Hi,
I've probably canvassed the issue before, but I think now this PAL really needs Cloud Functionality, in that a list of applications can be Synchronized across platforms and mediums.
I am getting really tired of having to download programs over and over when this should happen automatically in my view, with the only conciliation being a prompt for updated programs.
Please Developer(s), see to it that this is done as a way of promoting future worth.
Cheers
Visit the Community page
Join our forums
Subscribe to our email newsletter
Subscribe with RSS
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on LinkedIn
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Mastodon
Follow us on BlueSky
You can drop the whole PortableApps.com Platform along with all apps and settings onto your Google Drive, DropBox, One Drive, etc folder and it will sync between your Windows desktops, laptops and tablets. The platform even automatically detects all those cloud folder locations and offers to install directly into them.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Hi John,
I've been thinking about that but how about some functionality that interfaces with the Forum?
I know a company called Steinberg tried it with the eLicenser and it caused bother with PHP but maybe you can pull it off?
Regards
Doing what? You can already fully sync your apps and all data in Dropbox, etc. And if we offered a similar service, we'd have to charge a lot for what they do for free.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
So the workaround is to run it out of DropBox?
I don't understand, PAL was leading innovation with a menu that could check an application repository so to me this is the next logical step and there are examples already such as LastPass so why not this
I think you and John are thinking down completely different paths as to what "cloud functionality" actually means.
You need to be more specific about what you are suggesting, because at the moment it is like you are asking for "something with a motor in it" - one of you is thinking about a sports car, and the other is thinking about a stuffed animal that walks (to make a rather strange analogy, but it is all that comes to mind right now).
If you want us to recreate the functionality of DropBox, Google Drive, etc... all multi-million dollar companies with hundreds of developers working on those issues,... we're going to have to charge hundreds of dollars per year for user. Possibly thousands.
Why recreate the wheel when 10 different companies are already doing it and providing what we'd have to charge for for free as a loss leader?
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Not recreate but improve...
I would like to be able to "uncheck" applications for updating for example in my account management.
I don't know how the economics stack up but it would seem to be the next logical step, i.e. to maintain PAL's current position in the marketplace.
First off the platform is not linked to the forums, nor should it be. We can't expect users of the platform to set up an account on the website just to use the platform.
Secondly presuming we did do so, how would this work with multiple copies of the platform? For example I currently regularly use the platform installed on my home computer, and a different copy with some, but not all of the same apps on a stick for when I'm working.
The app stores you're thinking of, which have that functionality (Android, iOS, etc), are ad- or large company- supported. We are not.
Hi Gord,
I'd not want it to be a requirement that end users have an account, rather if they do (have an account) then they'd be able to access management functions such as computers and installations.
Maybe it's a bit more involved than meets the eye but things like this must start somewhere and it's not always the developer(s) who have the idea(s) but rather they are the magicians who implement them.
Anyway, as I say I can't vouch for the economics, only to say that I believe what I am asking for would be useful even for multiple installations which is actually what I am talking about in the first instance but as pointed out various cloud services already do this, e.g. synchronize folders but it is not always easy to determine whether to synchronize (or not) a particular directory on a specified medium or device.
Cheers
>rather if they do (have an account) then they'd be able to access management functions such as computers and installations.<
are you sure you are asking for such functionality in the right forum?
Here it is about portable apps, means windows programs to be installed on portable media like usb stick and can then be run from that stick on number of computers. The actual computers should ideally not be relevant and are therefore not directly involved.
So why to have a platform for management of computers and installations when the aim is here management of computers and installations should not be relevant?
There are many other people doing some remote access to computers etc. Basic will be something like Teamviewer, the client Software you can even find here.
So similar as others, I am not sure what you are asking for and you are probably misunderstood completely. Try to explain what is your aim and what you want do at the end.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
what they want is a replacement for windows; it is called linux
.
failing that, for some reason being unable to use linux (not taking into account that the purpose of pApps is to be able to use the programs you want on a computer that is not yours, usually a windows computer), they wish to have pApps be that replacement, a sort of pseudo-replacement, like a makeover. So, you boot up windows computer, plug in stick, never use the windows installation at all, except to run your stick. So, the stick needs the functionality that comes with the windows programs, like cloud-based management, cross-platform functionality, syncing settings across multiple computers and devices, etc.
