Barc v0.0.8

Barc 0.0.8

Barc is a personal browser, built for my own taste. My goal is to reduce the browser's footprint while maintaining the original Arc feel.

Changes

• Anti-fingerprinting now uses WebKit's own protection, the one Safari uses for Advanced Fingerprinting Protection. Canvas and audio readouts get per-session noise and the screen reports its full size, while the page's functions stay WebKit's own, so bot checks that look for replaced functions no longer refuse Barc. GoDaddy's Microsoft 365 sign-in passed every run with it. Where a macOS release lacks the switch, Barc falls back to its script, and the floating switch on sites known to refuse it.
• ⌥Q copies a screenshot of the full page to the clipboard and ⌥W copies the visible area. They replace ⌃⇧⌘4 and ⌃⇧⌘3, and work while typing in a field or on a page. Change them under Settings → Shortcuts.
• The performance gauge moved from beside Home at the bottom of the sidebar to the top, straight after the window controls. Below about 241 points of sidebar width, back, forward and reload take their own row beneath it.

Verification

The full suite ran 2,523 tests in 404 suites. Two saved-login suggestion tests failed under full-suite load, as on 0.0.7.

Download and install

• Barc-0.0.8-universal.dmg: open the disk image and drag Barc to Applications.
• Barc-0.0.8-universal.pkg: a standard installer that places Barc in Applications.
• SHA256SUMS.txt: SHA-256 checksums for both downloads.

Both installers support Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, with macOS 14 or later. Translation requires macOS 15; extensions require macOS 15.4.

Signing

This release is ad-hoc signed and not notarized by Apple. The installer package is unsigned. macOS may prevent first launch; read Apple's guidance before deciding whether to open it. No security settings are changed by the installer.

Included

• Arc-style sidebar, address/search launcher, Spaces, Favorites and split views.
• Arc import for supported tabs, folders, history, bookmarks, passwords and website data. Some sites require signing in again.
• Separate website identities for personal and work profiles.

Browser profiles, browsing history, saved passwords, cookies and local migration captures are not bundled. Automatic updates are not configured yet; download updates from this release page.

The source is licensed under Apache License 2.0. Original notices and third-party licenses are included in the app. Barc has no affiliation with Arc or The Browser Company.

Barc v0.0.7

Barc 0.0.7

Barc is a personal fork of Kylmora, built for my own taste. My goal is to reduce the browser's footprint while maintaining the original Arc feel.

Changes

• Fixed GoDaddy's Microsoft 365 sign-in, which answered "Your browser is a bit unusual..." in Barc. GoDaddy's bot check rejects the values anti-fingerprinting masks, and turning the protection off for the site did nothing: the script carrying each site's settings ran after the page scripts that read it, so anti-fingerprinting and hostile-page blocking stayed on everywhere. The site settings now load first, so per-site and global switches for both take effect on the next page load.
• New floating Anti-Fingerprinting switch in the bottom-right corner of sites known to refuse the protection, starting with sso.godaddy.com. It changes the site's own setting, the same one in Site Settings, and reloads the page. Close it to hide it for that site until Barc quits.

Verification

The full suite ran 2,517 tests in 403 suites. Two saved-login suggestion tests failed under full-suite load; they fail identically on 0.0.6 and pass in isolation. In a WebKit test harness, GoDaddy's sign-in was refused with Barc's page scripts as 0.0.6 loaded them and accepted once anti-fingerprinting was off.

Download and install

• Barc-0.0.7-universal.dmg: open the disk image and drag Barc to Applications.
• Barc-0.0.7-universal.pkg: a standard installer that places Barc in Applications.
• SHA256SUMS.txt: SHA-256 checksums for both downloads.

Both installers support Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, with macOS 14 or later. Translation requires macOS 15; extensions require macOS 15.4.

Signing

This release is ad-hoc signed and not notarized by Apple. The installer package is unsigned. macOS may prevent first launch; read Apple's guidance before deciding whether to open it. No security settings are changed by the installer.

