Portable Apps

  • Thread starter Thread starter Alvar Liddell
  • Start date Start date
A

Alvar Liddell

Just in case there is someone out there who wants to run programs
froma USB drive and hasn't come across the portable applications
website then go to www.portableapps.com. I find pstart.exe very
good.
 
LordMax said:
HI

Dave -Turner ha scritto:


No need to install
Click to expand...

So in other words, a ****LOAD of programs.

Even the majority of programs that come with installers don't need to be
installed - they only come with installers for the ease-of-setup factor, but
once they're installed you can simply copy their installed directory + files
to any other computer and run it as as a "portable" program, assuming they
don't need anything else to be installed like DirectX (which most ppl have
anyway).

The vast majority of programs are portable (although they may not be small
enough to fit on a USB stick) - they just have installers to make their
setup easier, even if it's not necessary for the more advanced users.

In other words, people shouldn't discount software as being "non-portable"
simply because it's accompanied by a setup/installation program which makes
the initiation of that software easier - chances are it IS portable, and
that it's just accompanied by a setup program to make the life of the user
easier.
 
So in other words, a ****LOAD of programs.
Click to expand...

Really, there's more to it. To be truly portable, an app should leave as
small a "footprint" on the host machine as possible. That means no (or
minimal) storage of settings in the registry, to writing of files do
directories other than the one on which it resides, etc.
 
Dave said:
So in other words, a ****LOAD of programs.
....
The vast majority of programs are portable (although they may not be small
enough to fit on a USB stick) - they just have installers to make their
setup easier...
Click to expand...

It depends on your definition of "install." When talking about
"portables," a lot of people use all or some of what's below to describe
a "no-install."

- no need to write to directories other than the app's
- no dependencies on system libraries
- no need for speciall dll's
- no writing to winderz registries

In other words, it's not /just/ the existence an installation script.
It has more to do with dependencies & file creation/modification behavior.

hth,
-Craig
 
Mike said:
Really, there's more to it. To be truly portable, an app should leave as
small a "footprint" on the host machine as possible. That means no (or
minimal) storage of settings in the registry, to writing of files do
directories other than the one on which it resides, etc.
Click to expand...

Yup :) and the portable apps sites show info about apps that authors
often don't furnish on their web sites (info about what you need to do
to make an app portable).

FYI there's a list of portable app sites here:
http://acfwiki.pbwiki.com/NoInstallFreeware

Susan
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James UK said:
Alvar Liddell leapt out of the bath and screamed "EUREKA!" before
typing in alt.comp.freeware:


http://www.portablefreeware.com/ is also worth a look too.

HTH
Click to expand...

The 'Scanner' program on Page 3 of this website (on
http://www.steffengerlach.de/freeware/index.html)
is brilliant. It shows the contents of your disks in the form of a
pie-chart. Not quite as comprehensive as WinDirStat
(www.sourceforge.net/projects/windirstat)
but at least I can run it on my works laptop.
Ian.
--
 
It depends on your definition of "install." When talking about
"portables," a lot of people use all or some of what's below to describe
a "no-install."

- no need to write to directories other than the app's
- no dependencies on system libraries
- no need for speciall dll's
- no writing to winderz registries

In other words, it's not /just/ the existence an installation script.
It has more to do with dependencies & file creation/modification behavior.
Click to expand...
I consider an application to be portable if I can burn it to a CD,
insert that CD in any computer with a CD ROM, click on the application
and it will run.
 
thoss said:
I consider an application to be portable if I can burn it to a CD,
insert that CD in any computer with a CD ROM, click on the application
and it will run.
Click to expand...

Quaint.

-Craig
 
Quaint.
Click to expand...

Quaint, maybe. Sure, anything that will run from a CD will also run
from a memory stick - or a floppy, if small enough. But I deliberately
said CD because that can't be written to afterwards. If an application
will not run unless something is written to the medium it's on, then I'm
not sure that it can be described as portable.
 
Quaint, maybe. Sure, anything that will run from a CD will also run
from a memory stick - or a floppy, if small enough. But I deliberately
said CD because that can't be written to afterwards. If an application
will not run unless something is written to the medium it's on, then I'm
not sure that it can be described as portable.
Click to expand...

Very few programs are portable in that sense of the word.
Then it cannot do any writing anywhere except to screen and sound, and
it cannot have any settings outside its own exe file.

Maybe a program that monitors the network traffic and displays a graph
on screen, with no settings could be portable in that sense.
 
Very few programs are portable in that sense of the word.
Then it cannot do any writing anywhere except to screen and sound, and
it cannot have any settings outside its own exe file.

Maybe a program that monitors the network traffic and displays a graph
on screen, with no settings could be portable in that sense.
Click to expand...
I disagree. It can have settings in its own ini file. And it can write
to hard disk. Do you save your documents in the directory where the
application resides, or in My Documents?
 
thoss said:
I disagree. It can have settings in its own ini file. And it can write
to hard disk. Do you save your documents in the directory where the
application resides, or in My Documents?
Click to expand...

Thoss;

I apologize for my "quaint" remark. Leave it to my ignorance that I
thought you were kidding. Fwiw, your definition of "portable" diverges
from all that I've seen in two ways.

1) portables /should not/ have to write anything to the host system
other than in volatile memory and
2) portables /should/ be able to write back to someplace on the
removable media.

Granted, "portable" is a fungible expression but, the expression is
congealing and does contain the two elements above.

fwiw,
-Craig
 
Thoss;

I apologize for my "quaint" remark. Leave it to my ignorance that I
thought you were kidding. Fwiw, your definition of "portable" diverges
from all that I've seen in two ways.

1) portables /should not/ have to write anything to the host system
other than in volatile memory and
2) portables /should/ be able to write back to someplace on the
removable media.

Granted, "portable" is a fungible expression but, the expression is
congealing and does contain the two elements above.
Click to expand...
I don't disagree with what you say.

1) A portable app on CD is precisely one which can write to volatile
memory but does not need to write to anything else.

2) If your portable app is on a writable medium, you have the option of
saving anything you wish to save there or on hard disk. If it's on a
non-writable medium and you wish to save, then you have to save on hard
disk. If you don't want to save anything, you don't need to.
 
Craig said:
Thoss;

I apologize for my "quaint" remark. Leave it to my ignorance that I
thought you were kidding. Fwiw, your definition of "portable" diverges
from all that I've seen in two ways.

1) portables /should not/ have to write anything to the host system
other than in volatile memory and
2) portables /should/ be able to write back to someplace on the
removable media.

Granted, "portable" is a fungible expression but, the expression is
congealing and does contain the two elements above.

fwiw,
-Craig
Click to expand...

Please look up fungible in a good dictionary. An expression can't be
fungible. Let's not destroy another good and useful english word that
has a clear and specific meaning.
 
Jon said:
Craig wrote:
....

Please look up fungible in a good dictionary. An expression can't be
fungible. Let's not destroy another good and useful english word that
has a clear and specific meaning.
Click to expand...

Try Merriam-Webster. Anything else you need Jon?

regards,
-Craig
 
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