Files
voculinux/docs/UPDATE.md
T
Jatin K MalikandGitHub 44af1703c6 fix(docs): point all install curl URLs to main/install.sh (#314)
The install.sh on main now dynamically resolves the latest release tag
via GitHub API (merged in PR #313), so pinning to a specific release tag
in install commands is no longer needed — and was causing users to run
the old hardcoded installer.

Update all curl install command URLs across docs, code, and website from
versioned tags (v0.9.0-beta, v0.8.0-beta) to main/install.sh:
- README.md (4 URLs + note text)
- docs/INSTALL.md (2 URLs + note text)
- docs/UPDATE.md (2 URLs)
- docs/DISTRO_COMPATIBILITY.md (1 URL)
- tests/distro-testing-checklist.md (1 URL)
- src/vocalinux/main.py (1 URL)
- web/src/app/page.tsx (remove dynamic release fetch, hardcode main)
2026-03-14 14:16:38 -07:00

4.9 KiB

Updating Vocalinux

This guide explains how to update Vocalinux to the latest version.

What's New in v0.9.0-beta

🚀 Highlights

Feature Description
⌨️ Left/Right Modifier Keys Choose Left Ctrl vs Right Ctrl (etc.) as your shortcut trigger
🔔 Sound Effects Toggle Enable or disable audio feedback from the Settings dialog
📋 Wayland Clipboard Fallback Automatic clipboard copy when virtual keyboard injection isn't available
🛠️ Installation Polish Better pipx/Debian guidance and headless display detection

✨ New Features

  • Left/Right Modifier Key Distinction — Shortcuts now support Left Ctrl, Right Alt, etc., with grouped UI in Settings
  • Sound Effects Toggle — New Audio Settings toggle to silence start/stop/error sounds
  • Clipboard Fallback for Wayland — Auto-copies text via wl-copy/xclip when injection unavailable (KDE Plasma etc.)
  • Display Availability Check — Graceful error message when running in headless environments

🐛 Bug Fixes

  • #308: Distinguish left vs right modifier keys (evdev + pynput backends)
  • #307: Remove unwanted leading space when starting a new transcription session
  • #305: Pass configured shortcut mode to KeyboardShortcutManager on startup
  • #299: Add clipboard fallback for Wayland compositors without virtual keyboard support
  • #289: Improve Debian/pipx installation error messages and cross-distro dependency guidance

🔧 Improvements

  • Grouped shortcut selector — Settings dropdown now organises shortcuts by Either/Left/Right side
  • pipx documentation — New DISTRO_COMPATIBILITY.md section for pipx users

See the full changelog.


What's New in v0.8.0-beta

🚀 Highlights

Feature Description
🎤 Push-to-Talk Mode Hold the shortcut key to speak, release to stop
⚙️ Voice Commands Toggle Enable or disable voice commands, with VOSK auto-enable in auto mode
⌨️ Shortcut Reliability Improved callback lifecycle and mode switching stability
🧠 Input Compatibility Better IBus detection and audio device/channel compatibility

✨ New Features

  • Push-to-Talk Shortcut Mode — Added hold-to-speak mode alongside double-tap toggle mode
  • Mode-aware Shortcut UI — Updated settings text and behavior for toggle vs push-to-talk workflows
  • Voice Commands Optional — Voice commands can be disabled, with automatic enable behavior for VOSK

🐛 Bug Fixes

  • #277: Detect active IBus input method before using IBus injection
  • #275: Detect and use device-supported channel count
  • #268: Prevent GTK startup dialog crash on Fedora
  • #261: Resolve text injection issues for better reliability
  • #259: Prevent recognition thread state flicker
  • #262/#263: Auto-detect audio sample rate for better hardware compatibility

🔧 Improvements

  • Web SEO Enhancements — Added 8 additional optimized pages for discoverability
  • Homepage Refresh — Updated voice-themed visual polish on the web landing page

See the full changelog.


Quick Update

Simply re-run the installation command:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jatinkrmalik/vocalinux/main/install.sh | bash

The installer will:

  • ✅ Detect and stop any running Vocalinux processes
  • ✅ Update your existing installation
  • ✅ Preserve your configuration and models
  • ✅ Install any new dependencies

If You Installed from Source

cd vocalinux
git fetch origin
git checkout v0.9.0-beta
./install.sh

Or to get the latest development version:

cd vocalinux
git pull origin main
./install.sh

Checking Your Current Version

python3 -c "import vocalinux; print(vocalinux.version.__version__)"

Troubleshooting

Update Issues?

If your update doesn't go smoothly, try a clean reinstall:

# Uninstall (keeps your config and models by default)
./uninstall.sh --keep-config --keep-data

# Or uninstall completely
./uninstall.sh

# Reinstall fresh
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jatinkrmalik/vocalinux/main/install.sh | bash

Old Version Still Running

# Kill any running instances
pkill -f vocalinux

# Start fresh
vocalinux

Missing Dependencies

If you see dependency errors:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y python3-gi python3-gi-cairo gir1.2-gtk-3.0

# Fedora
sudo dnf install -y python3-gobject gtk3

# Arch
sudo pacman -S python-gobject gtk3

Need Help?