PortableApps.com Platform 2.0 (codename: Leo) Beta 5 has just been posted for testers and translators. This latest beta represents a large behind-the-scenes effort to upgrade many of the underpinnings of the PortableApps.com Platform on the road to 2.0. The main purpose of Beta 5 was to upgrade the codebase to the latest version of our development environment, make the switch from ANSI to Unicode, add the first public release of the PortableApps.com Updater and do the first public testing of our new theming engine.
Get screenshots and more details in the release announcement on the homepage!
What's New In 2.0 Beta 5
- PortableApps.com Updater - The updater let's you keep all your apps and the platform updated with just a few clicks. It'll even download the right language version of the app based on the language your platform is set to. Just click Manage Apps - Check For Updates!
- New Theming Engine - Over 32 themes are included showing off our new colormix technology and the ability to combine images and chrome. More details on the new theming format will be debuting next week so themers can start making their own packaged themes.
- Unicode Support - Full unicode support means that you can use the platform in the language of your choice even on a PC set to another language. It also allows us to support Vietnamese, Serbian and other upcoming languages that require Unicode for full functionality.
Download PortableApps.com Platform 2.0 Beta 5
Download PortableApps.com Platform 2.0 Beta 5 (3MB download / 4MB installed)
MD5: d9382df8bac1b96014f817cc274759cb
Source: Updater, Platform
The Road To 2.0
From this point forward, we'll be releasing a new beta every week or two until we hit 2.0 final. Upcoming features include those we announced in the 2.0 Preview including the full theme switcher, improved options screen, file associations, full category/folder support with smart app organization and lots more. Once you're on 2.0 Beta 5, you can just check for new versions and you'll know as soon as Beta 6 is available for you.
Well, that's it for now. Don't forget to check the news story for all the pretty screenshots and more details. And if you're enjoying the new features and want to help things along, please make a donation to support development and hosting.
Known Issues
- Theme Not Selected - The theme you selected is remembered between sessions but will not always be selected in the menu when you restart the platform.
- Some Installers Not Automated - Some installers haven't been updated to the latest release and will still display when used with the updater.
- Updater Steals Focus - When some apps are updated using an online installer, the current app you are using may lose focus for a second or two. This is due to an issue in the inetc plugin and is being investigated.
- Win7 Taskbar Partial Disabling - The advanced feature to disable the Win7 taskbar icon only partially works. When the menu is visible, the taskbar icon will be visible.
- Incomplete Translations - Many translations are lacking some of the new wording. We will be addressing this over the coming weeks and probably do our big translation push after Beta 6.
- Multiple Updater Instances - The updater can be relaunched while it is running, which will affect the in-progress update.
- Highlight Remains on Refresh - When you select to refresh (possibly other functions), the highlight remains over the app or folder while the app list is rebuilt.
- Pink Corners On Non-Aero Windows - The themes will have pink corners on Windows when aero isn't enabled (Vista/7) as well as on 2000/XP. We're investigating this issue.
- Updater Wrong Header - The updater shows the wrong header text while apps are being downloaded and installed. ("Please wait while PortableApps.com Updater is being installed.")
- Updater IE Cache - The updater may leave app installers behind in the IE cache directory (Temporary Internet Files, typically) due to the way the download component works. This will be fixed in the next release.
- PortableApps Folder Icon Missing - The icon for the PortableApps folder is missing from the current platform.
- Updater Show Details - The show details button in the updater is non-functional. This button will be removed in final.
- Language Switching Disabled = English Updater - If you've manually disabled automatic language switching for apps in the platform, the updater will appear in English and will download English packages of apps that have multiple language packs available (Firefox, etc). This will be fixed in the next beta.
- Old Themes Unsupported - Most existing themes will not display properly in the updated beta. The new theming spec isn't quite complete but will be in the coming weeks. We will probably be adding some sort of backward compatibility mode that should enable many existing themes to work.
- FIXED: Multiple Themes Selected - An initial release posted to SourceForge before the announcement had an issue where multiple themes could be selected. Clear your browser's cache and redownload if you have this issue.
- FIXED: Updater Completes Before App Installers - An initial release posted to SourceForge before the announcement had an issue the updater would exit before all the app installers completed. Clear your browser's cache and redownload if you have this issue.