Manuskript 0.13.1 got released!
Why is it called 0.13.1 instead of 0.13.0? Well, because a newer Python update broke compatibility right after I finished preparation for 0.13.0. However this shouldn’t affect most platforms without Python version 3.10.1 or newer and I applied multiple changes already to prevent crashes. So Manuskript 0.13.1 should work just fine.
What’s new?
Packaging
For all of you using modern GNU/Linux distributions on your desktop computer, Manuskript will now be provided as flatpak which is available on flathub.org to be installed on most distributions out of the box via flatpak.
For other GNU/Linux distribution which do not use flatpaks, there are still the .deb- and .rpm files as well as the archives containing the source code. Even the snap package on snapcraft.io is now up to date again and will be maintained.
So for this release and future releases you will probably be able to install the most current version right from your usual software store.
Security
After the launch of the last release a security issue was encountered which seemed to exist for a longer period already but it required using the older file format from Manuskript (more details about it can be found in the release notes of 0.12.0 here). This issue could now be closed thanks to the help of Zeth (@zeth) who provided a patch to fix it.
Reliability
You are probably asking why aren’t here many new awesome features listed like with version 0.12.0? The reason is Manuskript most problem is still that people encounter crashes, inconsistency or even loose data when a backup wasn’t made. So we focused with priority on fixing bugs and problems many of you encountered so far, making Manuskript more reliable.
You will find a more detailed list of all the fixes which got applied in the Changelog. Most important is that if you had issues with the last version in particular, it is very likely those problems got solved now. If you should encounter any crashes or other problems (maybe only some inconsistencies), please let us know and open an issue on Github.
For example Manuskript will now handle properly to use newer and older versions of Pandoc. So it shouldn’t break anymore or throw warnings at you if you got the wrong version installed. Also when you are deleting some files in your project, the dialog will now tell you which files were selected for the deletion making it safer to use this functionality thanks to Aoife Catherine Fogarty (@acfogarty).
Also a big thanks to Jan Wester (@worstje) fixing a row of different bugs which got reported.
Translations
Definitely something which needs to be mentioned more often is the work all of the translators are doing. Many different parts of the translations got updated, adjusted and added. There are still coming new languages for Manuskript to support a wider audience because of new translators who contribute via weblate. Big thanks to all of you.
Download Manuskript
Download, install and learn how to use Manuskript to write a fiction novel today!
Manuskript is available for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X.
Extra import and export formats such as ePub, OpenDocument (LibreOffice), and DocX (MS Word) are available in Manuskript if you also install Pandoc.
More information can be found on the Manuskript Wiki.
Improvements in this release can be found in the ChangeLog.
Am I understanding correctly that there’s currently no way to install Manuskript on OS X? I’d love to try it out but being able to use it on both Windows and Mac is essential to me.
You can try running it from source code since it is written in Python. We have a wiki entry to follow necessary instructions here. Otherwise it is unfortunately impossible to package the application as maintainer for OS X without owning a Mac or similar.
Thank you, that worked.
Very cool program, I’ve been using it to write little hobby pieces in my free time.
For the most part it has all the features I could possibly need and gives me a space to just let out my ideas, even if they may never see the light of day.
Basically all you would expect from a writing software, without the burden on your budget.
Keep it up! 🙂
Looks like a great piece of software and as many have said it’s a great replacement for Scrivener on Linux. I’m using on Win10 machine and Linux machine as I swap between the two for my writing. Just a small problem that it seems to crash when I go into Editor on the Win 10 machine. I’ll try reinstalling but just thought I’d let you know. Cheers 😁
If you encounter any crashes, please open an issue on Github. You can also include a log from the previous crash (you can find logs via the help menu).
Wait, did you say one of the bugs was a loss of data? That’s kind of a HUGE bug, and one that seems more important than the brief mention you gave it.
That is correct. But that is also the reason there’s a more detailed disclaimer on the downloads page and on the releases page on Github. The problem is that the codebase has become rather complex to simply identify the critical points of failure. So we have already started refactoring a lot but it will take time until these changes get merged. We strongly recommend making backups of your projects while using it.
Using it on Linux. Excellent. Better than Scrivener now, with the storyline. Is there a way to run it natively on Android via a flatpak, etc? I do have it running via Userland Linux on my Android Tablet but it’s a bit slow and clumsy. Cheers.
No sorry, we do not have enough developers to support a native Android version besides the desktop application (the project mostly lives from user contributions). One thing which might be possible in the future is supporting mobile Linux devices (tablets or phones which run Linux with Phosh or Plasma-mobile). But that could take quite some time until we get there. Stability is more important at the moment. ^^’
Maybe you can have a look at the discussions about this topic on Github: 1, 2
Will it run on Arch-based distros, or do I have to roundabout use something like PlayOnLinux?
That’s not an issue. You can even install it from official repositories here.
Lovely, thank you. I found it in Flathub, too.
Thanks for such a powerful, yet simple writing tool! It’s nice to write without having a steep learning curve with the software! Manuskript is simple and intuitive and perfect for my needs. I would like to see the timeline feature ironed out a bit. I’m certain that’s a feature being looked at. One of the features that I was really missing is a thesaurus. I found an open source program called Artha that works pretty well. Worth a look.
Thanks for this app and especially for adding it to flathub.
I just discovered your software. I’m very impressed with it and it does 99% of what I need it to. The dark theme is a godsend for my eyes. A huge thank you for that feature! While there is still room for improvement (what program doesn’t?) it’s very well done and I am sure more features will work their way into future releases.
Thank you again to all the talented people that have contributed to this project. Please don’t abandon it. A much-deserved donation has been sent.