SUNNI VERSION HISTORY

From command line experiment to desktop AI workspace.

Sunni did not begin as the application it is today. The project started as a much more hands-on assistant interface built around Tkinter, command driven workflows, manual configuration and frequent editing. The modern releases are the result of removing that friction without losing the local, user-controlled character of the original project.

THE CONCEPTION · SUNNI 1.0

The first version proved the idea.

Sunni 1.0 was the experimental foundation: a local AI assistant interface built around a more traditional Python desktop workflow. It relied heavily on Tkinter, command line interaction, editable settings, manual commands and direct maintenance of the surrounding environment.

ORIGINAL APPROACH

01 / SUNNI 1.0

Functional, flexible and very hands-on.

The first generation of Sunni was designed while the project itself was still being discovered. It exposed more of the machinery directly to the user and expected a greater amount of configuration, command usage and ongoing adjustment.

INTERFACE Tkinter / CLI based

WORKFLOW Command heavy

CONFIGURATION Manual and editable

PROJECT ROLE Proof of concept

Established the core idea of Sunni as a local desktop AI assistant.
Used a Tkinter and command line oriented application structure.
Required more direct user interaction with commands and configuration.
Made experimentation easy, but increased maintenance and setup friction.
Served as the practical test bed for features that later became part of the 2.x redesign.
Revealed that the assistant needed a cleaner separation between the user experience and the underlying AI stack.

WHAT 1.0 TAUGHT US

A useful assistant should not require constant mechanical upkeep. The project needed to preserve control while hiding the repetitive plumbing that users should not have to manage every time they launch it.

DESIGN LESSON

WHY IT CHANGED

The interface was doing too much work.

Sunni 1.0 worked, but the amount of interaction required to keep the environment configured and useful became part of the problem. The next generation needed to feel less like operating a toolkit and more like opening an application.

The direction became clear.

The project moved away from a command-first experience and toward a persistent desktop shell around the local AI environment. Instead of asking the user to continually manage the machinery, Sunni would keep the machinery available while presenting a simpler working space.

Reduce repetitive commands and manual setup.
Keep the user inside one desktop interface.
Preserve browser sessions and local state.
Make themes, settings and application controls discoverable.
Let Open WebUI and Ollama handle the AI backend while Sunni focuses on the desktop experience.
Make launching, using and maintaining Sunni substantially less demanding.

SUNNI 2.0.1 · CURRENT RELEASE

Refining the desktop experience.

Sunni 2.0.1 builds directly on the 2.0 redesign. This release focuses on persistence, safer application behavior, easier maintenance and a cleaner release workflow rather than another major architectural rewrite.

Close To Tray

Closing the main window with the title bar X now hides Sunni to the system tray instead of terminating the application. The browser session and current working state remain alive in the background.

Real Exit Control

Exit means exit. The application Exit control and the tray menu both provide an intentional full shutdown, while normal window closing is reserved for hiding the interface.

Safer Update Workflow

Sunni can check the published update manifest and identify when a newer release exists. Installation remains a user-controlled action: the update button opens the official Sunni website instead of attempting to replace the running application automatically.

Persistent Browser Sessions

Sunni can maintain its own persistent WebEngine profile so Open WebUI login cookies, local storage and browser session information survive application restarts.

Private Session Mode

Browser persistence can be disabled. Sunni can switch to a separate off-the-record profile that keeps session information in memory without storing persistent browser data.

Browser Data Controls

Users can clear Sunni's saved browser profile independently, removing cookies, login state, cache and site storage without resetting the rest of the application.

Reset To Default

A dedicated reset function clears Sunni's local data directory and recreates the default settings, browser storage structure and theme state.

Theme Persistence

Theme selection is stored in Sunni's settings and restored on launch. Theme files are discovered from the assets directory, including nested child-theme folders.

Theme Reloading

Reload now refreshes the embedded Open WebUI page, rescans available QSS themes and reapplies the currently selected Sunni stylesheet from disk.

Project Documentation Access

The Settings interface now links directly back to the official Sunni website for the User Guide, release information, downloads, model setup and project documentation.

SUNNI 2.0 · THE REDESIGN

The project stopped behaving like a toolkit.

Version 2.0 was the major change in direction. The goal was not to pile more commands onto Sunni 1.0. The goal was to remove the need for them wherever possible and turn Sunni into a persistent desktop interface around the local Open WebUI and Ollama environment.

GUI PySide6

WEB INTERFACE Embedded QtWebEngine

AI FRONTEND Open WebUI

AI RUNTIME Ollama

DEFAULT ENDPOINT localhost:8080

CONFIGURATION STYLE Application settings

DESIGN GOAL Hassle-free daily use

2.0 ARCHITECTURE

Keep the intelligence stack. Remove the ceremony.

Sunni 2.0 became a desktop shell around Open WebUI rather than trying to recreate every AI interaction inside a custom command-driven interface. This allowed Sunni to focus on the parts that belong to the application: launch behavior, theming, navigation, browser persistence, settings and the overall desktop workflow.

SUNNI / 2.x

Sunni Desktop
    ↓
PySide6 + QtWebEngine
    ↓
Open WebUI
    ↓
Ollama
    ↓
Local AI Model

PROJECT DIRECTION

Less maintenance. More conversation.

Sunni's development has moved consistently toward one idea: the local AI stack should remain visible enough to control, but it should not demand constant attention simply to stay useful.

ORIGINAL FOUNDATION

Sunni 1.0

The experimental Tkinter and CLI generation that established the project, its local-first direction and the workflows that needed refinement.

MODERN GENERATION

Sunni 2.x

The PySide6 desktop generation built around persistent use, embedded Open WebUI access, simplified controls and substantially less routine upkeep.

This changelog documents the major public direction of Sunni. Earlier experimental builds may contain additional internal revisions that were never intended to be treated as formal releases.