FAQ¶
General¶
Does Qwibo send my audio over the internet?¶
No for transcription. After the one-time model download, ASR runs locally. Cloud summaries send text (not audio) to your chosen provider if you enable them.
Which languages are supported?¶
Parakeet TDT 0.6B v3 is optimized for Italian. Other languages work with varying quality.
Do I need Python or Docker?¶
No. The desktop installer is self-contained. Docker is a separate product (qwibo-docker).
Mac or Linux desktop?¶
Not in alpha. Windows first; Mac DMG is planned.
Models¶
How much disk space?¶
| Component | Size |
|---|---|
| Parakeet ASR | ~2.5 GB |
| Local Qwen | ~2 GB |
| App + jobs | varies |
Plan 8–12 GB free for a comfortable install.
Re-download after update?¶
Usually no — models stay in %APPDATA%\qwibo-desktop\models\. Release notes will say if a new model version is required.
Queue and jobs¶
Why one file at a time?¶
The worker runs FIFO to limit RAM (NeMo + optional Qwen are heavy).
Same file twice?¶
If the first job is completed, a new upload creates a new folder with a new timestamp.
Close the window during a job?¶
The worker continues until you Quit from the system tray.
Interface¶
Browser vs desktop?¶
Qwibo uses a local web UI inside Electron. You don't manage ports or bookmarks — the app handles it.
Worker starts automatically?¶
Yes. Each app launch starts the backend and worker subprocess.
Summarization¶
Cloud vs local?¶
| Mode | Privacy | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud API | Text sent to provider | API key + internet |
| Local Qwen | Fully offline | ≥ 16 GB RAM + ~2 GB model |
Transcript OK but summary failed?¶
Normal if API key missing or provider error. Text is in trascrizione.txt.
Performance¶
How fast on CPU?¶
Rough guide: ~2× realtime on a typical laptop i5 (1 min audio ≈ 2 min). Mini PCs may be slower.
First job slower?¶
Parakeet loads into RAM on first transcription (+1–2 min).
Documentation¶
How do I publish these docs?¶
From the qwibo repo root:
or scripts\publish_docs.bat — builds MkDocs and copies HTML to ../qwibo.github.io/docs/, then commits there if git is initialized. No GitHub Actions. Push qwibo.github.io to publish.
Licensing¶
Personal use is free. Business use needs a commercial license.