The repository's modernized clients are historical worked examples, not official product releases. GitHub Actions can produce two unsigned, portable ZIP files for archivists, educators, and people experimenting with forks.
- Open the repository's Actions tab.
- Select Build unofficial modern clients.
- Choose Run workflow on the commit to package.
- Download the
comic-chat-unofficial-modern-builds-*artifact after the job finishes.
The artifact contains:
ComicChat-1.0-pre-unofficial-modern.zipComicChat-2.5-beta-1-unofficial-modern.zipSHA256SUMS.txt
Each ZIP contains a statically linked x86 executable, its bundled ComicArt
directory, the original help file, documentation, the repository license, and a
provenance notice. The workflow extracts each ZIP into a random path containing
spaces, launches it with an unrelated working directory, and verifies that it
remains running.
- Draft a new release with a date-based tag such as
unofficial-modern-builds-YYYY-MM. - Use a title such as Unofficial modern builds - Month YYYY.
- Mark the release as a pre-release.
- Attach both ZIP files and
SHA256SUMS.txt. - Identify the source commit and state that the executables are unsigned, unsupported archival builds rather than an official Microsoft product release.
No installer or code-signing material is required. Users should extract an
entire ZIP before running the executable so ComicArt remains beside it.