Included

• Arc-style sidebar, address/search launcher, Spaces, Favorites and split views.
• Arc import for supported tabs, folders, history, bookmarks, passwords and website data. Some sites require signing in again.
• Separate website identities for personal and work profiles.

Browser profiles, browsing history, saved passwords, cookies and local migration captures are not bundled. Automatic updates are not configured yet; download updates from this release page.

The source is licensed under Apache License 2.0. Original Kylmora notices and third-party licenses are included in the app. This is an independent fork, with no affiliation with Kylmora, Arc or The Browser Company.

Barc v0.0.6

Barc 0.0.6

Barc is a personal fork of Kylmora, built for my own taste. My goal is to reduce the browser's footprint while maintaining the original Arc feel.

Changes

• Fixed a Performance window leak. Its statistics grid created new labels every two seconds, and AppKit kept a record of every removed cell: about 84 MB after 10.7 hours in the installed browser. Grids, bars, legends and scope chips now update in place, the window releases its controller when closed, and sampling pauses while the window is hidden or minimised.
• New Settings → General → Background tab memory limit: Off, 1 GB, 2 GB or 4 GB, default 2 GB. Over the limit, the heaviest background tabs sleep first after a two-minute grace period. Shared processes are counted once.
• A background tab whose own process uses 500 MB or more sleeps after three minutes instead of the normal delay.
• Drafts, calls, transfers, Keep Awake pages, visible panes and complete split groups keep their existing protections under both new rules.
• Memory pressure also clears WebKit's in-memory resource cache, at most once a minute. Cookies and website storage are untouched.
• Barc returns freed allocator memory to macOS under memory pressure and when it moves to the background.
• The auxiliary URL cache uses 4 MB of memory instead of 64 MB (128 MB in RAM-only mode). Cache mode names now describe what each mode does.
• New Settings → Advanced Blocking → Hide generic page elements, on by default. Turning it off saves about 18–19 MB per web process; site-specific hiding and network blocking stay on.
• Form autofill starts inside embedded frames only when a field there is first focused. The autoplay guard listens for playback instead of watching every page change. Boosts and Link Hints do no work when unused.
• The tab overview releases its cards and thumbnails when dismissed.

Verification

The full suite ran 2,513 tests in 403 suites. Two saved-login suggestion tests failed under full-suite load; they fail identically on 0.0.5 and pass in isolation. An idle-page retention case failed in two of three full runs and passed in the third and in every isolated and under-load rerun.

Measurement records: content blocking memory and web process release. Merging duplicate filter-list rules and blanking pages before sleep were measured and not adopted.

WebKit controls process reuse and cache reclamation. Savings depend on the websites you keep open. Passkeys remain unavailable in this private build.

Download and install

• Barc-0.0.6-universal.dmg: open the disk image and drag Barc to Applications.
• Barc-0.0.6-universal.pkg: a standard installer that places Barc in Applications.
• SHA256SUMS.txt: SHA-256 checksums for both downloads.

Both installers support Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, with macOS 14 or later. Translation requires macOS 15; extensions require macOS 15.4.

Signing

This release is ad-hoc signed and not notarized by Apple. The installer package is unsigned. macOS may prevent first launch; read Apple's guidance before deciding whether to open it. No security settings are changed by the installer.

Included

• Arc-style sidebar, address/search launcher, Spaces, Favorites and split views.
• Arc import for supported tabs, folders, history, bookmarks, passwords and website data. Some sites require signing in again.
• Separate website identities for personal and work profiles.

Browser profiles, browsing history, saved passwords, cookies and local migration captures are not bundled. Automatic updates are not configured yet; download updates from this release page.

The source is licensed under Apache License 2.0. Original Kylmora notices and third-party licenses are included in the app. This is an independent fork, with no affiliation with Kylmora, Arc or The Browser Company.

