Current & Next Version?

[Nekkowe]

I'm a little confused - the version I downloaded on the Desktop (Linux Mint, via following the instructions on https://celestiaproject.space/ubnt.html) is numbered 1.6.4, while the version I downloaded on my phone (via https://f-droid.org/en/packages/space.celestia.mobilecelestia/) is numbered 1.8.3 and helpfully separates out things like dwarf planets from asteroids.

So I assumed 1.8.3 was the current version, but here and on the forums, I see talk of 1.7.0? In either case, it seems like it's been several years since the last stable release (either 2021 by the copyright notice or 2023 by the github release) made its way to the various package repositories.

The FAQ (https://celestiaproject.space/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=14387) has a section on getting the most up to date version, but it's woefully updated and points to a release on Sourceforge from the 2000s.

1. Is 1.6.4 from 2023 the most up-to-date stable release of Celestia?
2. What's the version currently being worked on? Is 1.7 being prepared for a stable release and 1.8.x is already in the works beyond that, or does that mobile version just number things differently?
3. Is there currently any way of installing 1.7 outside of building from source?
4. What's still in the way of 1.7 being released?

[Nekkowe]

Oh, I'm a fool.

It didn't occur to me that there'd be install instructions for the outdated(?) v1.6.4 first, and then further down on the same page the current(?) v1.7 (https://celestiaproject.space/ubnt.html).

That answers my third question, at least! I had a bit of trouble with the unstable opensuse repository stuff, so I looked around the "Other Distros" page and went with the AppImage instead.

[TheLostProbe]

I'm not sure how up-to-date those instructions are, I added them in a PR maybe last year or even 2 years ago and forgot about them

[Anthony-B-Russo10]

The mobile version of Celestia is developed independently from the desktop version by Lev, that is why it has a higher version number then the desktop version.
1.6.4 is the most recent stable build version for most OSes, the exceptions being AmigaOS and FreeBSD (FreeBSD only has 1.6.1 has the most recent stable release and AmigaOS I don't think is even supported by the devs anymore). 1.7.0 is still being worked on as it is the next big release for the desktop version, and also has development history dating back to 2016. There is an installer for an older build of 1.7.0 on the forums (Windows only), but for the most up to date build, you have to build from source. For information on why 1.7.0 is not released fully yet, it is best to wait for one of the Devs to respond as they will be able to give you a far better answer then I could.