Updates

Progress in public

This page is meant to make Volca easier to evaluate. It separates what is already shipped from what is actively being built, so the public story stays aligned with the repository rather than drifting into vague product language.

In brief

  • Main is the source for public claims about what works today.
  • Development is used to show what is clearly underway, without presenting it as shipped.
  • The goal is a readable progress log, not a dump of commits.

Shipped on main

Recent product baseline

  • Desktop application support for Windows and Linux
  • Multi-database handling and LCIA computation paths
  • Upload and loading flows for EcoSpold-style databases
  • Cleaner search, activity, and inventory views

Recent engineering improvements

  • Runtime version visibility and Docker image commit labels
  • Shared build scripts and cleaner packaging workflow
  • Startup improvements for packaged binaries
  • Continued hardening of Docker and server behavior

Data and compatibility work

  • Improved BAFU handling, including fixes for unlinked exchanges
  • Support progress for older EcoSpold1-style data
  • Reference-data fixes in Docker images
  • Clearer configuration patterns for documented vs local setup

In progress on the development branch

Richer exploration views

  • Supply-chain table views
  • Additional graph-view work
  • Layout improvements for graph readability

Better discovery and navigation

  • Flow search
  • Improved product filtering in activity search
  • A more explorable path through analysis results

Comparison-oriented workflows

  • Variant analysis pages
  • Stronger support for comparing alternatives
  • A clearer bridge from engine capability to visible interface

Why these updates matter

For evaluators

  • It is easier to tell what is already real versus what is still emerging.
  • Progress is visible through concrete capabilities, not just positioning.
  • The product story stays tied to inspectable artifacts.

For practitioners

  • Database search, inspection, and computation are already meaningful today.
  • The next visible improvements are about exploration, search, and comparison.
  • The direction is toward more usable analysis workflows, not just more infrastructure.

For builders

  • Packaging and deployment are becoming more inspectable and reproducible.
  • The interface is moving closer to the real strengths of the engine.
  • The public website can track progress without overstating maturity.

Current source for this page

This page is currently derived from the Volca changelog and recent branch history. Over time it should evolve into a more explicit public release log with screenshots, workflow examples, and short curated notes tied to concrete milestones.