Here's a quick status update on the goings-on of PortableApps.com and the Road to 2.0. We've finalized the default theme and chrome, we wound up having to do one more set of translations (due to the website upgrade delay), we've got some news on the financial front and we've got a sneak preview of a couple of 2.0 features which happen to be useful for translators as well. Read on for the details
Finalized Default Theme for 2.0
After discussions in last week's update, working with some users and doing a bit of usability testing, we've decided to go with the new flat chrome theme as the primary chrome with the beveled chrome also available. We've also decided to go with the white background in the app area as it's easier on the eyes over long stretches and better matches the standard Windows start menu. As with before, we'll have it available in 15 different colors both dark and white. And the same set with the beveled chrome. Based on user feedback, we also lightened the app area from the Beta 5 release and the fonts in the folder area and drive free space area. Here's a look:
I also threw in a brushed metal theme we'd been working on previously for a partner as well as for general availability. This is where the silver icons mentioned in the last update came from. I'm not sure if this is up to the quality we want to include it with the platform, but we'll at least make it available later on as a downloadable theme.
Updated Platform 2.0 Strings Posted
As we were doing final testing on the 2.0 platform, we realized we had an issue with localization in the new Portable App Directory included with the PortableApps.com Platform. It was planned that the area showing the description of the app would be fed from the website's app database and have it localized for each language. This is still planned, but due to the difficulties in upgrading to Drupal 7, the new app directory isn't online yet, so those translations aren't available.
Rather than stick all non-English speakers with app descriptions they can't understand, we're going to substitute in the sub-category of the app for the description field. While this doesn't give all the details of each app, the sub-categories are detailed enough that they'll make sense. This way, Firefox shows up with a sub-category of "Web Browsers" and Notepad++ shows up with a sub-category of "Text Editors" translated into the user's language of choice. This will serve as a good holdover until the new app directory is online on our site and we can serve full localized descriptions.
We need users to help translate, so if you are fluent in English and another language, please head over to the Platform 2.0 Language Translations Take 2 topic in the forums and help update or review a translation.
2.0 Sneak Peek
As a bit of a taste of the new platform, and to assist in the translations before the platform is released (it helps to visualize), we've included a couple of screenshots of some upcoming features. Below, you'll find the first public screenshot of the new Portable App Directory, a shot of how the new directory is accessed and a review of the new Options screen we previewed previously (so it's all in one place):
In the Portable App Directory screen above, when in a language besides English, the Description column will be labeled Sub-Category and will include the Sub-Category of the app in the user's selected language as translated in the new set of strings mentioned above. As for how the above screenshot works, you just click Get More Apps in the PA.c Menu and you get a categorized list of apps available. Check off the ones you want, click Next and they'll all be downloaded and installed automatically, just like with the updater in the current 2.0 Beta release.
Oh, and if you notice that some of the app icons look a bit jagged, it's because the icons aren't all up on the server yet for the updater to access, so it's using a rough PNG to ICO conversion that loses alpha transparency. It's a fallback method in case some of the ICOs are ever inaccessible. We'll have them all online for the 2.0 release so they'll look smooth and sophisticated!
Updated 2.0 Progress
The translations for these final strings are progressing well. The code to handle the sub-category swap on the client side and the updates to the actual app directory on the website and in the updater database are nearly complete (example: getting all those Utilities out of 'Other'). We're working on one final issue with the theming engine causing the pink corners to appear under Windows 2000\XP\Wine and on Vista\7 when Aero is disabled as well. It's fixed in the code now, but it required a minor update to the theming setup itself (another layer to ensure they show up as transparent), which was just completed today.
As soon as these last few issues are completed, we'll be posting the platform as 2.0 Pre-Release 1 to get some final testing from the wider community. In particular, we'll be focusing on ensuring that all the translations are showing up right for all users, that categories in the first two modes (All with Categories and All Alphabetical) are working properly for both the built-in categories and user-created ones, that the new options window is working properly for all settings, that the new themes are working properly, that the new Portable App Directory is functioning as expected and that the bug fixes included are working for everyone (Updater and App Directory downloading online installer's additional bits itself to working with proxies and better show progress, uninstall progress now responsive during uninstall on Vista/7, etc). We'll announce it through all our channels as soon as it is up.
