PortableApps.com Installer 2.0 and PortableApps.com Format 2.0

John T. Haller's picture
Submitted by John T. Haller on June 4, 2010 - 2:35am

logoPortableApps.com is proud to announce that PortableApps.com Installer 2.0 has been released along with the updated PortableApps.com Format Specification 2.0. The PortableApps.com Installer allows you to quickly package your portable apps in an easy-to-use installer without having to write or compile any code. This release enables full Unicode support, has improved graphics and response time, adds full support for the upcoming PortableApps.com Updater and more. The updated PortableApps.com Format Specification and installer are now available for outside developers to use and can be used freely with free open source and freeware applications. Commercial use is available by contacting PortableApps.com.

Read on for more details...

PortableApps.com Installer Features

Installer ScreenshotThe PortableApps.com Installer allows you to easily package your portable apps. It features:

  • Proven NSIS installer core
  • Excellent compression for distribution
  • Easy configuration with no coding required
  • Multilingual with 69 Languages and Full Unicode Support
  • Optional sections
  • Automatic integration with the PortableApps.com Platform
  • Works from command line and Send To (just pass the portable app's main directory, e.g. X:\PortableApps\FileZillaPortable)
  • Interactive mode to assist with missing entries
  • Licensed for use with free open source and freeware
  • Commercial use by contacting PortableApps.com

What's New in the Format and Installer?

This update to the PortableApps.com Format and Installer adds full unicode support for all 69 supported languages, meaning the end-user can run the installer and see it in their native language regardless of the language Windows is set to. Support for 11 new languages has been added including Cibemba, Efik, Georgian, Igbo, Khmer, Malagasy, Pashto, Swahili, Valencian, Vietnamese and Yoruba.

Full support for the upcoming PortableApps.com Updater has also been added, allowing you to fully automate your application management in the PortableApps.com Platform once 2.0 has been released.

For existing apps - This new updater version will automatically update your application to the new 2.0 format. The one exception is the new appicon_128.png within AppInfo, a new 128px PNG icon for future use. Though not required, it is suggested that all publishers include this from now on.

This update of the PortableApps.com Installer allows software publishers to package their apps using our popular tools. Open source projects can use our installer (and all source is included and licensed under the GPL) and release their own PAF files. Freeware publishers can also use our installer with no special permission. Commercial publishers can contact us for permission.

Get Help Packaging for PortableApps.com

If you need help packaging your software in PortableApps.com Format or using the PortableApps.com Installer, just post a note to the Development Forum and we'll help you out.

PortableApps.com Installer / PortableApps.com Format

PortableApps.com Installer is packaged, appropriately, as a PortableApps.com Installer so it will automatically detect an existing PortableApps.com installation when your drive is plugged in. It supports upgrades by installing right over an existing copy, preserving all settings. And it's in PortableApps.com Format, so it automatically works with the PortableApps.com Suite including the Menu and Backup Utility.

Download

The PortableApps.com Installer is available for immediate download from the PortableApps.com Installer homepage. Get it today!

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Comments

Thanks you so much for this!
Oh and btw, the new installer looks great!

"What about Love?" - "Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." - Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate

Portuguese and PortugueseBR languages are diferrent versions of Portuguese (Portugal) language.

EDIT: Apparently this bug is only on Google Chrome Portable (Dev) installer

Hello,

This seems very nice.

However I have a lot of portable apps installed on my usb key.

If I want to upgrade to this version, do I need to uninstall everything and wait that each portableapps is upgraded to version "2.0" to use them again?

I am not quite sure how exactly we upgrade from version 1.6 to 2.0

Thanks.

Install the new version right over the top of the old version just as John describes in this post. And I don't believe you need to wait for all the apps to updated to the latest installer version.

As always, backup your data in case something untoward should happen.

The PortableApps menu has been called "platform" for a while now, but I've always found it confusing. According to most of the definitions of "software platform" that I've found, a platform is the base that is required to allow certain apps to function. For instance, Java is a platform that allows java apps to work; without Java installed, these apps will not work.

In contrast, the portable apps here do not require the PA menu to function at all. While the PA menu makes it easier to manage the apps to a certain extent, it is entirely optional. Therefore, it's not really a platform, it's just a fancy menu.

Now, it's possible that the plan is to build specific dependencies into the apps here so that they cannot run without the menu. That would be more like a platform, but I don't think that's going to happen.

I made this half-pony, half-monkey monster to please you.

which I just realized what the original poster was talking about. There isn't a finalized 2.0 menu yet, just a new format for the future (and updated) apps.
We are still at 2.0 beta and 1.6.3 for the menus, right?

Don't be an uberPr∅. They are stinky.

I take the term "platform" here to be all encompassing, rather than denoting dependency such that it can be used to refer to the format, the installer, the menu and related components that make up PortableApps.com.

You're right though, it's a term that is kind of thrown around with gay abandon.

So you can say, "To make a PortableApps Smurf, first take your smurf and put it into the PortableApps Smurf, compress it using PortableApps Smurf, run it through the PortableApps Smurf, and then you can use the PortableApps Smurf to finish it up! After that, just smurf it using the Smurf a new Smurf function in the PortableApps Smurf!"

Blum

I made this half-pony, half-monkey monster to please you.

So you compress the Smurf? is that why they are always blue? Wink

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” Dr. Seuss

I worked for a long time in a job with a wide variety of applications that were very similar to each other, but their terminology was all over the map. For instance, the word "method" meant six different things in six different apps, even though all the apps had the same underlying functionality.
Since then, I much prefer it if you use a term that's already in common use, that you use it correctly, or find the correct term for what you are doing.
This cuts down on confusion dramatically, especially with newcomers.

I made this half-pony, half-monkey monster to please you.

What a great day. I know a lot of work into this, and it's fantastic that it's finally released. I've wanted to get into making software portable for a while, but the learning curve was too much to justify the small reward. Now with this simpler platform, I shall be eliminating the need to ever install any small programs again.

Also it's great to get updates for the existing apps again, so it's a doubly good day.

John T. Haller's picture

John T. Haller

June 4, 2010 - 1:19pm

"Category is the category that the application falls into within the PortableApps.com Platform. Valid entries are: Accessibility, Development, Education, Games, Graphics & Pictures, Internet, Music & Video, Office, Security or Utilities."

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

the new graphics and logos are SWEET. That whole delay in the release of it was totally worth it.

And as always, thanks John.

LucheLibre

June 5, 2010 - 12:53am

Am I right in thinking that only devs need to download this and not us simple users?

"Save us, Porta-Jesus!"

(because "Porta-John" was already taken)

John T. Haller's picture

John T. Haller

June 5, 2010 - 11:20am

It's not a bug. You're not supposed to manually setup an Optional1 directory anymore. Use InstallFiles.ini. This is the way to do optional components now. This way you never have to manually move files around. AppNamePortable\Optional1 should the exist as it is outside the PAF spec. Please adjust to the new way of using this feature.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

Installer looks sweet. But Ukrainian translate is stupid. After start I can see word "лехко", it's redneck's mistake. Normal is "легко"

John T. Haller's picture

John T. Haller

June 5, 2010 - 3:22pm

The translations are all submitted by community volunteers. You can find the translations within PortableApps.comInstaller\App\installer\Languages. Open up English and Ukranian and correct as needed. Then post it in the Localization forum. Smile

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

right in time for the next OpenOffice.org Portable version Smile

Paid for Software more or less?
What You need is OSS!

Farid Zenon's picture

Farid Zenon

June 12, 2010 - 9:16pm

after use beta for long time now teh complete version out! and thank alot!

Farid Zenon