Experimental Branch Updates

[Jstudner]

Nomad MK3 – Experimental Branch Preview

So… as usual, even though I just pushed a release, I’m already back with what’s coming next 😅

I wanted to put together a proper announcement covering some of the upcoming changes planned for the experimental branch, because this is a pretty big shift for Nomad.

One of the standout features in the MK3 update is CBZ (comic) support. If you’ve been following the project for a while, you’ll know this is more than just “comic support”, it’s actually the result of finally solving a long-standing limitation in Nomad.

What changed

The new system allows Nomad to:

• Open and read compressed (ZIP-style) files
• Search their contents quickly using only the browser
• Serve specific files via HTTP 206 partial content requests

In simple terms: instead of loading an entire archive into memory, Nomad can dynamically pull only the pieces it needs, on demand. This takes the time down from literal hours to minutes or even seconds, making the system viable for use again.

This is a big deal because most “complex” file formats are actually just compressed containers. That includes things like:

• ROM files
• ZIM archives
• And many others

Because of this, CBZ support is really just the beginning.

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What this unlocks

With this system working, I’m starting a new push toward expanding Nomad beyond traditional media:

• ZIM support is already in progress

  • I can successfully open and read them
  • Basic functionality is working
  • This will hit experimental once it’s stable (likely within a week or two)

• ROM / Game system support is now much more realistic

• General archive browsing is on the table

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UI & System Changes

Since this will expand Nomad quite a bit, I’m also planning a few structural updates:

• Adding new pages for Games and Archives
• Potentially bringing back Maps, now that better online download systems exist
• Introducing admin panel toggles to enable/disable sections so users can keep their interface clean and only use what they want (not everyone will want ZIM, Maps, Games, etc.)

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This is a pretty big step toward making Nomad more than just a media server, it’s starting to become a more general offline content platform with support for real offgrid resource in additon to media content.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts or suggestions.

Thanks for following along!

• Jackson

[Jstudner]

I will also be improving the Nomad Manager to like.. work lol. going to move transcoding to a secoundary thing, and focus on getting a bunch of little tools like indexing, aswell as formating new sd cards.

[blueharmony]

In the description it lists a recommended SD card of 16-64gb. Is 64gb an upper limitation or can I use an SD card with higher capacity?

[Jstudner]

you can go up to a 2TB, only real limitiation is you need to format it as fat32. Any size card should work fine as long as you are ok with it taking a bit longer to index.