Quick Financial Update
We're partnering with one of the largest custom flash drive makers in the US to be able to offer PortableApps.com-branded drives as well as optional user text laser-engraving with the PortableApps.com Platform pre-loaded. There will be a choice of shapes and colors. The internals are being made by one of the major USB manufacturers (though we won't be able to say who for contract reasons), so they'll be retail quality. This should be available in a month or so and we'll be announcing it then.
With the 2.0 Pre-Release 1 release, we're going to begin a donations drive similar to what Wikipedia ran earlier this year. We're going to be shooting for $50,000 to help pay off some of our debt load that we're personally carrying, pay our rising hosting bills (up about 5%-10% per month and soon to spike with the Portable App Directory) and handle some other necessities along those lines. We're going to take a bit of a unique approach with this as we're going to be taking these same donations we get and donating them back to the open source projects we make portable once we're in the black business-wise, kind of like an 'open source loan'. We're happy for any suggestions around the best way to structure it all as well as ways to get the word out and encourage donations. And if anyone is feeling generous and would like to donate early, it will really help pay for things now and be very much appreciated!
That's it for this update. Thanks to everyone who gave input on the new themes and to everyone who has submitted or will submit a translation for the 2.0 Platform. If you see any languages that still need an update and know someone who could help, please send them our way!
Thanks for everyone who's helping out with 2.0... and making it rock!
The impossible can become possible if you are awesome! - Rhino
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Comments
Wow, this really looks good!
Wow, this really looks good! I'm impressed.
The new options dialog has a nice clean appearance. Can't wait to test it. Or, yes, now I know some more details, I shurely can. This is one of the long awaited reassuring infos to keep the folks interested.
Glad to hear!
I will be first in line for one of the PA.c drives
lol a theme i may change too lol.
brushed metal actually looks pretty good to me.
is it also gonna have gold,copper or other metal types?? camouflage colorings would be kinda cool too. jungle, desert, woodlands, woodlands digital. i cant remember all the types of camouflage lol (just some ideas for more themes)
Desktop Icon?
There's no mention of the much requested Desktop Icon, which we currently can only get with the PAMDI Launcher wrapper. Is that part of v2.0 or are we still going to have to carry on using Launcher.exe?
Not Yet
As stated in the last two or three updates, 2.0 will be the features in the 2.0 Beta 5 release with the updated theming engine, finished updater, categories and the Portable App Directory... most of which are already completed... so we can get the release out and avoid any more feature creep and delays. We'll be doing additional point releases every 2 to 3 weeks after 2.0 and prioritizing additional features. The desktop icon will debut in one of those point releases as an option.
Can't wait! Get it out now!
Agreed that you need to "get the release out and avoid any more feature creep and delays." I had really hoped that the "sneak peek" in the headline would mean a RC, not just screen shots.
Everything looks good to me! I'll be motivated to donate as soon as I can get the release candidate!
If I understand it correctly, part of my donation to PA.c may also go to support the apps that are most in need of donations, once PA.c is back in the black. I like that; makes it simple!
All Of It
The fundraising drive is for funds we'll be keeping temporarily... until we're in the black... at which point we'll be taking all of them and giving them to the apps we make portable for their own hosting, development, legal and promotion needs
USB drives
I realise you have to be a bit circumspect about the USB drives, at least until everything is finalised, but can you give us any idea of the R/W speeds of the drives which will be available?
For me that's the crucial issue in terms of suitability - far more so than whether they have yellow stripes or can be immersed in spaghetti for 3 weeks
Regards
Nick
yes
I too hope that it will be a drive powerful enough to run Firefox, and that it will be available in Europe too.
I agree!
I also feel that a decently quick flash drive is of more importance than how it looks.
In running these drives sometimes a lot of data is written back and forth, and in many cases, I need to start my portable app, use it, quit, and eject my drive within the space of a few short minutes.
Not to mention, many of these "different look" flash drives tend not to look very professional, which in my setting would not be helpful. The laser engraving would be nice for simply putting my name on it.
Standard Drive
We'll be doing a basic retail drive for this run using components you'd expect from a retail drive. It won't be a high-performance drive. It'll be an everyman's everyday drive with a little personality (and helping us raise funds). Higher performance drives are quite a bit more expensive and when we add on our 'supporting portable apps' bit to the price, they may not sell as well.
