GEWIS Remote Desktop.app"

v1.1.0 — Native fast path & polished UX

New in v1.1.0

Performance

• Automatic fast/slow path detection. On TU/e WiFi, the app now connects directly to the RDP server on port 3389, bypassing the HTTPS gateway entirely. Mouse latency drops from ~2s queueing to instant Windows-level responsiveness. Off-campus, it transparently falls back to the gateway. No setting to flip.
• Hardware H.264 decode via Apple VideoToolbox. AVC444 video streams render on the M-series media engine instead of the CPU.
• No X11 / XQuartz dependency. The app now uses the SDL3 client which renders directly through Metal.

UX

• New circular reveal animation on connect: red overlay grows from the button, plays through a sequence of status messages, retracts cleanly on error.
• Escape during connection retracts back to the login screen.
• Native macOS Spaces fullscreen mode (the green-button behaviour) when you pick "Fullscreen" in advanced settings.
• Made-with-love footer link to my GEWIS member page in advanced settings.

Requirements

• macOS 11 Big Sur or later, Apple Silicon
• One-time prerequisites: brew install krb5 and add the GEWIS realm to /etc/krb5.conf (see README)

Installation

1. Download GEWIS Remote Desktop-1.1.0.dmg
2. Open it. A volume called GEWIS RDP Installer mounts on your desktop.
3. Drag the app into the Applications shortcut, then eject the installer disk (drag it to Trash, or right-click → Eject).
4. First launch from /Applications. If macOS says "can't be opened", run:

   xattr -cr "/Applications/GEWIS Remote Desktop.app"

GEWIS-RDP Release

First public release of GEWIS Remote Desktop for macOS.

Requirements

• macOS 11 Big Sur or later
• Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4), Intel Macs not supported
• Homebrew installed: brew install krb5 && brew install --cask xquartz
• The GEWIS Kerberos realm in /etc/krb5.conf, see README.md

Installation

1. Download GEWIS Remote Desktop-1.0.0.dmg
2. Drag the app into Applications
3. On first launch, if macOS says "can't be opened", run in Terminal:
   xattr -cr "/Applications/GEWIS Remote Desktop.app"
4. Open from Spotlight or /Applications/