0.7.1

OpenCourse 0.7.1 adds more control over Coach conversations and keeps study timers consistent across windows.

• Choose a default Coach voice and listen to a short preview before saving it.
• Customize the shared, voice, background, first-conversation, and follow-up prompts used by new coaches. Existing coaches retain their saved instructions.
• Keep one Pomodoro timer synchronized across the main app and notebook windows, including after sleep or window reopening.
• Use the shared title bar and Pomodoro controls in notebook windows.
• Remove the bundled Neon Afterhours theme. Existing selections fall back to the default appearance; imported themes remain supported.

The desktop database upgrades automatically to support saved Coach prompts.

Download OpenCourse-mac-arm64.dmg for Apple silicon Macs running macOS 13 Ventura or later, or update from Settings → Updates.

This build is not signed with an Apple Developer ID yet. The first time you open it, macOS says it cannot verify the app: close the message, open System Settings ▸ Privacy & Security, scroll to the note about OpenCourse and choose Open Anyway. You do this once for each version you download yourself; a version OpenCourse installs from Settings ▸ Updates opens without it.

0.7.0

Coach, wherever you study

• Open the floating Coaches button above Notebooks to choose a coach or create one and start talking. Search, rename and delete coaches from the launcher, or hide it in Settings → Appearance.
• Ask about the lesson, PDF page or selected text you are viewing. Coach can inspect open personal and Python notebooks, including unsaved edits, and search and read material in your library and on connected servers.
• Each coach keeps its own memory between conversations. The separate Coach workspace, file browser and session-history screens have been removed; the coach manages its memory files.
• Voice and background model choices are shared in Settings → Coach and apply when each conversation starts.
• Conversation controls, tool activity and interruptions stay in the floating panel while you move between courses and documents.

Notebooks and reading

• Personal notebooks continue to offer autosaving Markdown pages, images, search and read-only chat in separate windows, with links to courses and PDFs.
• Coach and notebook launchers share consistent floating controls. Notebook context and selected passages stay available across windows.
• Remote Coach reading requires server 0.3.0, respects content access, and excludes course quiz answers and exercise solutions. It does not enroll you or record a download.

Updated website and guides

The website now presents PDFs, personal notebooks, web learning sync, AI course authoring and the new Coach with current screenshots. Getting-started, privacy and server documentation explain local versus synchronized data and the separate local and server AI connections.

Download OpenCourse-mac-arm64.dmg for Apple silicon Macs running macOS 13 Ventura or later, or update from Settings → Updates.

This build is not signed with an Apple Developer ID yet. The first time you open it, macOS says it cannot verify the app: close the message, open System Settings ▸ Privacy & Security, scroll to the note about OpenCourse and choose Open Anyway. You do this once for each version you download yourself; a version OpenCourse installs from Settings ▸ Updates opens without it.

Server 0.3.0

Server 0.3.0 adds authenticated, read-only retrieval of versioned courses and PDF documents for desktop Coach in OpenCourse 0.7.0.

• List and search course content and PDF sections, then read bounded passages with continuation cursors.
• Read accessible catalog content without enrollment or download side effects.
• Preserve publication, moderation and enrolled-version access rules.
• Exclude course quiz answers and exercise solutions from reading results.

Image: ghcr.io/s3298321/opencourse-server:0.3.0 (linux/amd64 and linux/arm64).

0.6.0

Personal notebooks

• Create personal notebooks from the bottom-left notebook launcher, either standalone or linked to a course, PDF, or coach.
• Write in a dedicated window with a live Markdown editor, automatic saving, multiple pages, and pasted or dropped images.
• Search notebook titles, page titles, and contents, with related notebooks prioritized within each match group.
• Highlight a passage and choose Ask about this. Notebook chat can read other pages and linked learning material, and conversations continue as you switch pages.
• Adjust reading size, text width, and line numbers. Notebook windows follow the active theme.
• Keep unsaved edits safe when closing windows or switching users, with explicit choices if a page changes elsewhere.

Personal notebooks stay with the selected local user and do not sync to servers. Notebook chat reads your pages but does not edit them.

Workspace improvements

• Executable course notebooks are now labelled Python notebook, making them easier to distinguish from personal notebooks.
• Improve contextual menus and text selection for Ask about this across learning workspaces.

Download: OpenCourse-mac-arm64.dmg for Apple silicon Macs, or update from Settings → Updates.

This build is not signed with an Apple Developer ID yet. The first time you open it, macOS says it cannot verify the app: close the message, open System Settings ▸ Privacy & Security, scroll to the note about OpenCourse and choose Open Anyway. You do this once for each version you download yourself; a version OpenCourse installs from Settings ▸ Updates opens without it.

0.5.2

Coach improvements

• Choose which background models appear in Coach dropdowns from Settings → Coach.
• Set background reasoning per coach, with a default for new coaches. Supported choices follow the selected model.
• See a loading indicator while model lists load, with a retry option if loading fails.
• Read clearer transcripts with “Coach:” and “You:” labels, brighter coach text, and dimmer learner text.
• Interrupt the coach by speaking; the separate Stop speaking button has been removed.
• Let the coach organize its workspace using folder and move tools. Learners can still view and delete files, with clearer bin icons and improved session-button spacing.

Fixes

• Preserve reasoning choices in saved coaches and session history.
• Fix smoke-test fixtures and keyboard-focus styling so automated checks run reliably without real API credentials.

Download: OpenCourse-mac-arm64.dmg for Apple silicon Macs, or update from Settings → Updates.

This build is not signed with an Apple Developer ID yet. The first time you open it, macOS says it cannot verify the app: close the message, open System Settings ▸ Privacy & Security, scroll to the note about OpenCourse and choose Open Anyway. You do this once for each version you download yourself; a version OpenCourse installs from Settings ▸ Updates opens without it.

