Why portable?

[Coldblackice]

Do any of you use portable apps (particularly on home machines)? If so, why? Which ones?

I understand that they're nice and compact, kept all in one place without squirting files and registry keys all over the place, but with the likes of deep uninstallers like Revo, what's the purpose(s) in using portable apps on a non-moving home desktop?

 

[Liger88]

I understand that they're nice and compact, kept all in one place without squirting files and registry keys all over the place, but with the likes of deep uninstallers like Revo, what's the purpose(s) in using portable apps on a non-moving home desktop?

I think that's pretty much why everyone loves them. Highly flexible and somewhat independent. I wish every application developer focused more on creating portable products.

Besides a few network related tools and encryption/disk wiping tools, I don't have much in my arsenal. It kind of goes with the above where not enough of them exist to really made widely useful. It's a hit and miss where if you go to download something and its there you just kinda grab it.

[EDIT]

As far as why use them on a desktop, because it makes my machine feel like a Apple machine lol. I simple delete the folder/file and no more worries. It's as close as Windows users will ever get to knowing how that feels.

 

[Demon10000]

I always grab portable if available. Mostly they are utilities. I can dump them into a directory on my data drive and it's always there, even after a rebuild. Plus I don't need to worry about what an installer is doing.

 

[ciggwin]

I use http://portableapps.com/ which I run out of a TrueCrypt container that is on a flash drive. I use this at work, mostly.

Currently I only have a few apps in there: Pidgin + OTR, FileZilla, KeePass, and Sudoku

 

[wonderfield]

It's as close as Windows users will ever get to knowing how that feels.

I've never understood Microsoft's shortsightedness when it comes to supporting app bundles. They clutch to the registry as though it's a life raft.

I can dump them into a directory on my data drive and it's always there, even after a rebuild.

That's the key thing for me. Reinstalling Windows doesn't mean I need to reinstall all of those useful-as-hell portable apps I have on a secondary drive. I launch the EXE and they Just Work™.

Plus I don't need to worry about what an installer is doing.

Also a big plus considering the protected nature of the Program Files directories. No installer means no privilege escalation. That's a fundamental security win.

 

[Demon10000]

I also came up with another great use for portable apps...

I moved my UTILS folder into my Skydrive folder and configured it to sync. Then I put the UTILS folder in the path on all my machines (desktop, laptop, work machine, etc). Now whenever I add a utility to one, it adds it to all the PCs.

 

[Chuklr]

Do any of you use portable apps (particularly on home machines)? If so, why? Which ones?

I understand that they're nice and compact, kept all in one place without squirting files and registry keys all over the place, but with the likes of deep uninstallers like Revo, what's the purpose(s) in using portable apps on a non-moving home desktop?

Hi, Coldblackice,

One thing portable apps may come in handy is when your non-portable desktop has been infected by a nasty that won't let an installed anti-virus/malware program start up or run.

Hope this helps.

 

[Coldblackice]

I also came up with another great use for portable apps...

I moved my UTILS folder into my Skydrive folder and configured it to sync. Then I put the UTILS folder in the path on all my machines (desktop, laptop, work machine, etc). Now whenever I add a utility to one, it adds it to all the PCs.

Great idea!

Hi, Coldblackice,

One thing portable apps may come in handy is when your non-portable desktop has been infected by a nasty that won't let an installed anti-virus/malware program start up or run.

Hope this helps.

Great idea, thanks.

I've never understood Microsoft's shortsightedness when it comes to supporting app bundles. They clutch to the registry as though it's a life raft.

That's the key thing for me. Reinstalling Windows doesn't mean I need to reinstall all of those useful-as-hell portable apps I have on a secondary drive. I launch the EXE and they Just Work™.


Also a big plus considering the protected nature of the Program Files directories. No installer means no privilege escalation. That's a fundamental security win.

Great points. And side note -- why does MS cling to the registry?