We're also in talks with one of the big USB manufacturers to do a custom version of one of their premium drives (higher performance, better durability, higher price) with the firmware optimized for portable software and possibly co-branded. This would be for online sales as well as possible retail sales. I'll post more about that as things progress.
Can't wait! It all looks good
Can't wait! It all looks good and your hard work is clearly seen in those screen shots! I just updated a bunch of apps yesterday, so that built in app updater has me drooling already!
Financial Thought
This is rather more than my 2 cents worth, my apologies for the rambling. Hope it drives some thoughts.
Multiple options. Different people like to donate in different ways. Some people would rather send a large donation, others would prefer micropayments.
Example: Newsblur (an RSS aggregator site) suggests $1/month or $2/month as a donation level for their site.
You could suggest to people a payment method to help fund the site and keep the lights on: $2/month or $5.50/quarter or $21/year. (The annual total goes down as the term gets longer, because your certainty goes up.) Depending on where you're looking to go with this, you might also look to sites like IndieGoGo.
Definitely take a little time to make it clear to people where the money is going and why it is necessary. Public Radio has been using a decent amount of donation money for years. I still listen to the Science Friday podcast, and they take a few moments at the beginning of each show to remind people of the effort that goes into it, the benefits they receive, and how just a few dollars per listener (user in the PA.c case) can really go a long way.
All of the people that follow PA.c and check out the site every day already understand the amazing amount of effort and time that go into the product. New people won't. At the same time, if you come across too strong, you might drive them away before they try it. It is a conundrum. On top of that, many people are loathe to pay for what they can get for free.
I do think that a personal note from you, John, much as what was done on Wikipedia by Jimmy Wales, could probably drive some good return.
Enjoy
Possibility
I've considered this as well. Something that would show up with an icon near your account in the forums to show you're a 'supporter' or similar. It's a little harder to do ongoing billing and we'd need to integrate it into the site. One reason I decided to opt against it for now is that the main purpose of this fundraiser will be to get from point A (where we are now) to point B (financially comfortable) and then rely on our software and hardware deals to continue to bring in revenue, rather than for donations to be a permanent, ongoing thing.
Translations
From past experience about translations it's sometimes hard to get perfect translations without the actual context in which they are going to be used. For this handling translations like an app with the ability to individually update the user's language might be useful.
And while I know the language files will be small, I really wonder why the platform would like to include all languages while a typical user would only use one (and maaaaybeee two at most). Not only it makes for bigger size and more files on the drive that are, let's be honest, will never be used, the user in this case also has to wait for the platform because of languages he or she will never look at.
Especially now, when it's like we're all waiting for the translations to finish up, and in the next releases when a new version is coming we have to go through the same again for a few additional new or changed strings. Handling translations as it was a separate app could be a solution. Okay, some languages would become available later but that way you could push corrections when they come available just to the users of that specific language.
I'm also curious how the categories themselves would look in the platform as all screenshots posted don't show them. Would the icons for categories just be a folder icon or do they also have some graphic indication of the category type?
One last point, I sort of understand what was meant by donating to the app projects when the amount of donations is higher than that is needed by PortableApps itself but the wording made me have to think about the meaning. (Maybe it's because I'm not an native English speaker).
Anyway, I'm exited that you finally are about to release the latest version.
Cheers!
The size is not so great
All the translations are in text files in the Locale folder. That folder is currently about 600 KB.
It should be very simple to release updates to the translations, if John wants to go that route. Especially considering that we could use the Updater to distribute them.
I agree that it's better not to wait for Perfect Translations to release the platform. I'd wager that no matter what, even if we try, we will still get posts correcting some of the less common languages for months.
Not Perfect
We're not waiting for perfect. We're just waiting for the major languages to be done and tested (with the pre-release) in context. Then shipping 2.0. Translations are always an ongoing thing and we'll probably be shipping a 2.0.1 release a week after 2.0 and then 2.1 a few weeks after that. So even as we get updates translations, it'll never be more than a couple weeks before we get them in users' hands.
Translations and 'Loans'
The translation files are only around 15k each. Managing them individually would get very messy very fast. Most standard local apps with translations this small just include them all. It's only apps where the translations wind up huge (I'm looking at you, GIMP) in relation to the overall app where it makes sense to split them up. Splitting them up would take more time to handle than just getting them done and shipping the platform as we'd have to code a mechanism to do it. The only projects that update translations separately from their main software make users manually download and update the translations to get them (KeePass, for example). Sending out a 2.0.1 platform update with language updates as well as bug fixes and tweaks will be relatively painless and that way we know when everyone has a specific version of everything (translations included).
