PortableApps.com is proud to announce the PortableApps.com Platform Version 12.0 Beta 2 release. This second beta in the 12.0 line is designed to continue to test a new theme and menu layout change, updated branding that's more subtle and manual proxy support. Refinements have been made to the branding and menu and updated translations for 7 languages. Like previous releases, it has automated app updates, customizable folders (categories) in the menu, a full theming engine with multiple chrome styles, the Portable App Directory app store for automatic download and installation of portable apps, find-as-you-type search (just type / or F3) to easily find apps in your ever-growing collection, an improved updater, more-complete translations into more languages and lots more. If you'd like to see more features and functionality keep coming, please read a personal appeal from PortableApps.com founder John T. Haller to help! Read on for all the details...(permalink)
Existing Platform users can automatically update by clicking Help - Check for Updates and getting a fast-install 1MB update patch if they have the beta channel enabled under the Advanced tab in Options.
New in 12.0 Beta 2
Beta 2 refines the new subtler branding in the PortableApps.com Platform as well as the new modern theme. 7 languages have been updated with translations for the new proxy functionality. Complete details are available in the platform changelog.
New 12.0 Theme and Branding
For 12.0, we're simplifying the branding on the PortableApps.com Platform to make it more subtle and modern. The logo is also changed on the taskbar and system tray We're also introducing a new default theme that's more modern and clean with simplified iconography. The new theme is not yet complete, but we have included both a light and dark version, replacing the existing Default Light and Default Dark themes included in 11.0 stable. (Don't worry, we'll be bringing back the existing themes in an upcoming release for those who like them). The space at the top where the large PortableApps.com logo used to be will be used by an always-visible search bar in the final release which will have focus by default, enabling find-as-you-type search without the need for a hotkey. We recommend gray for folks testing out the new theme. It's still a work in progress and we're still finalizing the layout and colors, but we wanted our users to get a chance to look at what's coming.
Manual Proxy Support
The PortableApps.com Platform has always had automated proxy support built-in, using the local PC's proxy settings and an "It Just Works" setup. But quite a few power users and corporate/university users wanted a custom option. It's live now in the Options window.
12.0 Roadmap Revised - Costs and Injury
We had originally planned on releasing 12.0 in time for the holidays, but have had to scale back our schedule a bit. While our donations have been up since we began our donation drive (and covered our expenses for the first two months in a row ever), we've had to take some outside work to keep paying our rising bandwidth bills. Our bandwidth costs have tripled in the last year as a result of our growing userbase, greater selection of freeware and convenient app store. In addition, lead developer John T. Haller (Hi, that's me!) sustained a hand injury that impacted the amount of time he could devote to platform development. The outlook is good and will hopefully not require surgery, but he's unable to use two fingers on his right hand for another month or so.
All that said, we've got plans in place to help keep things moving. We will likely be switching to another provider for freeware software downloads which should save us approximately 40% in bandwidth costs going forward. This should help cut down a bit on the outside work needed to fund our bandwidth. We're also working on bringing on another platform developer to speed up development. We'll let you know more as we do. We are also picking up a trackball or trackpad to help Haller (me, again! referring to yourself in the third person is still odd!) speed his own development while injured. So, we should hopefully be good to go to get the features everyone is looking forward to live sometime in January, but we are not promising any dates. We'll be posting weekly status updates likely beginning in January so that everyone is in the loop!
Ongoing Donation Drive
PortableApps.com needs your help to keep bringing you great software! To learn more, read a personal appeal from PortableApps.com founder John T. Haller. Now you can sponsor the PortableApps.com Platform and help us keep delivering awesome software for free. With options ranging from having your name included to a full-blown site-wide sponsorship, there's a good fit for everyone. Sponsor us today and be a part of the action!
We also accept donations of any size to help with development and hosting:
- Please help support PortableApps.com's development and hosting
Discussing The Release, Enhancements and Bug Reports
As there is much to discuss with this new release, we've separated out a few forum threads for discussing:
- Platform bug reports
- Default app organization settings and "smart" list sorting
- Language updates and changes
Download Today
You can download the beta version of the PortableApps.com Platform from the PortableApps.com Platform Beta page. Get it today!
Please note that any bug reports and feature requests go in the PortableApps.com Platform Bug Report and Feature Request Tracker.
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Comments
Sponsor Update Coming
We'll be updating our sponsors page on the site and in the platform in Beta 3 with everyone who has become a sponsor since the 11.2 release. We'll be making our sponsors more prominent (at Aluisio's suggestion) as part of that update as well. Thanks for your patience as we get things updated!
Thanks
Dear john,
thank you very much indeed and get well soon!
Very Nice
The first thing I noticed (weirdly) was the new updater logo. Keep up the awesome work with the platform, I wish I could support development more.
Option missing?
Can't find the new option for starting update before apps? If this is an option and not now automatic. If it's an option does it mean if left unchecked it will start apps then updater?
option
I think its like this:
You either have the box ticked and get an update check before the apps are started,
or you dont have the box checked and you dont.
Its just to prevent an up from starting and being updated at the same time.
