Hi everyone,
After close to 3 years of using PortableApps it is time for Me to say goodbye. Ive had several problems in the past and I received more support from the community then from the actual owner/developer of this software. In fact the majority of his replies were that my drive was failing. Im here to tell You that my drive that I have been using for PA and I am still using right now is and has been working fine the entire time with 0 read/write errors and that the problem is/was indeed with the PortableApps program itself.
Furthermore, the majority of apps/programs that are even worth using already have a portable version/option and the repackaged PortableApps version isnt even needed. I found this strange that PortableApps would repackage software that was already portable into their own custom portable package/install. This led Me to believe there was more going on here and in fact after some research I found backlinks and other things that raise some pretty serious privacy concerns for Me.
For awhile though I just decided to be careful how and for what I used these apps with so that I could minimize the data being sent to PortableApps servers through the launcher. This changed recently when PortableApps decided to brand the launcher and apps with even more branding and making apps install into custom "PortableApps.com" program folders. This in combination with data being sent back to PortableApps servers is simply too much for Me to handle.
If You use this program/launcher for a few programs that are not personally identifiable or information/mission critical You might be fine continuing to use this; but, for Me and my needs the data collection, new repackaged/branded launcher, and slow downloading/installing of apps has gotten to the point that I can no longer use this program.
I considered just opening a new post for each issue that I had but let's face it ....... Most apps that are worth using now a days already have a portable/standalone version and for the ones that dont there are probably better/newer options available.
So after using the same drive for almost 3 years with PortableApps and being told that most the errors/problems were due to my "faulty" drive which I still use daily AND the fact that the new launcher, apps, and the way the installer now installs into a branded folder I can no longer recommended or even use PortableApps anylonger.
To the community here I wish You all the best and thanks for the time You took answering my questions in the past. I also urge You to look into other options for Your portable needs as I mentioned previously more and more apps are being released with a portable version as standard. No longer is the need to send information back to PortableApps.com.
- Wish You all the best.