The categories are just simple folder icons with the names bolded. As the icons are only 16x16, having individual ones for categories the way we do for the 24x24 folders on the right-hand side doesn't work so well. I've gone back and forth on indenting the category contents when they are expanded as it looks good either way. With indent, it's easier to visually see the structure, but some portable app names could get cut off. I'm going to keep the indent for the release and eventually add an option in the Advanced tab so you can disable it if you prefer. I should have thrown a screenshot of the categories in this announcement as it probably would have generated even more interest.
On the donations, I mean it's essentially like being an 'open source loan' in some respects without being an actual legal loan. So, if you, as part of the big fund-raising drive, were to give us $100, we'd use it for hosting/legal/etc. Later this year once we have money coming in from hardware and software partners and we're making money ('in the black' is the phrase I used), we're going to take that $100 you gave us and give it back to the open source projects we portablize. That way, we get the cash we need to keep growing and adding new users, and users know they're helping the wider open source community as we grow, not just us.
Thanks for the clarification
The donations idea is intriguing, and besides helping to support the individual apps, it will also engender good will between those developers and PA.c.
I think you should give equitable distribution between those devs. At first I considered that maybe the amounts should be weighted by popularity, or by need, but that could get sticky. If you give everyone an equal share it will be cleaner. Users still have the option of going directly to the app's original site if they want to donate directly to their fav app.
Division
Yeah, I've been debating that myself. I was thinking strictly based on popularity. But perhaps something like Mozilla Firefox being excluded (even though it's open source and non-profit, they did make $100 million in revenue last year). I was worried about the suite skewing results, since the bundled apps get more downloads, but now that the App Directory will be coming out, many users will simply be building their own suites.
Thanks for the clarification
Thanks for the clarification of the 'loan' principle as that was not clear to me when reading the main post. I was under the impression that only the surplus would be given to open source projects.
Deviding the funds seems a big dilemma though. Based on popularity versus equal shares. But there's also the fact that some projects have much bigger community (like say LibreOffice) versus popular but smaller one person projects. Also consider that some of the projects might even be abandoned. A hard decision. And there are popular projects (like Blender for example) that might not be as popular with the PortableApps community but are very popular in their own right. (That also because there's not an official link with the Blender cummunity and main developers, maybe you should give Ton a haller, erm holler
Anyway thanks for the clarification. Maybe this should be added more clearly in a future project update.
It WIll Be
It will be clarified when we officially start the fundraising in conjunction with 2.0 final. We'll start it a bit lowkey with the PR1 release. It'll have its own page on the site with details.
Once we get profitable, we'll look at the state of our apps we package and the ones that are open source and accept donations and figure out what will help where. We'll probably do a couple community topics about it in the forums and a poll or two to get a good consensus. I think it would be a bad idea to plan it out ahead of time as things could change quite a bit over time in terms of what projects need what, which ones are doing well financially, which have corporate sponsorship, etc. We'll probably cut Drupal in as well as we're one of the larger Drupal-powered sites now.
Great work!
Some awesome features coming to light here.
I'll be picking up several of the flash drives (one for me and others as gifts) most likely.
Thanks.
The silver theme looks great
The silver theme looks great
This gets me excited!
I can't wait until the new version gets released!
I hope it's soon!
It looks really cool!
well
this is exciting!
Menu/categories
Looking at the stuff about arranging the menu items in various orders with or without categories, the one thing that seems to be missing is to allow the user to arrange menu items in their own order and/or group them into user-defined categories.
Is this part of the plan?
Regards
Nick
some
There will be support for user-defined categories so you can sort things like you wish, but I doubt that you can freely order your apps at your personal gusto.
I took the early plunge
OK. I took 2 early plunge
First is the advance donation. Not good enough but can take a couple of drinks for the night shift developers.
Then I use the BETA and replace my PA on my 1TB Seagate GoFlex portable drive.
So far all is doing great! but I want to mention some things that might be look into for improvements.
1. Silent update. I did try updating my whole app collection and it took me nearly 30 min downloading over 2Mbps connection. The update went well and I am pretty impressed about the stability of it. But when it starting to install the update, i was expecting that it will do it silently since I was alredy prompted in the beginning about which app to update. That is where I got annoyed having to press next and finish button several times. It would be nice if the update can work silently and just show the finish notification when done.
