Portable Applications

FlashDrives and Portable Software

Years ago, one had to have a floppy disk to work between two computers. Today, while the 1.45 MB floppy is still available, it is more desirable to have a USB (Universal Serial Bus) FlashDrive to be used between home and office computers.

Most computers nowadays have a USB port to which one can attach a FlashDrive that has the capacity of up to 32 gigabytes. The nice thing about USB FlashDrives is that one can use them not only for storing documents, but also for running applications intended for portability.

There are a lot of software applications that either have their "portable" counterpart or can be modified so as to function in a flash drive. In PortableApps

one will find a suite of applications that are portable. Software like Opera, Firefox, Open Office and others are available there for downloading and installation into a flash drive. In Portable Freeware Collections one can also find tutorials on how to modify some applications so as to make them work as portable software. If you want a website that reviews portable software, go to PenDriveApps.

It is not difficult to understand how useful a USB FlashDrive is. First, one does not have to use the diskspace of one's computer for applications that one can run from a flashdrive. Second, one can transfer documents easily from one computer to another. Unlike before when one can only work from a floppy disk that can only contain a little less than 1.45 MB, one can now transfer even files with 32 Gigabytes of space. Finally, with a well-stocked flash drive, one will not have to worry about working with a computer that does not have one's favorite applications installed.

Which Portable Software?

At the moment there are a lot of portable software available on the web. Apart from the fact that software developers now release portable versions of their applications, there are also others who intend to make their programs portable. Given the fact that there are a lot of these software applications now available, which kinds should one prioritize over others?

I would suggest that one work with the PortableApps Suite of applications for starters. Later on, perhaps, one can begin to choose other software for use. The PortableApps Suite includes the following categories of portable software:

• Anti-Virus
• System Tools
• Text Editor
• RTF Editor
• Office Applications (Word Processor, Spreadsheet, Presentation software)
• Multimedia
• Graphic Software
• Internet Applications (browser, email app)
• Webdesign Software
• PDF Reader
• and some more...

I started using a 750MB flash drive with a minimum number of software: a text editor, a Personal Information Manager, a PDF reader and a Graphic viewer. But when I used the flash drive in a virus-infested computer, I realized the value of having an anti-virus program installed in one's flashdrive and of regularly backing it up. The point is that if you'd be using your flashdrive in a computer that is not yours, be sure that it has an anti-virus and that you have a backup copy of your files.

FlashDrive Launchers, PIMs and Viewers

There are also application lauchers that one would find useful in a USB FlashDrive. The PortableApps Suite already has one, but it won't show the folders you may have in your drive, or the other applications that you've installed into it.

For flash drive launchers, there are two choices: one is PegTop's PStartMenu and the other is Aignes's Portable Start Menu. Both are free.

I think that Personal Information Managers should be installed in a flashdrive, for the simple reason that it is the software one uses most often whether at home or in the office. It is the note-taking tool. The free EssentialPim has a portable version that one can just extract into one's flash drive. Or one can download AM-Notebook and install it as a portable. Version 5.0.1 of AM-Notebook has features that are similar to EssentialPim. MTirnanic's Total Text Container is a PIM software that is really intended for different kinds of data (passwords, spreadsheets, graphic files, etc.).

One will also need a viewer for different kinds of files, whether text or graphic files. The free Universal Viewer has its portable version too.