The PortableApps Suite is a storehouse and management system for "portable" versions of some of the most popular freeware around. That collection used to be limited only to open-source programs. But on Wednesday it started making portable versions of closed-source freeware to users. The first batch of portable freeware includes Web browser Google Chrome, VoIP client Skype, BitTorrent client uTorrent, antispyware tool SpyDLLRemover, and three others at the time of writing. The new portable versions of these programs work both independently and in tandem with the PortableApps suite.
In a statement published on its Web site, PortableApps.com founder and CEO John Haller said that PortableApps "remains committed" to open-source software, but that closed-source freeware publishers would find other venues for USB stick-friendly versions of their programs if PortableApps didn't open its doors to them. For users that want to support only open-source programs, he said that the PortableApps directory will soon be filterable.
PortableApps is also planning to accept portable versions of commercial software, although it hasn't announced a timeline yet. Readers can check on the latest updates to the PortableApps catalog at their Web site, although we do host most of them at Download.com as well.
UPDATED: Clarified the end result of AppCompactor on a standard program.
When you gotta go, advanced users should strongly consider using AppCompactor to stay mobile. Just introduced by John T. Haller of PortableApps, this portable power user's right-hand man crushes program files, often shaving 50 percent off the size of a disk.
AppCompactor lets you roll your own portable apps.
(Credit: CNET Networks)AppCompactor melds 7-Zip and UPX to compress and archive DLLs, EXEs, JARs, and other files essential for running any program into a package that doesn't need to be unarchived to run. Programs that have been compacted run smoothly from a flash drive or other on-the-go storage devices. Programs run through AppCompactor are not, however, truly portable in the sense that they are self-contained programs--they're just significantly smaller.
AppCompactor has already been in use by Haller's PortableApps.com to assist in creating Firefox Portable, Pidgin Portable, and other portable programs. This means that it won't do any good to compress already compacted apps that have used AppCompactor. Theoretically, it might work on portable versions that were not created with it.
When you run AppCompactor, it will ask you to point it at a program directory. From there, you can choose the type of compression you want to run. NRV2E is the default setting, with other choices including NRV2D, LZMA, BRUTE, and a decompress option. You can also opt out of compressing JAR and ZIP files, although the default is to compress them down. As the app runs, it opens a DOS window that shows you the progress of the compression cycle. This should help observant users with fast eyes to keep track of any errors that occur.
AppCompactor shaved off 50 percent of Firefox 3.
(Credit: CNET Networks)As recommended, I found that saving the compressed program output to the hard drive and then copying to a USB key gave me faster results than outputting directly to the flash drive.
The benefits of compressing such files should be obvious, but this is not a program to treat cavalierly. When using it, it's essential to read through the instructions beforehand. Choosing to compact the main program executable can result in rendering the compacted program inoperable. In other words, do not compact C:/Program Files/Firefox/Firefox.exe, for example. C:/Program Files/Firefox/Files would be fine, though.
If you're interested in AppCompactor, you can post your compression percentages in the comments below.
Taking an old-school tack to an ages-old computer problem, the PortableApps Suite approach to mobile computing feels more Web 0.5 than 2.0. Instead of hosting programs online, PortableApps is a comprehensive application suite that fits onto and runs from almost any thumbdrive with at least 512MB of space, and can be shrunk down even further if need be.
The suite's flexibility is impressive. It manages some of the best freeware applications from a taskbar menu that runs instantly when clicked on. User-favorites Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird are here, as well as the entire OpenOffice.org office suite, a calendar and day planner app, instant-messenger manager Pidgin, an antivirus program, and even a Sudoku game. If you want additional portable goodness, you can download even more stripped-down but fully-functional programs from the PortableApps Web site, including a media player, a Web page editor, and an FTP client. Support is also provided for all your ancillary settings, plug-ins, buddy lists, and document and media files, making this the easiest way to take your work with you, but without an Internet connection.
Mozilla has released a version of the Firefox 3 beta 1 for PortableApps. For those hardcore Firefox 3 fans, this means that you never have to leave home without it. If you're curious about the beta, though, and you don't want to risk your Firefox 2 settings, the Firefox 3 beta 1 portable gives us all an easy and safe way to play around with the browser as it's in development.
As with the other programs in the PortableApps suite, this FF3 beta contains most if not all the features of the full version of the program. Most noticeable to those who haven't played around with FF3 yet will be the page rendering time. Web sites load much faster than they do in FF2, and it's hard not to appreciate that.
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Students everywhere are stirring from their summer stupors to stock up on supplies for the coming year. If your back-to-school must list doesn't include software, listen up. Browse some picks of student-friendly downloads for elementary-aged young'uns to graduate scholars, or get a run-down in the video below.
If you don't see what you want, take a turn through the vast halls of CNET Download.com, where you'll find educational software and games aplenty.
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