2. The old version is not showing on task bar but this one is. I actually like it the way it was only visible on the system tray and not on the task bar. (im running win7)
3. Individual App backup option would be nice
OVERALL... PA ROCKS!!!
Thanks for the hard work! Keep it up!
silent
It should be silent for all installers except those where you have an EULA to agree to (which legally must be shown), apps with an option it needs to ask you about or apps using outdated installers.
Uhhhmmm..
Then something went wrong because on my update I have to click next, next then finish on every app. That is excluding the EULA which is logical not to be silent.
Anyway, it all over, my 2.0 is running and so far it is nothing but satisfactory.
Great job!
Run Directly
Did you for some reason run PortableAppsUpdater.exe directly or close the platform when it is running? The installers will only run in silent mode when the platform is running and the updater is launched from the platform.
Is there a documented reason
Is there a documented reason for that?
By Design
The installers only support silent mode in conjunction with the platform. I'll likely just set the updater so it can only be launched from the platform to avoid this issue coming up.
updater settings
Since I regularly check for updates without starting the whole platform, I prefer to be able to launch the updater separately, as it as now. I think if you put a note regarding silent installs on the main platform page and perhaps in the help file/documentation, that would be enough for most people.
I was wondering why the non-EULA installs were sometimes silent, sometimes not. Thanks for answering that question.
Thank you for all your hard work.
edit below
Interestingly, this morning when I updated one of my drives by double-clicking PortableAppsUpdater.exe in the PortableApps.com folder, all of the several updates went silently, even PortableGoogleChrome which usually gives me a EULA. I was doing several other things on the computer at the time, but nothing that would either ignore nor automate the install process.
I run it from the platform
I run it from the platform and the platform stays running all the way until all apps are updated.
Win 7 taskbar
can be disabled.
thanks
Hiyeahhh...
Thanks for that
Backup File Naming Problem
I do extensive development using the PortableApps platform and use the integrated backup feature extensively to maintain "rolling" copies of my work throughout the day. I have, however, run into some very major snags that I wonder if they will be addressed...
1. Only one backup per day seems to be permitted due to the backup file naming convention.
2. If I rename a backup file I can then not use it to restore until I change the name back to what it originally was - the backup/restore PA utility simply ignores it unless it has the specific name it was given.
So, specifically, I'd like for the backup/restore utility to be able to allow ME to choose what name it will be given, and/or permit a multi-numbered naming style when making multiple backups in one day. Also, I want the restore utility to accept a backup no matter what I chose to call the backup file name.
Presently my only solution is to either just use 7Zip and zip up the PA directories manually, or else store every single backup file in its own numbered folder since several backups in one day will all have the exact same name/date.
Huh.
I haven't actually used the backup, but looking at it now, I'm kinda surprised at the file naming. Most other file backup software I've used includes a timestamp in the filename. Also, the prefix of "PortableAppsBackup" seems unnecessarily long.
FlashBin
John, Isn't there any possibility of you to release the platform with a built in Recycle Bin? I am using FlashBin as my pendrive's recycle bin (I got it here, in this site). I think it's usefull since we are using the device on a public pc, this way the files you throw away won't be either permanently erased nor put in the public pc. What do you think about it?
Probably better to keep it a separate app
I must say that I am not a fan of adding a lot of extra functions into the Platform is there already is a separate app for that.
Instead, what we need is the ability to flag apps to close when the Platform closes (the logical compliment to the "Start Automatically" feature).
That way, if we want these additional functions to run when the platform is running, we can just flag them as "Start Automatically" and "Close Automatically". That is functionally the same as having it integrated into the platform, but it's better, because:
1. Does not add to the size of the base platform
2. Does not add to the development time of the base platform
3. Allows users to choose which functions they want to add
4. Encourages other developers to create these types of apps
Re: Probably better to keep it a separate app
Good idea. Only, I'd let the apps close automatically before ejection if the user clicks the eject button. Sometimes I (and possibly other people as well) prefer to close the platform even though I'm still using some portable apps.
Great! Love it!
By the way, is it possible for us to have the "instant search"(type-and-search) function in the menu? If so, that would be awesome!
