AstroArch 2.0.4 - 🪄 The Wizard Awakens

🚀 AstroArch v2.0.4 – Smoother, Faster, and More Connected

AstroArch 2.0.4 is here with major quality-of-life upgrades, smoother remote access, and a brand-new first-boot experience. From improved plugins and notifications to a fully working XRDP and Raspberry Pi 5 support, this release makes AstroArch more reliable, intuitive, and beginner-friendly than ever.

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⚠️ Important Note – Update Incompatibility

🚨 Heads up!
Due to the extensive internal changes in version 2.0, upgrading from older AstroArch versions (1.x and even half updated old 2.x) is not supported.
You’ll need to perform a clean installation to enjoy this release.

We know this isn’t ideal — and we’re truly sorry for the inconvenience 🙏.
We made this decision to ensure a cleaner, faster, and more reliable foundation moving forward.

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✨ Highlights

🧭 Quality of Life

• 🆕 First-boot onboarding wizard — easily configure your timezone, language, and common programs right after installation.
• 🕒 Fixed timezone and clock synchronization issues to ensure accurate system time.
• 🔌 Added UART support in config.txt for serial communication and GPS modules.
• 📶 Disabled Wi-Fi power saving for a more stable wireless connection.

🧠 Remote Access Improvements

• 💻 XRDP is now fully working — connect smoothly to your AstroArch desktop from any device.
• 🖥️ Improved VNC performance with higher FPS for fluid remote sessions.
• 🔄 Enhanced x0vncserver-xrdp integration — automatic service management ensures consistent access.
• 📘 Expanded README with connection guides, screenshots, and an XRDP vs VNC comparison.

🧩 Plugins & Shell Tweaks

• 🛰️ Cleaned and improved gps.plugin.zsh for better reliability.
• 🔔 Standardized desktop notifications using notify-send.
• ⚙️ Improved Zsh plugins for a smoother terminal experience.

🛠️ Tools & Automation

• 💿 Added scripts to easily build AstroArch images from source.
• 🧾 New bash script for creating bootable SD cards for Raspberry Pi 5.
• 🔔 Added update notifications — see immediately if update-astroarch succeeded or failed.
• 💽 Refined mounting rules and buffer settings for smoother XRDP disk access.
• ⚡ Added --noconfirm flag to speed up automated processes.

📘 Documentation

• 📝 Polished and expanded README with visuals, connection details, and mermaid diagrams.
• ✏️ Minor text corrections for clarity and readability across the docs.

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👥 New Contributors

A warm welcome to our new collaborators!

• @Monstertov – improved documentation clarity and polish.
• @DavideRuzza – added the new SD-card creation script for Raspberry Pi 5.

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🔗 Full Changelog

See everything that changed between v1.9 → v2.0.4:
👉 [Full Changelog on GitHub](v1.9...v2.0.4)

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