This topic has been replaced by another one:
https://portableapps.com/node/13391
Please continue the discussion there
I'm putting up a thread so we can discuss the apps to include in the next release of the PortableApps.com Suite. All versions include what will be referred to as the PortableApps.com Platform (menu, backup, custom icons, autorun). The Standard package currently includes:
- ClamWin Portable (antivirus)
- Mozilla Firefox - Portable Edition (web browser)
- Gaim Portable (instant messaging)
- OpenOffice.org Portable (office suite)
- Sudoku Portable (puzzle game)
- Mozilla Sunbird - Portable Edition (calendar/task manager)
- Mozilla Thunderbird - Portable Edition (email client)
The Lite version (which I think I'm going to call Light from now on) swaps out AbiWord for OpenOffice.org to save space.
In the 1.1 release, I'd like to keep it to that same setup, although we'll be using Pidgin instead of Gaim, of course. (On that note, I'm thinking of having the installer remove Gaim as it installs - only if it successfully imports the settings - since lots of users won't know how to remove an app yet... thoughts?)
I'm going to add Mines-Perfect to both the Light and Standard as it's only 800k installed and is fun.
I think adding Sumatra PDF to both makes sense as it is only 1MB and it's quite handy to be able to open PDFs.
I think adding KeePass is a good idea as it's only 1.5MB and a secure password manager is kind of a must.
I was thinking of adding a media player... but, honestly, not everyone need one portably and it's 16MB which is kinda big.
I'm a bit torn on the virtual keyboard and virtual magnifying glass. They're both very small... and I'd love to have some accessibility apps in the base install... but because we won't have a remove app option in the 1.1 release, I prefer not to clutter the menu.
Same idea with Command Prompt Portable... it's not gonna be useful for everyone.
I thought about Notepad++, but it's really only for developers... end users will use a word processor to do 'documents'.
So that's my 67 cents (it was way more than 2). I'd love to get everybody else's thoughts.
Thanks,
John
This is a work in progress...
| Apps | Platform | Light | Standard | Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PortableApps.com Platform | ||||
| Menu | X | X | X | X |
| Backup | X | X | X | X |
| Folders & Icons | X | X | X | X |
| Portable Apps | ||||
| Firefox | X | X | X | |
| Thunderbird | X | X | X | |
| Sunbird | X | X | X | |
| ClamWin | X | X | X | |
| Pidgin | X | X | X | |
| Sumatra PDF | X | X | X | |
| KeePass | X | X | X | |
| Sudoku | X | X | X | |
| Mines-Perfect | X | X | X | |
| OpenOffice.org | X | X | ||
| AbiWord | X | X | ||
| Download Details | ||||
| Installer Size | 0.8MB | 51.4MB | 114MB | - |
| Installation Details | ||||
| Recommended Device | All | 256MB & up | 512MB & up | - |
| Install Size | 1.0MB | 115MB | 282MB | - |
| Size on Disk* | 1.2MB | 120MB | 291MB | - |
* based on a 1GB drive formatted with FAT32
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
For the Full version of the suite.
ClamWinPortable
ConveyPortable
FileZillaPortable
FirefoxPortable
PidgenPortable
GIMPPortable
InfraRecorder
KeePassPortable
Mines-PerfectPortable
OpenOfficePortable
PokerTHPortable
Sumatra
SunbirdPortable
ThunderbirdPortable
I included Gimp and InfraRecorder since they are quite common needs and windows doesn't have a descent default app for either.
An alternate to Gimp could be IrfanView, I know its not open source, but there are plans to open up the site to non-opensource, and I am sure the developer would be willing to work with PortableApps.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Because they stand on a wall and say nothing is going to hurt you tonight. Not on my watch.
"Because they stand on a wall and say, 'Nothing is going to hurt you tonight. Not on my watch.'" (A Few Good Men)
Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.(Albert Einstein)
I'm trying hard to keep them from getting too big, so I'm trying to keep it to apps that everyone really needs (or would enjoy). I'll need to run some size tests when I really get going for the day (I'm still in lying down with a laptop and a bit tired).
GIMP isn't the most user friendly app, so I don't think I'm going to include it in the Standard release. And PokerTH is 7MB which is a bit heavy for a non-essential. Convey isn't quite ready for Joe average to use in primetime (it's more for advanced users) and we'll be working those abilities into the Platform
InfraRecorder is the same logic... not everyone needs it and not every PC has a burner (and those that do often have burner software).
Irfanview isn't an option for the Suite since we host downloads on SourceForge. Currently, I think my hosting bill would be $20k a month. And the Suite is a large download. Plus, while I want to add in freeware and commercial software to the overall platform... I'd like to keep the Suite itself open source (we can keep the downloads on SF, etc). But, I think it would make sense to have both XNView and IRfanview available on the site here. You have permission from both publishers already, right? Do you want to take control of those two and getting them into PAF with installers?
I have Cornice Portable almost ready to go, but there's an annoying bug where it registers a slower down and up mouse click as a double click (opening files) within it. I keep forgetting to post my beta of it. It's an option for a photo viewer. And it's 5MB.
