Linux Installation

NovyWave is distributed for Linux as packaged bundles and an AppImage.

Debian and Ubuntu

Download the .deb release artifact and install it with:

sudo dpkg -i novywave_x.x.x_amd64.deb

If package dependencies are missing, repair them with:

sudo apt-get install -f

AppImage

The AppImage works on most modern Linux distributions:

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

To keep it on your PATH, move it somewhere stable:

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

RPM-Based Systems

Releases also include an RPM bundle. Use your distribution’s standard package tooling to install it, then launch NovyWave from the application menu or terminal.

Runtime Dependencies

On Debian-family systems, these packages are commonly required:

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

As of v0.2.0, WebKitGTK hardware acceleration is enabled by default, which improves rendering performance for the standard desktop app. If you still experience rendering issues, consider using the Chrome Desktop Launcher described below.

Chrome Desktop Launcher

If the standard desktop app has rendering issues with WebKitGTK, you can use the Chrome Desktop Launcher instead. It requires Chrome or Chromium installed on your system.

Install Chrome or Chromium:

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install chromium-browser

# Fedora
sudo dnf install chromium

# Arch
sudo pacman -S chromium

Run the launcher:

chmod +x novywave-chrome-linux-x64
./novywave-chrome-linux-x64

The launcher searches for Chrome or Chromium in standard locations: /usr/bin/chromium-browser, /usr/bin/chromium, /usr/bin/google-chrome-stable, /usr/bin/google-chrome, and /snap/bin/chromium.

Wayland and X11

If you see rendering or input issues under Wayland, force X11 for a test run:

GDK_BACKEND=x11 novywave

File Associations

To associate .vcd, .fst, and .ghw files with NovyWave, update your MIME configuration and set NovyWave as the preferred handler in your desktop environment.

Verify the Install

A successful first-run check is:

1. the main window opens,
2. the Load Files button responds,
3. at least one waveform file loads and shows scopes.