Yes, I'll only ever second
Yes, I'll only ever second that, but without a search field.
But keep that for a future update if it is not done already.
Like win7 menu, right?
Yeah.. i think that would be awesome.
Then add a feature to kill the native windows menu when PA runs.. hahaha... just kidding.
Re: Like win7 menu, right?
Yes if you have PAM, why use the Windows start menu? LOL
Well, I've written an AutoHotkey script to replace the Windows key. When the script is running, [Windows] will open the platform (not the Windows start menu) and [Win+E] will open a portable file browser. Furthermore, the shortcut keys for â, ä, á, à, etc (for a, e, i, o, u) as in MS Word are made universal and can insert altcodes, html ampersandcodes, unicode number and html ampersandcodes (unicode).
I will not include it here since:
1) It's off topic.
2) My script is somewhat buggy atm (although I plan on improving it in the near future).
However, if others are interested, start a new thread and just reply to this post that you started a new thread. I'll hopefully remember to look here in a day or two.
1st Version: May 3, 2011 - 3:44pm
Edit: May 4, 2011 - 7:13pm: Exchanged < and > for [ and ] around hotkeys to get rid of problems with html.
Re: Like win7 menu, right?
I've created my new version of the script, that seems not to be so buggy. I've created this topic for it.
Update: It's now much easier to download and get to work.
Would you stop? It's obvious
Would you stop? It's obvious you're trying to promote your AHK script by using this topic. Sorry for being harsh, but I'm tired of seeing updates in the tracker for a proprietary program entirely unrelated to the Platform.
As usual, more waiting...
I am looking forward to Platform 2.x, but one thing about it, since Beta 5 was released mid-July last year, everything about this coming Platform, despite all of the talk, has been an exercise in extreme patience. Has anything happened as stated related to the Platform? I sincerely hope that everyone's patience is rewarded and the money, work, and time from John and others behind the scenes results in a huge success. But even so, the promises, talk, and waiting is very frustrating.
From the recent status
From the recent status updates, it looks like it is very near RC, so keep checking back. Just because there's been no updated release in nearly a year does not mean there hasn't been working going on behind the scenes.
Very frustrating indeed...
Perhaps John is deliberately delaying the release until mid July this year ( it's creeping up )
That way he can release it on the anniversary of Beta 5.
It certainly seems so with all the broken promises.
There was a huge push to
There was a huge push to release an app a day for a while, and that was very nice to see. Apps drive this community more than the menu IMHO, and spending time working out deals to sell PortableApps.com branded flash drives and meeting with commercial software vendors is a bigger deal....more money means less stress and more time to work on apps and the menu
Just passing along good wishes and support
John has been pretty good with updates ... the silence is worrisome, but from a more personal perspective. I just hope everything is okay for him and crew. People have personal lives too. Chances are it is just a lot of busy work behind the scenes and all will be well before too long. Good luck, John. All the hard work is appreciated, and the impatience is just due to the long awaited anticipation for the debut of the new features in the platform.
THX
No need to worry
No need to worry (at least I hope). John posted a while ago that the "one app a day"-program is taking a break until the release of the new platform.
How many times...
How many times is it going to be delayed? A better version/release system would help.
Its seems to currently be "We release whenever we feel like it." "O, there's a bug? It will be fixed in next release." "O, next release is going to be delayed for new features." "O, next release is going to be delayed because we need translations for the new features." Then it all repeats. Its a never ending cycle and there's no new release.
I'm sorry, but you have to admit, its become pretty bad. I know you guys have real lives.
(I realize its OSS, but that's no excuse. Sorry if it sounds like I'm being mean. I'm just frustrated.)
Dont mention delays
You will be shot down in flames for being negative.
rarely
people will be shot down in flames around here.
No doubt
You could get your account deleted or be shot down in flames and hear nothing but the great job being done and how its free, as if good effort, sacrifice, a nice concept, and/or being free is enough in the business world to erase or forgive poor execution, poor/unreliable communication, continual delays, and/or other problems. A lot of naivety considering MOST businesses fail for some of the same issues facing PortableApps and money is only one of them.
On the other hand
The developer for Display Fusion (google it) has an open beta that's updated nearly every few days. This guy is really on top of the program and has set Display Fusion as his top priority. Perhaps it's because the app costs $20 or so, but you can also tell he really enjoys creating and updating this app.