Barc v0.0.5

Barc 0.0.5

Barc is a personal fork of Kylmora, built for my own taste. My goal is to reduce the browser's footprint while maintaining the original Arc feel.

Changes

• Saved-login suggestions leave keyboard focus in the field. Typing dismisses suggestions, empty results show no popup, and delayed lookups cannot overwrite text entered while waiting. Click and arrow-key account selection still work.
• Idle pages can sleep after background requests finish. Untouched read-only controls no longer look like unsaved drafts. Unsent edits, active calls, uploads and other protected work still keep pages awake.
• Split views recheck every pane immediately before sleeping. A draft started during the safety check keeps the entire split open.
• Closed previews, floating pages, small browser windows and standalone web apps release their old documents even when another component retains the view. Pages handed over to a new tab or panel stay live.
• Performance identifies auxiliary web content by surface, domain and visibility. Shared processes are counted once; process memory still includes WebKit and caches.
• Restored scroll positions stay stable after WebKit finishes loading. Fresh user input cancels any pending scroll adjustment.
• Fixed page-height oscillation with docked developer tools, including normal tabs and split views.
• Updated the README and project description around Barc's purpose as a personal browser with the original Arc feel and a smaller footprint.

Verification

Native regression and integration checks cover typing with suggestions visible, explicit account selection, delayed replies, draft and transfer protection, closed-page cleanup, cookies, history, scroll restoration and the one-minute hibernation scheduler. Live checks confirmed automatic idle sleep and typing in the installed browser, with saved tabs preserved.

Detailed verification records: idle-page memory, page sizing, and login suggestions.

WebKit controls process reuse and cache reclamation. These changes fix reproduced problems; they do not impose a fixed memory limit on websites. Passkeys remain unavailable in this private build.

Download and install

• Barc-0.0.5-universal.dmg: open the disk image and drag Barc to Applications.
• Barc-0.0.5-universal.pkg: a standard installer that places Barc in Applications.
• SHA256SUMS.txt: SHA-256 checksums for both downloads.

Both installers support Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, with macOS 14 or later. Translation requires macOS 15; extensions require macOS 15.4.

Signing

This release is ad-hoc signed and not notarized by Apple. The installer package is unsigned. macOS may prevent first launch; read Apple's guidance before deciding whether to open it. No security settings are changed by the installer.

Included

• Arc-style sidebar, address/search launcher, Spaces, Favorites and split views.
• Arc import for supported tabs, folders, history, bookmarks, passwords and website data. Some sites require signing in again.
• Separate website identities for personal and work profiles.

Browser profiles, browsing history, saved passwords, cookies and local migration captures are not bundled. Automatic updates are not configured yet; download updates from this release page.

The source is licensed under Apache License 2.0. Original Kylmora notices and third-party licenses are included in the app. This is an independent fork, with no affiliation with Kylmora, Arc or The Browser Company.

Barc v0.0.4

Barc 0.0.4

Barc is a personal fork of Kylmora, focused on Arc-style sidebar navigation, Spaces and Arc import.

Changes

• Cleared message composers and reverted form choices can qualify for automatic sleep without navigating away. Unfinished drafts, unsaved deletions, selected files and uncertain editor state remain protected.
• Completed calls and captures no longer leave a cached activity flag blocking sleep. Capture copies, including cloned and repackaged streams, stay protected while live.
• If a system panel retains an unloaded page view, Barc replaces its old document and history with a blank page. The tab keeps its separate restoration state and profile cookies. Views handed to a new owner or attached to a surface are excluded from cleanup.
• Performance separates the Barc app, networking, graphics, auxiliary pages and tab processes. Process RAM includes WebKit and caches; shared processes are labelled and counted once. WebKit does not expose an exact engine baseline or tab-only allocation.
• Page details and page tooltips explain why automatic sleep is deferred.

Verification

Regression checks passed across two runs covering 2,459 distinct tests. The broad run covered 2,452 tests; a separate 40-test lifecycle run included the seven timing-sensitive checks excluded from the broad run. Opt-in checks remain disabled in ordinary runs.

