Nova DSO Tracker Desktop 0.2.1 (Tracker v6.7.1)

Release Date: 2026-09-27

Bundles Nova DSO Tracker v6.7.1.

This is a bug fix release. It updates the bundled Nova DSO Tracker to fix how journal backups and imports handle session logs and projects. The desktop app itself has not changed.

Bug Fixes

• Session logs in journal backups: the "Download Journal Photos" ZIP now also includes the ASIAIR, PHD2 and N.I.N.A. log files attached to your sessions (under logs/<type>/). Importing the ZIP restores them, and existing log files are never overwritten. The download also works now if you have logs but no photos.
• N.I.N.A. logs in journal export/import: N.I.N.A. log references were missing from the journal YAML export and import. They are now included, like ASIAIR and PHD2 logs.
• Journal import no longer takes over other users' projects (multi-user mode): importing a journal that contained a project ID owned by another user moved that project to the importing user. Now the other user's project is left alone. Your own project with the same name is reused, or a copy is created for you, and the imported sessions are linked to it.

Heads Up

• To move a journal with its session logs to another instance, import both the journal YAML and the Journal Photos ZIP.

Updating

Quit Nova DSO Tracker, then drag the new version into Applications and replace the old one. Your data in ~/nova/instance is kept.

Requirements

• macOS 14 or later on Apple Silicon (arm64).

Nova DSO Tracker Desktop v0.2.0 (Tracker v6.7.0)

Bundles Nova DSO Tracker v6.7.0.

Nova DSO Tracker Desktop is a fully self-contained Mac app. It ships with its own Python runtime and a copy of Nova, so you don't need Docker, a separate Python install or a checkout of the Nova repository.

Features

• Runs on its own: a pinned Python 3.13 runtime and the Nova app are bundled inside the .app. Download it, drag it to Applications and launch.
• Signed and notarized by Apple: opens without security warnings.
• Opens in your language: on first launch, Nova picks up your Mac's system language automatically.
• Native Mac menu:
  • Preferences… (⌘,) opens Nova's settings.
  • About Nova DSO Tracker opens Nova's About dialog, which also shows the desktop app version.
• Remembers your window: size and position are restored between launches, with a sensible minimum window size.
• Clean title bar: no duplicate title text on macOS. The window controls and dragging work as usual.
• Built-in help: Nova's help documentation is included in the app.
• First launch explained: the first start is slower because of macOS security checks and Python's first-time setup. The loading screen tells you so.
• Sky glow works out of the box: no setup needed.
• Moving from the online version? Export your YAML data from app.nova-tracker.com and import it here.
• Recovers from a force quit or crash: if a previous Nova process was left running, the app finds it and replaces it cleanly.
• Clear message when the port is busy: if another program is using port 5001, the start screen tells you. Nova never stops a process it doesn't recognise.

Using Nova Launcher (Docker) too?

Nova Desktop stores its data in ~/nova/instance, the same place Nova Launcher (Docker) uses, so both see the same data.

Don't run both at the same time. Quit one before starting the other.

Under the hood

• The Python runtime build is atomic: a failed build can't leave the app without Python, and a DMG can't be built without the runtime.
• Custom DMG background and layout.

Requirements

• macOS on Apple Silicon (arm64).