.
Really, it is up to the developers of the apps to provide such things for the pApps version of their program.
.
What can pApps do to improve its own features in this area? Probably enabling a central repository of data for users like settings preferences for the platform, a history of apps, ability to autoinstall a set of apps including each apps individual settings, and other stuff like this. (remembering what you did on one stick and updating another stick or device with the new data, changes)
.
Like was said, the best way would be to utilize existing FREE technology offered by others and empowering the user to DIY. So, you have this new functionality for the platform (not counting all the individual apps that may choose to opt-in as well) and all you need is a place to put it that is central to all of your devices and platforms, etc. This should be up to the user, not centrally located in John T. Haller's basement.
.
so, use your own cloud 'location' as your central hub, and then auto-install to any device or other location in the cloud or other connected thing, depending on your own auto-install preferences. The entire system updates on the fly as needed, if connected. The key would be mirroring your own set of .paf's so you don't have to rely on the sometimes slow download process. Also automating the installation process would be great, with the silent install option, etc. Or option to only install paf's that do not have dialogues requiring action. Or, put all of those dialogues at the front of the installation, or save the one's with dialogues to the end of the process. Also relevant would be simultaneous download and simultaneous installation processes.
.
Usually ppl aren't going to be installing every day or even every week, so this wouldn't be as big of a deal as having the data and settings be updated across all paf installations in real time.
;>jamvaru
If I install PA Platform in my cloud drive, how do I launch the platform?
Just click on it?
I love PortableApps! ❤❤❤
From the synced folder on your computer, yes. You aren't able to run it from your browser.
>If I install PA Platform in my cloud drive, how do I launch the platform?<
remember, that clod drives are storage only. Nothing runs there, as there is no operating system etc for you to use there. If something has to be run, it has to 'fly' to your computer first.
The operating system is on your local computer and in general, cloud drives do just simply copy contents from-to a local folder on your computer. Nothing more then that.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
"Cloud Drives are storage only".
I don't know, the world is getting more and more sophisticated all the time so therefore I cannot see why the "menu" can't be made to do more, i.e. sync app installs between registered devices.
Cloud storage doesn't always get it right either, e.g. in relation to log files; often they are doubled up so it would take some work but surely there is an off-the-shelf solution that can be customized in Source Forge or somewhere.
This requires a server side component and storage for that data, which won't be free.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Thanks John
ya, it is called 'cloud computing' and is mainly for businesses, not free
is anybody doing free cloud computing for the public consumer?
;>jamvaru
>I don't know, the world is getting more and more sophisticated all the time so therefore I cannot see why the "menu" can't be made to do more, i.e. sync app installs between registered devices.<
what operating system runs *inside* your cloud storage?
Do you know? Any idea? So tell us.
No you do not know in fact. There is none. There is no operating system accessible to your data in the cloud. Therefore no programs can run on that storage.
Therefore the clients installed on each computer which needs to be connected to the cloud will take the job and copy the contents of the cloud storage to the local drive. You run then all from local drive not from cloud. Any changes done to local files will be then copied to cloud, this may take time however.
If more then one client connects to same set of data and more then one client tries to update same set of data at the same time, all can get little bit confused for a moment, the copying takes time.
If you want more, no problem, get a windows server hosted on some commercial server farm or install your own at home, make sure it is accessible from outside and well protected against all sorts of attacks.
Then you may start think abt running windows software on it. (you will need some $$$ and some server and networking knowledge for that)
Again: your cloud storage is abt as smart as floppy disk. It has no functionality apart from storing bits and bytes.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
I use to boot various versions of DOS from floppy drives and an Apple system from a 5 1/4" floppy drive.
Ed
DOS is operating system, can be stored on any data carrier. Even on a punched paper tape if asked for. If operating system is loaded from floppy or paper tape, the paper tape or floppy is not becoming any smarter by that.