Checks include the real one-minute scheduler, eight repeated edit/clear/sleep/wake cycles, stopped and cloned native capture tracks, retained-view cleanup, restoration of history and private session cookies, transfers and protection of new view owners. The optimized application built and passed strict signature verification.

WebKit controls process reuse and cache reclamation. These fixes address reproduced retention and sleep-blocking bugs; they do not impose a fixed RAM limit on websites.

Download and install

• Barc-0.0.4-universal.dmg: open the disk image and drag Barc to Applications.
• Barc-0.0.4-universal.pkg: a standard installer that places Barc in Applications.
• SHA256SUMS.txt: SHA-256 checksums for both downloads.

Both installers support Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, with macOS 14 or later. Translation requires macOS 15; extensions require macOS 15.4.

Signing

This release is ad-hoc signed and not notarized by Apple. The installer package is unsigned. macOS may prevent first launch; read Apple's guidance before deciding whether to open it. No security settings are changed by the installer.

Included

• Arc-style sidebar, address/search launcher, Spaces, Favorites and split views.
• Arc import for supported tabs, folders, history, bookmarks, passwords and website data. Some sites require signing in again.
• Separate website identities for personal and work profiles.

Browser profiles, browsing history, saved passwords, cookies and local migration captures are not bundled. Automatic updates are not configured yet; download updates from this release page.

The source is licensed under Apache License 2.0. Original Kylmora notices and third-party licenses are included in the app. This is an independent fork, with no affiliation with Kylmora, Arc or The Browser Company.

Barc v0.0.3

Barc 0.0.3

Barc is a personal fork of Kylmora, focused on Arc-style sidebar navigation, Spaces and Arc import.

Changes

• Inactive profiles begin hibernating eligible pages after one minute. Change the timeout to one, five or ten minutes, or disable it, in Settings → General. Returning to a profile reloads only its selected page or visible split.
• Hibernation preserves profile storage and login cookies. Edited forms, file selections, calls, capture, uploads, active or resumable downloads, picture-in-picture, Keep Awake pages and automatic-refresh dashboards stay protected. Pages whose safety cannot be established remain loaded.
• Hidden web panels now sleep when safe and load on demand. Drafts and scratchpads remain resident.
• Preview images have memory limits, session encoding and writes run off the main thread, and unloaded tabs stop their reload timers. Background pages receive normal visibility events, and page scripts do less repeated scanning.
• Resource readings account for shared processes consistently and label unavailable measurements. The optional performance gauge is visible beside Home at the bottom of the sidebar.
• Full-page screenshots include offscreen content and long-page footers, with bounded raster dimensions. Added a full-page clipboard action; capture feedback appears after a successful capture.
• Fresh installations offer a one-time default-browser invitation. General settings keep the current default-browser status visible and check both HTTP and HTTPS links.

Verification

The full regression suite passed: 2,444 tests in 387 suites. Live page tests cover drafts, cross-origin frames, calls, transfers, login cookies, scroll restoration and repeated unloading. A separate 31-minute, 26-cycle soak completed with no retained old web views or lost fixture session cookies. These are controlled checks, not a fixed memory-saving promise for arbitrary websites.

See the memory behavior notes and verification report.

Download and install

• Barc-0.0.3-universal.dmg: open the disk image and drag Barc to Applications.
• Barc-0.0.3-universal.pkg: a standard installer that places Barc in Applications.
• SHA256SUMS.txt: SHA-256 checksums for both downloads.

Both installers support Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, with macOS 14 or later. Translation requires macOS 15; extensions require macOS 15.4.

Signing

This release is ad-hoc signed and not notarized by Apple. The installer package is unsigned. macOS may prevent first launch; read Apple's guidance before deciding whether to open it. No security settings are changed by the installer.

