Follow-up on packaging work from the previous devlog.

After further iteration, I was able to get a proper Windows installer working using electron-builder. This build bundles the required Chromium runtime and dependencies, allowing Flux to be installed and run like a normal desktop app.

The earlier portable-only approach was useful during debugging, but the current installer is more representative of how Flux is intended to be distributed going forward. This also helped surface real-world packaging issues around size, dependencies, and platform constraints.

Flux v0.2 is now available as a Windows installer for testing.

Focused on packaging and distribution for this phase. I experimented with building a Windows installer using electron-builder and ran into platform-specific code signing and tooling constraints. After testing different approaches, I decided to ship a portable Windows executable for this developer preview.

The portable build runs without installation or admin permissions and makes it much easier for others to try Flux quickly. This felt like the right trade-off for v0.2: prioritizing accessibility and reliability over a traditional installer.

With this, Flux now exists not just as source code, but as a real runnable desktop app.

Implemented real ad and tracker blocking in Flux

by intercepting network requests at the session level. Blocking is applied per webContents, ensuring it works across normal and incognito tabs without affecting the app’s own renderer.

While testing, ran into multiple Electron lifecycle and API edge cases, including silent renderer failures and incorrect session handling. Fixed these by scoping request interception correctly and attaching logic only after the window and webContents are ready.

Also added native, Chrome-style right-click support inside web pages by hooking into attached webviews, enabling actions like reload and inspect. Flux now feels significantly closer to a real browser in daily use.

Next up: visual identity and theming.

Added incognito mode to Flux using isolated Chromium sessions so private tabs don’t share cookies or storage with normal tabs.

While testing, I ran into an edge case where tab reordering broke when dragging the first tab because fixed tab buttons were being treated like reorderable tabs. Fixed this by separating fixed controls from tab logic so only actual tabs participate in drag reordering.

Incognito tabs now work correctly, and the tab system is stable again.

Next up: content blocking.

Finished the tab system improvements in Flux.

Tabs can now be closed individually, the browser intelligently switches tabs when the active one is closed, and it prevents closing the last remaining tab. I also added drag-and-drop reordering so tabs can be rearranged freely, just like in a normal browser.

This step was mostly UX-focused, but it made Flux feel significantly more polished and usable.

Next up: private / incognito mode.

Did some UX polish on Flux.

Added proper tab closing with a close button on each tab, smart switching when closing the active tab, and blocked closing the last remaining tab.

Also added a small but important browser behavior: you can now press Enter in the address bar to navigate, instead of having to click the Go button every time.

These changes don’t add new features on paper, but they make Flux feel much closer to a real browser in daily use.

Next up: improving tab interactions even more.

Tabs are now working in Flux.

Added a basic tab system where each tab runs its own Chromium webview. You can open multiple tabs, switch between them, and each tab keeps its own page and navigation history.

This step made Flux finally feel like a real browser instead of a single-page wrapper.

Still rough around the edges, but the core tab logic is solid. Next up is cleaning things up and polishing the UX.

Progress update on Flux Browser.

Added a proper browser UI with:

• Address bar

• Back / forward / reload buttons

• Real navigation control over Chromium webview

Ran into an issue where URLs didn’t update on sites like YouTube. Turns out modern websites don’t fully reload pages, so I had to listen to in-page navigation events as well.

Now the URL bar updates correctly even when clicking videos or navigating inside SPAs.

Flux currently:

• Launches as a desktop app

• Loads real websites

• Has working navigation + URL syncing

Next up: tabs.

Started building Flux Browser, a lightweight Chromium-based desktop browser.

So far I:

• Set up an Electron project from scratch

• Got a native desktop window running

• Learned that Google blocks iframes 💀

• Switched to Electron’s webview

• Successfully loaded real websites (Google works)

At this point, Flux can already:

• Launch as a desktop app

• Render live websites using Chromium

No UI or tabs yet — just the foundation.
Next up: address bar, navigation, and making it feel like a real browser.