The goal with the Suites is to give people a good base on which to build according to their needs. That way, the download and install aren't TOO big. I'd like to keep standard fitting on 512MB drives and Light fitting on 256MB. (which means lots of extra space on both for files/data, otherwise it isn't that useful) I think creating an Ultra Edition Suite later on with one app of every type on it would be a good idea once we have categories/folders in the main menu. We'd update it less often than the other two (as it'll take a while to do) and probably not localize it, but it would be cool to have available.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
I can do the IrfanView and XnView paf installers (need to update IrfanView anyway), I'll modify one of the new installers unless you have a "template" you can email me.
EDIT: Umm, I don't think they can be in paf format, if I recall, the paf format requirements are that the settings/ini files go in the data directory so they aren't overwritten during an update. I don't know if they will work with the settings file in a different directory.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Because they stand on a wall and say nothing is going to hurt you tonight. Not on my watch.
"Because they stand on a wall and say, 'Nothing is going to hurt you tonight. Not on my watch.'" (A Few Good Men)
Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.(Albert Einstein)
Ask the author about a command line switch (WinSCP had one that I didn't know about called /INI=pathtoini). If not, we can move the ini files there and back. FileZilla Portable does that.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Will do
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Because they stand on a wall and say nothing is going to hurt you tonight. Not on my watch.
"Because they stand on a wall and say, 'Nothing is going to hurt you tonight. Not on my watch.'" (A Few Good Men)
Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.(Albert Einstein)
isn't irfanview free??? http://www.irfanview.net/
If you can share, which of Convey's abilities will eventually be integrated to the Platform? Will the Platform be able to manage file extensions like my C.A.F.E. Mod does? If not, feel free to play around with my mod, it isnt exactly ready for final release yet. There's a bug in the Extension Config GUI, and the help file isn't very helpful.
_________________________
I don't believe in signatures
The developer formerly known as ZGitRDun8705
It was in a request list from a user, not in John's list.
Cancer Survivors -- Remember the fight, celebrate the victory!
Help control the rugrat population -- have yourself spayed or neutered!
I know it was in a request, and John responded with this:
Convey isn't quite ready for Joe average to use in primetime (it's more for advanced users) and we'll be working those abilities into the Platform
_________________________
I don't believe in signatures
The developer formerly known as ZGitRDun8705
It can be a nice addition if lite can have a preconfigured and autorun version of C.A.F.E. Mod, and the most complete have preconfigured Convey...
Also don't forget the usability of lost, appslauncher, PNotes and ejectscript... for many "Joes" like myself...
------------------
If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port,
and the bus is interrupted as a very last resort,
and the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort,
then the socket packet pocket has an error to report
If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port,
and the bus is interrupted as a very last resort,
and the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort,
then the socket packet pocket has an error to report
As already stated, no advanced tools will be included. Only things that are DEAD easy and require ZERO configuration. CAFE Mod, Convey, Ejectscript are fine for geeks who like to tinker. But not for normal users. This has already been discussed at least a couple times in this thread.
PNotes Portable isn't done yet, so it probably won't make it.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Lite Version: since you are removing OOoP and swapping in AbiWord, maybe you could also swap in tanisthalon's GNUmericPortable, or create your own GNUmericPortable.
Standard: add MinesPerfect, KeePass and Sumatra.
_________________________
I don't believe in signatures
The developer formerly known as ZGitRDun8705
The funny thing is, there's a good chunk of people who don't use a spreadsheet. And Gnumeric, even portablized, is pretty damned big.
And I keep forgetting to email tanisthalon...
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Agreed on Gnumeric, although it has some good points. The English d/l is approx. 20mb installed whereas the multi-language d/l is approx. 55mb installed.
___
Visualize the possibilities!
Dell XPS M1530 Laptop
Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 2.5GHz
4GB Ram
256MB GeForce 8600M GT
I would add Sumatra PDF and 7-Zip to both and perhaps VLC to just the full package.
I think there should be an accessible package that includes the onscreen keyboard and magnifying glass.
A Developer's package would be handy too with Notepad++ and Command Prompt.
cowsay Moo
cowthink 'Dude, why are you staring at me.'
I considered 7-Zip, too... but Windows 2000 and up supports Zip files built in... so not everyone will need it. And, the Windows support is fine for most users. (not for us, since we're insane geeks, but for normal users that might zip up a picture to email).
Most folks won't be carrying a bunch of videos, I don't think. Though I am a little torn about this as it would be cool to have a video player bundled.
I'm thinking about holding off on too many packages for now as they'd get a bit redundant and confusing for average users. I like the 3 options myself (big, little and make your own) as they kinda have a universal appeal.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
At my school, they uninstall whatever extracts .zip. So 7-Zip portable is VERY useful to me. Especially since a lot of sites put PDFs and other files in .zip files.
This might just be my school though. They are afraid of technology.