Included

• Arc-style sidebar, address/search launcher, Spaces, Favorites and split views.
• Arc import for supported tabs, folders, history, bookmarks, passwords and website data. Some sites require signing in again.
• Separate website identities for personal and work profiles.

Browser profiles, browsing history, saved passwords, cookies and local migration captures are not bundled. Automatic updates are not configured yet; download updates from this release page.

The source is licensed under Apache License 2.0. Original Kylmora notices and third-party licenses are included in the app. This is an independent fork, with no affiliation with Kylmora, Arc or The Browser Company.

Barc v0.0.2

Barc 0.0.2

Barc is a personal fork of Kylmora, focused on Arc-style sidebar navigation, Spaces and Arc import.

Changes

• New tabs open at the top of the Today list, including tabs opened by websites and adopted from preview windows.
• Address-bar tab and folder suggestions stay in the current workspace. History and bookmarks use its profile. Opening a suggested URL no longer switches profiles through routing rules.
• Search waits 200 ms after the latest keystroke before running.
• Saved-login suggestions support email-first and password sign-in steps with an account chooser. Vault errors now show a retry message.
• Added a guided one-time CSV import from Apple Passwords into the selected profile. Existing passwords are preserved, and the import is saved as one encrypted batch.
• Browser identification follows the installed Safari version, fixing Gmail's unsupported-browser detection for the default configuration and Safari mode.

Password and passkey limits

Apple Passwords import copies website passwords only. It does not import passkeys or verification codes, and does not enable iCloud synchronization. Apple browser approval is still required for iCloud passkeys and the iCloud Passwords extension. Delete unencrypted CSV exports after importing.

Download and install

• Barc-0.0.2-universal.dmg: open the disk image and drag Barc to Applications.
• Barc-0.0.2-universal.pkg: a standard installer that places Barc in Applications.
• SHA256SUMS.txt: SHA-256 checksums for both downloads.

Both installers support Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, with macOS 14 or later. Translation requires macOS 15; extensions require macOS 15.4.

Signing

This release is ad-hoc signed and not notarized by Apple. The installer package is unsigned. macOS may prevent first launch; read Apple's guidance before deciding whether to open it. No security settings are changed by the installer.

Included

• Arc-style sidebar, address/search launcher, Spaces, Favorites and split views.
• Arc import for supported tabs, folders, history, bookmarks, passwords and website data. Some sites require signing in again.
• Separate website identities for personal and work profiles.

Browser profiles, browsing history, saved passwords, cookies and local migration captures are not bundled. Automatic updates are not configured yet; download updates from this release page.

The source is licensed under Apache License 2.0. Original Kylmora notices and third-party licenses are included in the app. This is an independent fork, with no affiliation with Kylmora, Arc or The Browser Company.

Barc v0.0.1

Barc 0.0.1

The first Barc installer release. Barc is a personal fork of Kylmora, focused on Arc-style sidebar navigation, Spaces and Arc import.

Download and install

• Barc-0.0.1-universal.dmg: open the disk image and drag Barc to Applications.
• Barc-0.0.1-universal.pkg: a standard installer that places Barc in Applications.
• SHA256SUMS.txt: SHA-256 checksums for both downloads.

Both installers support Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, with macOS 14 or later. Translation requires macOS 15; extensions require macOS 15.4.

Signing

This initial release is ad-hoc signed and not notarized by Apple. The installer package is unsigned. macOS may prevent first launch; read Apple's guidance before deciding whether to open it. No security settings are changed by the installer.

Included

• Arc-style sidebar, address/search launcher, Spaces, Favorites and split views.
• Arc import for supported tabs, folders, history, bookmarks, passwords and website data. Some sites require signing in again.
• Separate website identities for personal and work profiles.

Browser profiles, browsing history, saved passwords, cookies and local migration captures are not bundled. Automatic updates are not configured yet; download updates from this release page.

The source is licensed under Apache License 2.0. Original Kylmora notices and third-party licenses are included in the app. This is an independent fork, with no affiliation with Kylmora, Arc or The Browser Company.