Plover v5.3.0 Released!

Plover v5.3.0 has been released!

Features

User Interface

Add missing translations. (#1825)

Alter form and tab order in Add Translations widget to be more logical and save strokes when navigating with keyboard. (#1833)

Bugfixes

Core

Fix translation catalog generation. (#1824)

User Interface

Fix lookup QT GUI errors. (#1830)

Improve plugin manager keyboard navigation. (#1834)

Align tooltip format. (#1834)

Improve menu dropdown item order. (#1834)

Fix trailing slash when space placement is set to After Output in the Add Translation dialog. (#1836)

Linux

Make wmctrl optional on Wayland to prevent crash on startup. (#1832)

Fix modifier alias keys in wayland. (#1838)

macOS

Fix Plover terminal commands on macOS. (#1827)

Captioner Mike Teaches Steno

Mike Rowell, also known as Captioner Mike, is giving online steno classes and wanted to make sure that the Open Steno community knew about them. He says:

I'm teaching a version of the intro course, NCRA A to Z, with my own added outlines/those from Chase Frazier's Champion Steno theory, starting the second Sunday in May, 5/10, 10a-11a instruction, 11a-12p (PDT) for open office/rambling. I'll also be doing Saturday office hours from roughly 8:30-11:30a (PDT) for people wanting help with practice. The course is designed for would be school students, looking to get their feet wet, from the never-seen-the-keyboard phase through as much theory as we can reasonably get through. I was hoping I might find some volunteers here to help set up would-be steno learners with Plover, give recommendations on your favorite cheap writer, etc.

Join the Open Steno Discord for the Zoom link if you're interested!

Jarne Firmware Change

Tharelia writes:

Heads up to Jarne (Blade) owners that firmware April 2026 makes a change in the Bluetooth split protocol between the halves, and will require that you update both the main and pair firmwares.

This was done as work on the Jaffle made it clear that it was necessary to make a couple of changes to improve the performance and power consumption further, and that change has benefits for the Jarne and Jarne Blade too.

Ztype with Plover

From earlier this year, Gfixler plays Ztype with steno. I just really love watching demonstrations of video games + steno.

Awesome Plover Repository

This isn't actually new, but it's new to me: The Awesome Plover repository on Github. It's got a curated list of useful and popular dictionaries and plugins. If the master list of plugins is too overwhelming, it might be a good place to start.

Plover 5.2.3 Released!

Plover 5.2.3 has been released!

Features

No significant changes.

Bugfixes

macOS

• Fix DMG background image display issues on macOS 26.2 Tahoe. (#1821)
• Fix missing menu bar icon on macOS 26. (#1822)

API

No significant changes.

RPR With Plover Sans Steno School!

Check out this fantastic success story from Amy Hua, a self-taught stenographer who now holds an RPR (Registered Professional Reporter) certification from the National Court Reporters Association! This is something I really hoped would happen when I founded Open Steno, and I'm so thrilled to see that she managed to do it!