Almost Arc 1.1.6 (beta)

Beta. Install it with almost-arc update --beta.

• "Scripts aren't running" notice: if a Zen update removed the script loader, a notice at the bottom of the window says to rerun almost-arc install. Hide it with almost-arc.hide-scripts-notice.
• New release notice: when a newer Almost Arc release is out, a bar at the top of the window says so, with Copy command, What's new and Skip this version. Checks GitHub at most once a day. Install script, Homebrew and curl installs only (Sine updates mods itself). Turn it off with almost-arc.update-notice.
• Includes 1.1.5 (Almost Arc app icon on Zen).
• Not yet tested on a Mac.

Almost Arc 1.1.5 (beta)

Beta. Install it with almost-arc update --beta.

• Zen gets the Almost Arc icon in the Dock and Finder (macOS). almost-arc install sets it as a Finder custom icon; almost-arc uninstall puts Zen's own icon back. Zen updates remove it, like the script loader, so rerun almost-arc install after updating. To keep Zen's icon: ALMOST_ARC_ICON=0 ./install.sh.
• Not yet tested on a Mac.

Almost Arc 1.1.4

Fixes since 1.1

• URL pill trims cleanly. A URL too long for the pill is cut once, at its very end: google.com/search?q=some-long-que…, or docs.goog… in a very narrow window. Before, the domain was cut from the left (…r.google.com).
• almost-arc update for Homebrew installs. It runs brew update, brew upgrade almost-arc and almost-arc install in one go. almost-arc upgrade works too, for both Homebrew and curl installs.
• Clear help when macOS blocks the install. On macOS 13 and later, your terminal needs App Management permission to install the script loader into Zen.app. Without it, the installer used to stop with cp: ... Operation not permitted. Now it explains what to turn on and opens the settings page: System Settings → Privacy & Security → App Management. Turn on your terminal app, quit and reopen it, then install again.
• No more sudo. The installer refuses to run with sudo, which can't get around App Management anyway and leaves root-owned files in your Zen profile. It asks for your password itself when it needs it.

Update

• Sine: updates on its own. Restart Zen.
• Homebrew: quit Zen, then almost-arc update. (If that says it's not a command, run brew update && brew upgrade almost-arc && almost-arc install this once.)
• curl: quit Zen, then almost-arc update.
• From the repo: quit Zen, then git pull && ./install.sh.

After updating, open about:support and click Clear startup cache.

Almost Arc 1.1.3 (beta)

Beta. Install it with almost-arc update --beta. Included in the 1.1.4 release.

• One … per URL. The URL pill is cut once, at the very end, instead of after both the domain and the path. (This version knocked the text off-center vertically; fixed in 1.1.4.)

Almost Arc 1.1.2 (beta)

Beta. Install it with almost-arc update --beta. Included in the 1.1.4 release.

• URL pill trims on the right. A domain too long for the pill is cut at the end (docs.goog…) instead of the start (…r.google.com).
• almost-arc update for Homebrew installs, plus almost-arc upgrade for both Homebrew and curl installs.

Almost Arc 1.1.1 (beta)

Beta. Install it with almost-arc update --beta. Included in the 1.1.4 release.

• Clear help when macOS blocks the install. If your terminal lacks App Management permission (macOS 13+), the installer explains what to turn on and opens System Settings → Privacy & Security → App Management, instead of stopping at cp: ... Operation not permitted.
• No more sudo. The installer refuses to run with sudo, which leaves root-owned files in your Zen profile.

Almost Arc 1.1

What's new in 1.1

Picture-in-Picture now looks and works like Arc's.

• Arc's PiP controls. Back to Tab, the site's domain, Minimize and Close across the top; a big play/pause with 15-second skips in the middle; a slim progress bar along the bottom. Firefox's volume controls stay, bottom right.
• Minimize keeps the video playing. It closes the PiP window and you keep hearing the video, like Arc.
• Flick PiP into a corner. Swipe with two fingers over the PiP window and it glides to the screen corner in that direction. Click and drag still puts it anywhere.

Both can be turned off in the mod's settings (Sine) or in about:config: almost-arc.pip-layout and almost-arc.pip-flick. They apply to PiP windows opened after the change.

Update

• Sine: updates on its own. Restart Zen.
• Homebrew: quit Zen, then brew update && brew upgrade almost-arc && almost-arc install.
• curl: quit Zen, then almost-arc update.
• From the repo: quit Zen, then git pull && ./install.sh.

After updating, open about:support and click Clear startup cache.

New to Almost Arc? See the README.

Almost Arc 1.0.4

What's new in 1.0.4

• Hides www. like Arc. The URL pill shows google.com instead of www.google.com. The installer turns on browser.urlbar.trimWww; with Sine, tick Hide www. in the mod's settings.
• The installer no longer forces URL trimming on. browser.urlbar.trimURLs and trimHttps are already on by default, so they're no longer written to user.js and your own choice is kept.
• Install without Homebrew: paste this in Terminal (quit Zen first):

  curl -fsSL https://almostarc.net/install.sh | bash

  It adds the same almost-arc command, with almost-arc update and almost-arc uninstall. Use either Homebrew or curl, not both: each one stops if Almost Arc is already installed the other way.

Update

• Sine: updates on its own. Then tick Hide www. in Almost Arc's settings.
• Homebrew: quit Zen, then brew update && brew upgrade almost-arc && almost-arc install.
• curl: quit Zen, then almost-arc update.
• From the repo: quit Zen, then git pull && ./install.sh.

New to Almost Arc? See the README.

Almost Arc 1.0.3

What's new in 1.0.3

• Slightly larger toolbar icons: the sidebar button and the site settings / extensions button are now 18px. Tweak them with --arc-toolbar-icon-size at the top of chrome.css.

Update

• Sine: updates on its own.
• Homebrew: quit Zen, then brew update && brew upgrade almost-arc && almost-arc install.
• From the repo: quit Zen, then git pull && ./install.sh.

New to Almost Arc? See the README.

Almost Arc 1.0.2

What's new in 1.0.2

• All Almost Arc settings now show up in about:config (search almost-arc), whichever way you installed. Before, some only existed once you'd changed them.
• Your 1.0.0 settings carry over. Values you set under the old arc-toolbar.* names are copied to the new almost-arc.* names, and the old entries are removed.
• Changes in about:config now stick. The installer no longer writes Almost Arc's own settings into user.js, where they were reset on every restart.

Where the settings are

• With Sine: Zen → Settings → Sine Mods → Almost Arc.
• Without Sine: type about:config in the address bar, accept the warning, and search almost-arc. Restart Zen after changing one.

Update

• Sine: updates on its own.
• Homebrew: quit Zen, then brew upgrade almost-arc && almost-arc install.
• From the repo: quit Zen, then git pull && ./install.sh.

New to Almost Arc? See the README.