0.5.1

What's new

• Edit a whole lesson in one workspace, with a live preview alongside it. Use the Elements palette to drag in content, reorder elements, and manage flashcards without leaving the lesson.
• Choose the new built-in Neon Afterhours theme, with bundled artwork, fonts, and its Paper Spark mark. It works offline and respects reduced transparency and increased contrast settings.
• Enjoy a clearer server settings layout and polished confirmation dialogs with action icons.

Fixes and improvements

• Preserve text-field focus while editing and prevent further edits until a conflicting draft is reloaded.
• Keep built-in theme assets available in packaged apps, and export White or Neon Afterhours as portable theme archives.

Download: OpenCourse-mac-arm64.dmg for Apple silicon Macs, or update from Settings → Updates.

This build is not signed with an Apple Developer ID yet. The first time you open it, macOS says it cannot verify the app: close the message, open System Settings ▸ Privacy & Security, scroll to the note about OpenCourse and choose Open Anyway. You do this once for each version you download yourself; a version OpenCourse installs from Settings ▸ Updates opens without it.

0.5.0

OpenCourse 0.5.0 adds learning shared between the desktop app and the web.

• Keep enrolled courses, reading progress, reviews, and exercise code in sync with your server.
• Publish PDF documents, browse them in the catalog, and read them on desktop or web with searchable text and remembered reading position.
• Use reading chat with consistent conversations, citations, model choices, and settings across both interfaces.
• See clearer server connection status and recover pending changes after reconnecting.
• Develop against an isolated local app, server, and website with seeded example accounts and content.

The official catalog runs server 0.2.0. Self-hosters should upgrade their server, configure AI credential encryption to enable server chat, and back up their database and published files before migration. See the self-hosting guide for recovery details.

This build is not signed with an Apple Developer ID yet. The first time you open it, macOS says it cannot verify the app: close the message, open System Settings ▸ Privacy & Security, scroll to the note about OpenCourse and choose Open Anyway. You do this once for each version you download yourself; a version OpenCourse installs from Settings ▸ Updates opens without it.

0.4.6

What's new

• Document outlines now remember expanded and collapsed sections separately for each user and document.
• Reopening a document preserves those choices while restoring your reading position. Navigating to another heading still reveals its outline path.
• Expand all and Collapse all choices persist across reopening, and the outline remains usable if saved browser storage is invalid or unavailable.

Download OpenCourse-mac-arm64.dmg for Apple silicon Macs, or update from Settings ▸ Updates.

Full changelog: v0.4.5...v0.4.6

This build is not signed with an Apple Developer ID yet. The first time you open it, macOS says it cannot verify the app: close the message, open System Settings ▸ Privacy & Security, scroll to the note about OpenCourse and choose Open Anyway. You do this once for each version you download yourself; a version OpenCourse installs from Settings ▸ Updates opens without it.

0.4.5

What's new

• Live Coach: updated voice conversations with delegated background work, improved captions and transcript persistence, and automatic session titles.
• Study timer: a configurable Pomodoro timer for focused study sessions and breaks.
• Document reading: a navigable outline, page-based reading progress, and clearer library progress indicators.
• Flashcard review: a refreshed review screen, improved keyboard and focus behavior, and scheduling that selects due and unseen cards without pulling future cards into the session.
• Course and chat improvements: expandable course descriptions, improved conversation ordering and scrolling, and cleaner web citations.

Download OpenCourse-mac-arm64.dmg for Apple silicon Macs, or update from Settings ▸ Updates.

Validation

App typecheck and production build passed, with 1,478 app tests, 14 bundled Python checks, five committed exercise checks, and all 221 desktop smoke checks passing. Server typecheck, 52 tests, and build passed. Website build and link checks passed. Pull request and merged-master CI passed for the app, server, and site. The macOS release build and website deployment also passed.

Release checks run unattended without API credentials, speech recordings, or manual review. AI transport and media devices use deterministic test doubles.

Full changelog: v0.4.3...v0.4.5

This build is not signed with an Apple Developer ID yet. The first time you open it, macOS says it cannot verify the app: close the message, open System Settings ▸ Privacy & Security, scroll to the note about OpenCourse and choose Open Anyway. You do this once for each version you download yourself; a version OpenCourse installs from Settings ▸ Updates opens without it.

0.4.3

What's new

• Course authoring can research current official references, with citations and consulted sources retained in its conversation. Search has its own setting and reports when a connection cannot support it.
• Improved course-writing guidance for connected explanations, worked examples, useful practice, and purposeful interactive visuals.
• Authors can find and import reusable images with source, author, and license credits. Images work offline, and credits remain visible beside the image through editing, export, and import.
• Clearer AI overload messages with an explicit Retry action that continues from current state and preserves completed edits.
• Smoother chat-panel transitions, preserved reading position, and chat history that opens without replaying recent message animations.

Course format 1.8 adds image attribution. Catalog server 0.1.6 provides compatible publishing support; older course archives remain importable.

Validation

All app, server, and website CI checks passed, including bundled Python integration and the committed exercise gate. App tests: 1,365 passed. Server tests: 52 passed. All 221 desktop smoke checks passed. Paid live AI evaluations were not run.

Full changelog: v0.4.2...v0.4.3

This build is not signed with an Apple Developer ID yet. The first time you open it, macOS says it cannot verify the app: close the message, open System Settings ▸ Privacy & Security, scroll to the note about OpenCourse and choose Open Anyway. You do this once for each version you download yourself; a version OpenCourse installs from Settings ▸ Updates opens without it.