Number 289 - June 2007
Computer on a Stick; Portable Apps
By Rob Rice, CCOKS - eMonitor, May 2007


   For a few years now folks have been working very hard at putting a computer on a USB flash drive. Entire operating systems have been stripped down and crammed on to the little drives.(1) let, such projects are not for everybody as they often require a certain amount of skill and tenacity .The commercial world has jumped in to the game by offering software that painlessly copies your data on to a USB stick and then makes it available when you plug the drive in to another computer, say at the library or a coffee shop.2 Now, the Open Source community has jumped in with both feet and in a big way with the Portable Apps SuiteTM , a free (Donations accepted), carry it with you, run it from the flash drive computer on a stick. Take an entire office suite, your bookmarks, email, web browser, chat program and photo editor with you, and do it for free!

   From the PortableApps website:

   "The Portable Apps SuiteTM is free. It contains no spyware. There are no advertisements. It isn't a limited or trial version. There is no additional hardware or software to buy .You don't even have to give out your email address. It's 100% free to use, free to copy and free to share...

   PortableApps.com provides a truly open platform that works with any hardware you like (USB flash drive, iPod, portable hard drive, etc). It's open source built around an open format that any hardware vendor or software developer can use."

   One of the things that really impressed me with PortableApps is that they seem to have really thought out how the average Joe might use it. Just pop in the drive and a very good looking menu comes up from which you can choose an application to run. And just in case you may be thinking that the number of programs would be fairly limited, guess again~ as the picture of the menu illustrates, the Standard Edition that I have must be about twenty applications! Programs can also be added or removed. Afraid you might loose your data? A backup is even included in all three editions. These are: The Standard, The Lite and The Base Edition.

   The Base Edition is for the do-it-yourself type. It comes with the backup software, custom folders, icons, menu and autrun. It's 0.7MB (download) -1MB (installed). Perfect for that old 16MB flash drive you have buried in a drawer and don't know what to do with. Just add the programs that you want and off you go.

   


   The Lite Edition is similar, but at 30.4MB (download) -105MB (installed), it omits Open Office and adds AbiWord Portable word processor. The Lite Edition runs comfortably on a 256MB drive.

   The Standard Edition, 89.5MB (download) -260MB (installed), works well with a 512MB flash drive and has a boat load of programs installed, including:
   
  • OpenOffice.org Portable office suite --including a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation tool, drawing package and database,

    •    
  • Gaim Portable (instant messaging),

    •    
  • Mozilla Firefox - Portable Edition (web browser),

    •    
  • ClamWin Portable (antivirus),

    •    
  • Mozilla Sunbird - Portable Edition (calendar/task manager),

    •    
  • Mozilla Thunderbird - Portable Edition ( email client),

    •    
  • Sudoku Portable (puzzle game).


    •    My copy had quite a few more programs installed than listed above. Some of the applications available include:
       
  • Nvu Portable & KompoZer Portable - The easy-to-use Nvu web editor

    •    
  • XAMPP - Apache, mySQL, PHP, phpMy Admin and more in an integrated package

    •    
  • Sudoku Portable - the wildly popular and addictive puzzle game

    •    
  • GIMP Portable - Photo and Image Editor

    •    
  • FileZilla Portable - the full-featured FTP client

    •    
  • Fire FTP Extension (for Firefox) - a lightweight extension

    •    
  • Gaim Portable - chat with AOL, MSN and yahoo users in an easy-to-use interface

    •    
  • Miranda IM Portable -chat with AOL, MSN and Yahoo users in a customizable interface

    •    
  • Mozilla Firefox, Portable Edition - the award-winning web browser that's safe and secure

    •    
  • Mozilla Thunderbird, Portable Edition - the handy email client

    •    
  • PunY Portable - lightweight telnet and SSH client

    •    
  • Sage Extension (for Firefox) - A full-featured RSS extension

    •    
  • Audacity Portable - A simple audio editor and recorder

    •    
  • VLC Media Player Portable - An easy to use media player that plays most audio and video formats

    •    
  • AbiWord Portable - a lightweight word processor compatible with Microsoft Word files

    •    
  • Lightning Extension (for Thunderbird) - A lightweight extension for your calendar and tasks

    •    
  • Mozilla Sunbird, Portable Edition - Calendar and task management with a familiar interface

    •    
  • Mozilla Thunderbird, Portable Edition (Address Book) - Email client's built-in address book with import/export functions

    •    
  • OpenOffice.org Portable - word processor, spreadsheet, presentations with Microsoft compatibility

    •    
  • Sumatra PDF Portable - a lightweight PDF viewer

    •    
  • Mac-on-Stick - Run Mac OS Classic 7 portably

    •    
  • 7-Zip Portable - File archiver and compressor>/LI>
       
  • ClamWin Portable - Antivirus on the go

    •    
  • KeePass Password Safe Portable - Secure, easy-to-use password manager
    • >
       
  • PortableApps.com Backup - integrated backup utility bundled with the platform

    •    
  • PortableApps.com Menu - integrated start menu bundled with the platform


    •    Fears about security have been addressed by adding ClamWin Portable Antivirus. Also, when you unplug the USB drive from the computer, no personal data is left behind; however, regular backups and antivirus scanning are highly recommended as described at the Safe Portable App-ing web page3 on the PortableApps website; a great place to browse to learn more about the Portable Apps SuiteTM and it's programs and features.

       There is a whole lot more that could be said about this excellent product. Of course there are a few issues, I would like to see a site map on the Portable Apps SuiteTM website (which is still nicely done) also the menu is (at this writing) having problems with anything other than Windows XP , but a patch is available and the great thing about Open Source software is that it is "Up Front" software--that is if there is an issue, they usually tell you right up front. I like that!

       The team that has put together this product, the applications and the website has done a terrific job. Don't miss out; this is truly the next BIG thing! Who needs a laptop when you have PortableApps!

       1. See my article, Ram & Reason: The Storage Revolution Is Here! - Again by Rob Rice, April 2005; www.ccokc.org/articles/2005Articles/April05_Articles/Apr05_R-RStorageRevolution.htm

       2. See my article, Ram & Reason: Taking It With You by Rob Rice, October 2005; www.ccokc.org/articles/2005Articles/Oct05_Articles/Oct05_RR_TakeItWithYou.htm

       3. Safe Portable App-ing web page: http://portableapps.com/support/safe_portable_app-ing

       4. The Portable Apps SuiteTM website: http://portableapps.com/

       Rob Rice is a computer specialist living in Anchorage Alaska and a member of the Computer Club of Oklahoma City http://www.ccokc.org/. Rob can be reached at articles@.isp.com
      Number 289 - June 2007