Floppy can not run any operating system or programs. It is storage media only. There is no computing capability in it, same as on generic cloud storage.
If someone can load operating system from what ever storage media to compatible CPU, then we have a complete computer.
So for loading an operating system from a media like floppy, you need a computer with bootstrap capability of reading this media ( often called bios) some temporary electronic storage media (like RAM) and then have a processor to be able to understand the commands stated in the software and do some operations when following those commands.
There is definitely no way to run any operating system from a storage media like floppy or similar without the above preconditions.
Similar is valid for cloud storage.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
So when the new UEFI machines have built in access to the Cloud, just like older machines had built in access to floppy drives, then hard drives, then CDs, then USB drives, OSs will be booted from the Cloud. Probably in the next year or two.
Watches with this access built in probably 3-4 yrs out.
[off topic]Wow Paper tape. I remember messages being recorded on paper tape. [/off topic]
Ed
os can be booted from cloud for long time, I do so too.
However it needs other bootstrap os, this can be many things, all it needs is access to reasonable communication media, and a machine which is compatible with the commands stated in the data of which the os is build.
I boot this way virtual machines normally, but so what, this is machines too.
Booting PXE is now even for PC probably older then 25 years.
Other time I do 'multiply' number of notebooks by loading bootstrap linux from a stick (do not even need UEFI) and load complete windows XP installation from cloud and boot into it when download finished. (yes XP, you see it is old technology)
Hope you agree that no operating system is run from an usb stick in fact, but it is loaded to a suitable and compatible computer and run there.
Without an access to a machine which can load and execute such code, nothing is possible. And as in a floppy or on cloud storage no such access to computing device exists in general, there is no way anything will run there.
The only way is to download the code by bootstrap os from that storage and execute it on the local machine.
This is the way also VMware and similar companies do run large virtualized computer networks. The users get only what is called thin client. Very small computer, slightly bigger then cigarette box, with very small bootstrap os, slightly bigger then UEFI only. Operating system, apps, user data, all is stored on separate servers and pulled down on demand only.
For such projects, this virtualizing companies have even contract with Microsoft and similar big players and are allowed to have kind of portable windows, portable MS ofice etc. For now abt 12 years, we have here one county, having their administrative offices scattered all over the county run entirely this way.
Many people can this way share one single windows os, single MS office app. The personal settings, data and what ever is stored on other server.
And the thin client computers run a small os which again is able to load the rest from different servers and store things back again when not in need. However, nothing is run on the server itself, it is downloaded to the thin client on demand and run on that thin client then.
What is run on an intermediate server is the whole authentication software, someone has to check that user A gets only his own data and not those from user B.
What I was rather surprised initially, the company did portabilize also very complex software like CAD and some GIS tools with success. They do so within a contract with the OEM of the software of course.
All that is not an os running from and on the server. It is downloaded and run locally.
I just remember, sometimes 1994, we had an installation from Microsoft in a company, this time on w.3.1 for workgroups! The MS office was there sheared copy on a server, pulled down just on demand too. I think it was not TCP/IP but other protocols that time (IPX??not sure), but did kind of work, but not very well, the network speed was far from sufficient that time.
Similar, portable apps stored in cloud like dropbox etc, are not run on dropbox. They are downloaded to the local computer and run on that local computer same way as if they were just on usb stick connected to the local computer. It is the local computer who runs the software, not the server. This is the way why it works, because dropbox and similar storage do simply maintain a copy of a local folder in the cloud, for that, a client software has to run on that local computer all the time. The local client software takes care of the synchronization, not the cloud storage.
Sure there is a way to run also programs stored not completely local. But it works only on rather fast networks, typically local ethernet network can be used for that, provided the software itself is able to deal with latency, so it will execute those parts which are needed most first and can live with some parts being delivered later. This does work on NAS sometimes well, sometimes not.
So no, this is not future, this is almost as old as computers are.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
If you want to boot any OS from the network (UEFI/BIOS) see Serva.
http://vercot.com/~serva/an/WindowsPXE1.html