That fact that PA is free means it's going to take a backseat to the developer's other time/financial demands. No way around it, and the "released when it's ready" response is all you can realistically expect.
On a different note...
Not thinking of PortableApps or ourselves, in light of this recent silence, let's just hope that John is okay and nothing bad has happened.
Update Coming
I'll be posting an update probably tomorrow or the day after on the activities of the last week. It's been a business and finances-heavy week in terms of getting some partner work done and securing a new loan to get us through to the point where we can have drives for sale and more partners signed. There's been a good amount of 2.0 work as well and I'll have more to show when I post the update.
How's that online schwag store coming?
I know a couple of posts ago, you mentioned that would be coming along.
I personally have set up CafePress stores, and they are fall-off-a-log easy to do.
If your designers have some half-decent graphics ready to go, I'm sure one of your associates (minions?) could get one going in an hour or two.
Full disclosure: I wantz me a t-shirt! and a coffee mug. and a mouse pad. and a thermos. and a ...
Where the fear has gone there will ... what?
Sorry to hijack the thread, but I have no email address for you, and every time I read your sig, I want to know how it ends.
um, … nothing …
Signature character limit, I guess
It doesn't tell me that it's too long, it just chops it off. I wish I could just get those last 32 characters in there.
Good to hear from you, John!
I'll look forward to that update soon! You must be brave to stick your head out in spite of the angry mob that's been gathering with torches and pitchforks.
Torches and pitchforks?
No, no. An angry mob yes, but armed with usb sticks. I'd rather not be stabbed with one of them.
Hehehehe, reminds me, Patrick
Hehehehe, reminds me, Patrick Patience told me in November 2007: 'Sit tight, categories might come soon.'
I'm not sure about pitchforks, but I guess all my requests from the very first post almost 4 years ago will be fulfilled when 2.0 comes out... or 2.1... or...
At least we don't have the famous quote anymore from Total Recall where Arnold in disguise keeps repeating "two weeks.... twoooo weeeeks..." hehe.
I'm sure it will come, but I would be happy with a few other Beta's in the meantime. Not that my current beta is bad, but I'm longing for some of the features promised us 'a while' ago. Just because it makes our lives a little easier I think.
But I also remember at some review site there was a reaction a new version would hit in a few day, and I guess 'updates' and 'release dates' are only nice if something finally would happen.
The latest delay (about languages) was again an abstract delay.. Maybe the next Platform updates would be just a progress bar, and when it reaches 99% release would be imminent. Crossing my fingers, praying to the portable gods and hope this time it really comes really...
The best things come to those who wait.
" I guess all my requests
" I guess all my requests from the very first post almost 4 years ago will be fulfilled when 2.0 comes out"
I wouldn't count on that! Reliability and dependability are two features that have never been implemented here and it doesn't look like they will any time soon either.
"Reliability and dependability"?
"Reliability and dependability" - in what connection? If you consider the software side, your statement can definitely be mistaken. Even the 2.0 Betas can be considered very stable. I know of only one bug that brings it to crash and even that is no deal breaker. So the platform can be described as very reliable and dependable - and it comes from here!
The only unreliability concerns the time frame. If you don't trust in the feature announcements, better wait for the release and nag therafter... :evil:
I have not lost my optimism that the next release will come anytime soon and that it will contain most of the announced features.
Waiting for the Dough... $$$
These latest delays and repeat talk of "partners" and "legalese" and so forth lead me to believe (and in this case I wouldn't much mind) that John might be planning to outright SELL the whole PortableApps "venture" to the highest bidder.
I mean, let's go "old skool" for a moment. It is PortableApps DOT COM - not dot org. That signifies a commercial venture, which he never pretended to be anything else, so I'm not complaining. but for the life of me, with all those Cafe Press style pop-up-overnight money making opportunities to turn over some super quick cash, the only reason I can imagine that would require all of these delays and given his repeated health and personal issues, I'd say John would be in just the right spot to turn over the whole she-bang to a commercial venture to steamroll the product out to international vendors and/or new micro and netbook pc markets.
I'd hit it.
Had opportunities
John has had at least a couple of opportunities (more, I believe) to become a millionaire by selling out or could commercialise it himself if he wanted. He has refused each offer as he believes in the principles of open source and wants to provide a product which is useful and free - and believes that it can be made financially viable without making the whole thing closed and commercial.
