Hi, I have limited experience of downloading portable apps: Google Chrome, OpenOffice.org, and Java JRE 20.
The impression I got is that there is no provision for resumption of a download in case the net connection drops, which is not too infrequent an occurrence especially for downloads of several MB.
If possible, I would request the facility to be able to download the relevant file using a download manager (or a browser that supports resumption of broken downloads) and then the actual installation could be done off-line. Or if a net connection is necessary at the time of actual installation it would be only for a couple of minutes.
I hope my request
1 makes sense,
2 is in the right forum
and
3 is easy to implement :).
In any case, sincere thanks for the wonderful job.
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
most stuff like OpenOffice.org Portable are hosted at sourceforge.net which does allow resumable downloads be default.
your friendly neighbourhood moderator Zach Thibeau
If you use Firefox Portable, you can add the DownloadThemAll! extension. It's recommended here, as you can see from this link:
https://portableapps.com/apps/internet/downthemall_extension
I use it all the time, and it actually increases your download speed several times over (I know, I was skeptical too, but it's proven itself).
Another nice feature is that it includes a download manager, so I've been able to resume broken downloads easily.
I made this half-pony, half-monkey monster to please you.
I'm not sure DTA will work on something like the installer (GoogleChromePortable_5.0.375.99_online.paf.exe, for example) which runs outside of the browser. Isn't that correct?
That is correct. But for open-source apps like OpenOffice.org Portable, the installer is complete, not an online installer, and you can download it with a download manager.
I am a Christian and a developer and moderator here.
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” – Proverbs 15:1
Hi Chris and thanks for your answer but just to get things clear taking the example of Google Chrome Portable...
The first step is to download this file:
GoogleChromePortable_5.0.375.99_online.paf.exe (GCPpaf, in short).
This is done via the browser and so there's no problem with using a manager or Firefox (for instance) to download the file to my PC and in case the download is interrupted, I can resume from the point of interruption and there is no need to start the download from scratch.
My problem or question relates to the next step.
I have to have the net connection on to proceed. On double-clicking the pen drive icon (for GCPpaf), a progress screen appears that is not under control of the browser. In this process a larger file (several MB) is downloaded and on its complete download the actual installation of Google Chrome Portable starts on my PC.
My point/fear is that at any time after I double-click on GCPpaf, if the net connection drops, whatever has been downloaded will vanish (since this process is not controlled by a browser or download manager) and I have to start all over again by double-clicking GCPpaf.
Many freeware PortableApps installers will automatically download the apps as a part of the installation process, so the download of the main app is outside of your control.
It would be a nice option for you to download the main app separately, and then choose that downloaded file during the PortableApp installation to avoid this. But that's not how it works right now.
Curious, though - have you been experiencing this problem, or is it just a point/fear?
I made this half-pony, half-monkey monster to please you.
Solanus asked:
Curious, though - have you been experiencing this problem, or is it just a point/fear?
It happens quite often. Disturbances in the line supply (even through an APC UPS) cause my ADSL router to go on the blink for a minute or so. For really important downloads that can't be "resumed", I actually switch off the mains and run on battery. I have a monthly 1 GB upload/download quota from my ISP so each download counts.
First, I'm sorry you have such a troublesome connection.
This is a suggestion that may help, but it's a bit of a pain, and I'm assuming you have a flash drive and access to a public internet computer.
Once you have installed a portable app to anywhere, you can just copy the folder to a new location and it will work fine. So, if you have a flash drive, and there's a public internet computer (library, internet cafe, school, etc), you can install the larger apps onto your flash drive, take them home and then just copy the folder to the appropriate location on your home system.
I made this half-pony, half-monkey monster to please you.
Hi Solanus,
Thanks for the advice and no need to feel sorry. All the niggles add an edge
to the internet experience. My initial post was just to make sure that I wasn't missing out on a preferable means of downloading due to inexperience of how portableapps.com works. (We also have "state-sponsored" power-outages that let me download uninterruptedly via stable supply from the inverter.) So all said and done, I manage okay. Thanks once again for the concern.
It would seem that our download component does support a resume/retry option (it notices the connection has dropped and asks you to reconnect and click resume). I think that would cover your issues well and should be available to other users.
I'll work on implementing this in PA.c Installer 2.0.3 as we're adding in a few other bug fixes.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Oh! Okay. I guess I never experienced it as yet with all the pre-emptive measures I use (mentioned above) and my initial post was redundant.
Once again, kudos on a great project. I plug it whenever I get a chance