Ghost FTP 0.99.37 — Windows/Linux scheduling and release reliability (Preview)

Predecessor: v0.99.36, independently recovered from its complete 21-asset draft after full remote SHA-256 inventory verification. Published tags and binaries remain immutable.

Windows and Linux improvements

• Transfer scheduling uses actual local calendar dates. Invalid date/clock input is rejected and missing daylight-saving local hours never get silently shifted to a different hour.
• Editing an armed schedule's recurrence, date, time or target resets its occurrence checkpoint, preventing stale due times from running a different transfer unintentionally.
• Deterministic regression tests exercise normal schedules, invalid 24-hour clocks, spring DST gap, fall DST repeat and recurring daily/weekly boundaries.
• FTP, FTPS, SFTP and Agent existing transfer safety, host/certificate verification and byte-verified resume logic are retained; any protocol/provider claim still requires real server coverage.

Delivery improvements

• GitHub release draft uploads can be retried without deleting successfully uploaded artifacts. Matching remote assets are reused only after SHA-256, size and state checks.
• Ambiguous HTTP upload responses (including 422) trigger bounded retries and remote digest checks; conflicting content is rejected without overwriting it.
• Release validation filters exact-source push checks, ignoring later skipped secondary workflow runs.
• New README marketing text remains original Ghost FTP branding with genuine native application captures for Windows and Linux; screenshots explicitly retain capture provenance and are not misrepresented as 0.99.37 images.

Packages and acceptance

Windows: Portable EXE, Setup EXE, MSI. Linux: binary, AppImage, DEB, RPM. macOS: existing native and shared Preview packages. Android is retired.

Require exact-head CI quality, Rust tests/Clippy, Go tests, TypeScript/UI, native Windows/Linux/macOS package builds, FTP/FTPS/SFTP localhost roundtrip, security/dead-code scans and release SHA-256 matching before publication. This is not a stable-signed release, external-cloud certification or proof of 0% pixel-diff deviation.

Linux installation: choose the correct Ghost FTP package

Platform: Linux x86_64 / amd64. These are package-family labels, not
certifications that every distribution/version has been tested. The native
Windows/Linux build currently runs on an Ubuntu 22.04 x86_64 GitHub runner;
installed-device checks across other distributions remain required.

Replace <VERSION> with the exact published tag number. Verify
GhostFTP-v<VERSION>-SHA256SUMS.txt before executing installers. A SHA-256
checksum only verifies integrity against that manifest; it does not prove
publisher identity or replace a cryptographic code signature.

No native package is currently built for Linux ARM64/aarch64,
32-bit x86, musl-only Alpine, or every NixOS/immutable-container configuration.
Arch Linux, Manjaro, EndeavourOS, Gentoo, elementary OS and others may be
candidates for AppImage/manual installation, but are not certified based
solely on an Ubuntu runner. Check compatible dependencies first; do not force a
Debian RPM/DEB package onto an unrelated distribution. On Wayland systems,
GTK/WebKit or XWayland availability can affect behavior.

Required acceptance before claiming distribution support

For each distribution and version named as tested, record its exact image
version, x86_64 architecture, display protocol (X11/Wayland), WebKitGTK/GTK
versions, GNOME Keyring/KWallet state, and the native binary hash. Verify:

1. Install, first launch, File Manager/Sites/Transfers/Settings/Sync navigation,
   resize at 1290×852 and 480×600, and correct keyboard focus.
2. FTP warning, verified FTPS TLS and SFTP SSH host-key checks on actual
   endpoints; failed identity checks must not connect.
3. Queue retry/cancel, interrupted upload/download preservation, symlink and
   overwrite safety, and shutdown/restart without losing profile metadata.
4. OS-backed credentials with locked and unavailable Secret Service; no
   plaintext fallback or secret-bearing logs.
5. Uninstall and reinstall without silently deleting stored user documents,
   connection profiles, or keys.

Current GitHub Actions Linux QA produces real Xvfb/WebKit screenshots of
seven core workspaces, not mockups. Those captures prove native rendering under
the CI environment; they do not certify a GNOME/KDE/Wayland distro or pixel
parity with all 29 user-supplied Linux design references.

Related: Linux handbook ·
Native desktop build ·
Published releases.

Operational prerequisites for unsigned desktop builds

Running the native binary does not require a purchased signing certificate. Verify the SHA-256 checksum of your package against the matching official release manifest; this validates file integrity, not cryptographic publisher identity. Saved credentials require an unlocked Secret Service provider and the secret-tool client (the DEB declares libsecret-tools, the RPM declares libsecret). An unavailable vault is a blocking error, not a reason to store plaintext passwords. Before upgrading, create an encrypted backup and ensure all transfers are finished. The desktop Updates screen offers the complete GitHub Releases index because signed auto-updates and manually downloadable package editions are independent.