Ring Ring, Anybody Home?
He may believe in open source, but he sure as hell has no clue what "open communication" or "following a timeline" is now does he?
I also see he can post to Twitter, but not offer us any updates. Now that's just rude as hell...
And I Copy/Paste...
JohnTHaller John T. Haller
Any company whose business model depends on something Apple happens to allow you to do today should get into a new business.
13 May
And HE is commenting on "business models" ? Now that's funny, I don't care who you are!
So, you're saying you don't
So, you're saying you don't ever check your email or start a chat with your friends when you're working?
Um, nope. I'm saying I don't
Um, nope. I'm saying I don't promise updates "every week or two" and a year later not one single update to the beta I offer. I don't promise frequent updates and then ignore the (likely) tens of thousands of visitors coming to my site weekly seeking said promised updates. I don't run a website that is this big and then sit idly by creating a huge flux of awful bad publicity and reinforcing the long-time growing opinion that nothing I say can be trusted, relied upon, or even penciled in on a post-it note...
Nope. I'm not saying any of that. Not. At. All...
And you're probably not a
And you're probably not a programmer either, instead, a you're complaining user. If you look above, you will see that a third of this thread is filled with complaints. We get the point, stop. John has to read every one of these comments, and that only slows down platform progress.
Please Stop
I am going to simply ask you nicely to please refrain from making any more of these postings. I'll have an update out shortly. Until then, *please* stop. No reply is necessary.
Let's break the mood here.
The PSN went down a week before this post. If the 2.0 RC comes out a week after the PSN got restored (sometime during the wee midnight hours between Saturday and Sunday) I am going to play Still Alive, Portal's ending theme, for three hours straight.
In fact...
I'll even go out of my way and make a few Portal 1+2 themes. Just if that helluva coincidence happens... IF.
can you make the portal themes anyways??
they would be kinda cool!
Sure!
BECAUSE I'M A POTATO.
Haha
Wasn't expecting Portal 2 quotes out-of-context this early. But yeah, the dialogue in Portal 2 is seriously well-done and the comedic timing is perfect. In particular, the way the above potato line is delivered is priceless.
Now excuse me while I go get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down...
How about you...
Make life take the lemons back, because once the themes are done in celebration of the RCs release, you will be baked, and there will be cake.
FTR, icons for the Portal 2 theme are done. SO MAKE LIFE TAKE THE LEMONS BACK!!!!!!!
And besides...
This thread had it coming. It was getting WAY too heated in here. I just had to break the mood with some good ol' comic relief.
No offense, Mr. Haller.
EDIT: Portal 2 Theme here: http://shareswift.com/krtqtosjl22f/portal_2_theme.patheme.html
Enjoy, users.
sweet thanks for the theme!!
lol wheatley lol thanks for making the theme!
Nice Theme
This is a nice theme you made here. I am having a problem with it though. I don't know if this is the platforms fault or my laptops fault but when I install it, then close the platform, then run it again, i get this: Problem Picture
You're not the only one...
Comes up the same here. I made it with the PAM Theme builder from solanus, and it comes up the same on my platform. I still ahven't figured out what's causing it.
FTR, I'm running a desktop. It might be the theme-building program. I'm still not sure.
EDIT: Okay, so as it turns out, it was a bug in the builder. Fixed it, should work now, just need to re-upload it.
EDIT 2: And here is the fixed Portal 2 Theme. Also, here is a Portal 1 theme. WARNING: Sorta contains a spoiler.
[Removed gratuitous use of URL shorteners - mod Chris]
An update, sort of
I know everybody is waiting for a new post to John's blog. I partly understand some reasons why John isn't updating it as soon as he had hoped. For one thing, Chris Morgan and/or a member of the development likely promised John a new version of the PortableApps.com Launcher to be used with the new platform. Version 2.1 was just released today (May 18): https://portableapps.com/news/2011-05-18_-_portableapps.com_launcher_2.1... . Personal issues aside, John is probably now testing the new launcher and will want to integrate it into the release candidate of the platform. If that is so, then I'd be surprised if we got an update this week. I'm not expecting it. Nor am I expecting a further comment from John on this post.
integrate?
The PortableApps.com Launcher has little to do with the new platform release nor will it be included. It is for creating portable apps. If they are in the right format, which they are with the old one too, the platform will detect them.
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