Nope
We won't be having the updater wait to check for apps before auto-starting your apps. It's too messy and too confusing. And would be a waste of time most of the time as your couple apps you are auto-running won't have updates most of the time when other apps do. The most we'll do is wait for the updater to finish its communications so as not to slow it down before auto-running your apps.
Cool cool
nice to know sponsors are getting a little bit more rep which means more money...
john hope you hand feels better (we wont tell what happened :P)
it is however kind of funny that that is pretty much the only injury that can slow down a programmer (aside from ahead trauma)
glad to know you guys are ahead and thanks for all of the hard work to make all of us happy
Default Lite White/White
Default Lite White/White Theme has problem. The right side's strings (Documents, musics...) are white. Also the backgound is white. So can not read the strings.
Known
It's a known issue that will be addressed shortly. For any other issues, please report them here: https://portableapps.com/node/28593
Publicity
If there is no other choice you can always add a little banner on the top.
On the other hand I really think that you should do a clean up of apps in your database.
There are apps that haven't been updated in years, and I mean update by their owner is abandon-ware. There are repeated apps, I mean 4 or 5 apps that do exactly the same, but some of them are abandon, some other have almost no features... please keep the best 1 or 2 but no more (for example with the download managers).
For many of the apps included there is an free alternative better and more complete, you are missing popular software like
Ccleaner, Keepass (2.20, jdownloader, lingoes, mpchc, Speccy, paintNet, cdburnerXP... and would be nice to show the program version in the app list
And finally you should find a way to do a partnership with Dropbox, since portable apps in the cloud are the future.
Just because an app has not
Just because an app has not been updated does not mean it is necessarily abandonware, and neither does it mean that it should not be included in the app list. Also the point of having multiple apps with the same function is to provide users with a choice, not everybody wants to use the same app.
Some of the apps you list are in the beta testing sub-forum.
Some of them (most probably) will never become official though (CCleaner, Speccy) as Piriform have consistently refused permission for us to repackage their apps. Other apps like KeePass 2.x, paint.NET and CDBurnerXP will not be considered for release (yet) as they require the .NET framework.
For the others search for them and try them out. The more users who try them and help iron out any issues, the more chance they have of becoming official. If an app isn't in beta, request and someone may pick it up.
Translate problem
Dear John Haller!
Please, fix it in final version. Thanks.
I am from Russia and I am using this program about 2 years. In the new version (since 10)I found translate problem:
The «Apps» you translated as «Управление приложениями», but it shows only «Управление пр». It will be better if you translate it as «Приложения».
Ignore
Are you ignoring me? So I'll try to fix it manually — as I know it's open source. I beg you, update Russian version.
1) No new releases; 2) Please
1) There has been no new releases since your last post.
2) Please do (or find whoever is the current translator). Translations are in the PortableApps\PortableApps.com\App\Locale folder on any install. Change the translation and then post the updated file in the relevant thread (it's likely linked in the post).
Updated locale
You can download updated Russian locale here. The initial file is from 12.0 Beta 2 version, so it's for 12.0 and next releases. Excuse me for this long pause between my messages, I lost my e-mail adress and password, so I had to create new account. With best wishes, Ilya.
Error
Hello Tchurikov!
Your link in VK page shows error - "This document is available only to its owner.".
If you need to resolve a problem with translation, then you can post new topic in
Localization Discussion Forum.
Finalized locale content need post in specially created for this
PortableApps.com Platform Localization Updates topic.
Long discussions there not allowed.
Translation content you can post directly in forum comment if used Preformatted (PRE) tag (Compose tips) or in Pastebin (select 'Paste Exposure: Public') and then post link in comment.
12 beta 3
when is beta 3 and possibly stable supposed to be coming out?
SOCKS proxy is not working
SOCKS proxy is not working - portableapps manager shows "Unable to connect to PA.com to retrieve portable apps. Please, try again later. [File Open Error]"
How to fix this error?
Categories...
Is there any chance you could at some point seperate the Music and Video Category please? And maybe add some extra categories instead of a single general Utilities Category. Something like:
Hard Drive
File Managers
System
Recovery
etc...
I know you can create your own, but you don't get the specific icons. It's a minor issue I know, but would be nice if there were more categories. It would also be easier to find stuff in the updater's category list and on site. Utilities is a broad term.
Just a thought...
Thanks
Extension Handler & and Custom links
I'm sorry to hear about your injury. Is there an updated schedule for the release of Beta 3?
I'm eagerly awaiting the extension handler.
Also the ability to change where "Documents" "Music" "Videos" and "Pictures" point would be greatly appreciated. Many platforms no longer use Music, Videos, and Pictures as sub-directories of the Documents folder. The ability to point the "Pictures" link in the platform to *\Photos instead of *\Documents\Pictures would be really useful.
Progress?
I'm a big fan of PortableApps, enjoyed working with the most of the applications.
Has been so far some progress in the beta development achieved? I'd appreciate any news or update on this.
Jan?
12 will be going live sometime in Jan.... er perhaps not.
Maybe Feb then.