Installation

Download the latest release from GitHub Releases:

Platform	Download
Linux (x64)	novywave_x.x.x_amd64.deb or novywave_x.x.x_amd64.AppImage
macOS (Apple Silicon)	NovyWave_x.x.x_aarch64.dmg
macOS (Intel)	NovyWave_x.x.x_x64.dmg
Windows	NovyWave_x.x.x_x64-setup.exe

NovyWave includes an automatic update system. When a new version is available, you’ll be notified and can update with a single click.

Platform Instructions

Linux

Debian/Ubuntu (.deb)

sudo dpkg -i novywave_x.x.x_amd64.deb

If you encounter dependency issues:

sudo apt-get install -f

AppImage (Universal)

The AppImage works on most Linux distributions without installation:

chmod +x NovyWave_x.x.x_amd64.AppImage
./NovyWave_x.x.x_amd64.AppImage

To make it accessible system-wide:

sudo mv NovyWave_x.x.x_amd64.AppImage /usr/local/bin/novywave

Dependencies

NovyWave requires the following system libraries (usually pre-installed):

sudo apt-get install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-0 libgtk-3-0 libssl3

Wayland vs X11

NovyWave works with both Wayland and X11. If you experience issues on Wayland:

GDK_BACKEND=x11 novywave

File Associations

To associate waveform files with NovyWave:

cat > ~/.local/share/mime/packages/novywave.xml << EOF
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<mime-info xmlns="http://www.freedesktop.org/standards/shared-mime-info">
  <mime-type type="application/x-vcd">
    <comment>Value Change Dump</comment>
    <glob pattern="*.vcd"/>
  </mime-type>
  <mime-type type="application/x-fst">
    <comment>Fast Signal Trace</comment>
    <glob pattern="*.fst"/>
  </mime-type>
  <mime-type type="application/x-ghw">
    <comment>GHDL Waveform</comment>
    <glob pattern="*.ghw"/>
  </mime-type>
</mime-info>
EOF

update-mime-database ~/.local/share/mime

macOS

Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)

1. Download NovyWave_x.x.x_aarch64.dmg
2. Open the DMG file
3. Drag NovyWave to your Applications folder

Intel Macs

1. Download NovyWave_x.x.x_x64.dmg
2. Open the DMG file
3. Drag NovyWave to your Applications folder

Gatekeeper Warning

Tip

On first launch, macOS may show a security warning because NovyWave is not yet notarized by Apple (beta release).

Method 1: Right-click (or Control-click) on NovyWave in Applications, select “Open”, then click “Open” in the dialog.

Method 2: Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General and click “Open Anyway”.

Command Line Access

# Add to PATH (add to ~/.zshrc for persistence)
export PATH="/Applications/NovyWave.app/Contents/MacOS:$PATH"

# Or create an alias
alias novywave="/Applications/NovyWave.app/Contents/MacOS/NovyWave"

File Associations

1. Right-click a .vcd, .fst, or .ghw file in Finder
2. Select “Get Info”
3. Under “Open with:”, select NovyWave
4. Click “Change All…” to apply to all files of that type

Windows

Installer

1. Download NovyWave_x.x.x_x64-setup.exe
2. Run the installer
3. Follow the installation wizard
4. Launch NovyWave from the Start Menu

Portable Version

For a portable installation (no admin rights required):

1. Download NovyWave_x.x.x_x64.zip
2. Extract to your preferred location
3. Run NovyWave.exe

Windows Defender SmartScreen

Tip

On first launch, Windows may show a SmartScreen warning because NovyWave is not code-signed (beta release). Click “More info” then “Run anyway”.

Adding to PATH

$env:Path += ";C:\Program Files\NovyWave"

File Associations

The installer automatically creates file associations for .vcd, .fst, and .ghw files. To set them manually:

1. Right-click a waveform file
2. Select “Open with” > “Choose another app”
3. Navigate to NovyWave.exe
4. Check “Always use this app”

WebView2 Runtime

NovyWave requires the Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime (pre-installed on Windows 10/11). If missing, download from Microsoft WebView2.

Verifying Your Installation

After installation, launch NovyWave. You should see the main window with three panels:

1. Files & Scopes (top-left) — Load and browse waveform files
2. Variables (top-right) — Select signals to display
3. Selected Variables (bottom) — View waveform timeline

Try loading a waveform file using the Load Files button to verify everything works.

Building from Source

See the contributing guide for build instructions.