A fresh iteration of the sleek Clapper media player has emerged, boasting a variety of enhancements that are sure to catch the eye of its users. While the update may not be entirely new to those who keep their systems up to date, it has been nearly ten months since the last significant release, aside from a minor bug fix last summer.
So, what can users expect from Clapper 0.8.0? This version introduces a libpeas-based plugin system within its core library, allowing other applications, such as the Mastodon client Tuba, to leverage its media playback capabilities. The primary aim is to offer functionalities that extend beyond the traditional GStreamer framework.
In addition to the technical upgrades, Clapper 0.8.0 also enhances user experience with several notable features:
- Exit fullscreen keyboard shortcut added (esc)
- “New Window” menu item added
- Menu option to clear playback queue
- Middle-click app window will resize to media aspect ratio
The aspect ratio resizing feature stands out as particularly user-friendly. Unlike some media players that lock the aspect ratio of videos, Clapper allows for flexible resizing. If users adjust the window size excessively, black spaces may appear. However, the new middle-click functionality enables users to effortlessly snap the window edges back in line with the content, eliminating the need for meticulous manual adjustments.
This resizing feature can also be activated using the super + r keyboard shortcut, although results may vary depending on the desktop environment and distribution being used.
Moreover, Clapper 0.8.0 marks a significant milestone as it becomes the first version to officially support Microsoft Windows. Users can download the Windows installer directly from the Clapper GitHub releases page, which is currently the sole distribution method. The developer remains open to collaboration for making Clapper available through winget, which would certainly enhance accessibility.
Overall, this update represents a robust enhancement for the GTK-based media player, which, while not exclusively GNOME-centric, offers a unique blend of features that may entice users to explore its capabilities over their current favorites.
Install Clapper
For Ubuntu users, an older version of Clapper can be accessed from the archives as a DEB package or through an unofficial snap, though the latter has not seen updates in over a year.
To take full advantage of the latest features, users can either build Clapper from source or download it from Flathub. Note that this version requires GNOME 47 and associated media runtimes, which will be installed if they are not already present on the system.
• Get Clapper on Flathub