Adding Notepad++ to the light version instead of Abiword
-----------------------------
"I don't fear Computers. I fear the lack of them" Isaac Asimov
My Personal Blog in the making at a new address thibeaz.com
your friendly neighbourhood moderator Zach Thibeau
Most users really need a word processor... not a text editor.
Unless you're pulling my leg
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
I wasn't pulling your leg
but if you wanted to you could wipe up a developers edition of the suite and technically still be small in size too
Just my 2 cents worth there
-----------------------------
"I don't fear Computers. I fear the lack of them" Isaac Asimov
My Personal Blog in the making at a new address thibeaz.com
your friendly neighbourhood moderator Zach Thibeau
yes 7-Zip Would Be Great In One Of Those Versions
-----------------------------
- U3 1GB Flash Drive
- 512 MB Lexar Jump Drive
Na na na, come on!
I don't know how much mine are worth :(. I don't think you should put in Cmd or Keyboard Portable on the Light version. Most people just don't use them. You could probably keep them in the major install though. Also I don't think you need Sunbird in the Light just put the extension in ThunderBird. It becomes the same thing and saves precious space. However Virtual Magnifying Glass I think should be included in both versions because it's great for the people that can't see very well. Or for the people like me who use it's graphic options for well creating graphics. I would say keep the media player out, as well as Keepass. I used it for a while but found it easier just to store my password's inside Firefox with a master. People will download Keepass if they want it. I agree with keeping Notepad++ out as well. Most people won't use it and might not know how to get rid of it. I think though you should include 7-zip though in the Light version though, very handy program. It would be good to add Mines-Perfect it's light and fun! But a lot of people will probably also like Toucan; it's light and powerful.
--
Jacob Mastel
Good to see you want our cents. How much would you say mine is worth?
Release Team Member
Everybody's 2 cents count...
I can't include Lightning within Thunderbird due to licensing restrictions. The same reason the Thunderbird with Enigmail and GPG package went away (though it's pretty easy to setup with the add on)
I'll consider the magnifying glass... as that does have more universal appeal than a keyboard does... good point...
KeePass I kind of have my heart set on including... unless someone can convnice me otherwise.
7-Zip isn't needed by most people as Zip support has been in Windows since 2000 and that's all most folks need.
Toucan is only intended for advanced users, so it won't be in the suite. The backup tool in the suite id designed to be dead easy and good enough for the average user's needs. A similarly simple sync tool is in the works, too.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
I didn't mention that I agree Sumatra PDF is a must. And about the Sunbird thing. Maybe you should just leave Sunbird out and then people can choose if they want Sunbird or the extension. If you have your heart set on Keepass then I say do it. I will also concied on 7-zip. Now that I think about it, it took me a while to learn how to use it. I like the Simple sync thing though, what's the name of the program? Or will it be one of your making? I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news, but John if you're adding all of these wonderful features (We like that!) you might need to create a help manual. Yes I know more work. I create a .txt help file (or whatever) if you wanted one to explain the removing of apps and stuff (you said people might not know how to do that) and any other stuff you wanted. Don't let us tire you out too much.
--
Jacob Mastel
Release Team Member
I think Sunbird is still an important one to have in there, and it's not too big. I'll let size dictate the decision on whether it's in the light package or not.
The sync will be similar to PortableApps.com Backup and have a similar wizard-style few click interface.
There will be info on removing apps on the website here for now. The next release will have a built in "remove an app" option. The goal is to keep it as simple and logical as possible so that it just works for people.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Do you think it would be possible to integrate email with P.A. I know there's TB, but it's a little heavy for my purposes. Something a little lighter integrated within the menu might be nice. Just a minor thought though :wink:. Will the remove app button just remove it from the menu or will it actually delete it?
--
Jacob Mastel
Release Team Member
The point of the platform is to provide the base for apps to run on. Adding things like email to it would be a bit straying from the purpose. There will be extensions later on, though, so you can have things like a new email notifier.
The remove app will actually delete it (it will say so, of course).
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Maybe an option of the visual impaired? Are there other apps for the visual / hearing impaired?
---------------
"Truth is a river that is always splitting up into arms that reunite. Islanded between the arms, the inhabitants argue for a lifetime as to which is the main river." -- Cyril Connolly
"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." -- Robert Frost
"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: baby ain't mine." -- Adam Holguin
/me seconds arqbrulo... a version for visual impaired, then base, light, advanced and visual impaired...
If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port,
and the bus is interrupted as a very last resort,
and the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort,
then the socket packet pocket has an error to report
NVDA is a pretty good and portable screen reader. This, along with Virtual Magnifying Glass, would be great for a Blind & Visually Impaired version of Portable Apps.
http://www.nvda-project.org/
It's kinda buggy for me. The original synthesized and default settings annoys the hell outta me.
It wouldn't let me type a bunch of letters while running, I had to close it to type this.
Edit: It's still not letting me type half the time, but it is better with a bit of configuration.
I vote for including Sumatra and maybe Keepass to both Standard and Lite.
Sumatra is small and very handy. Keepass is bigger but still handy.
I would also like PokerTH but it IS pretty big so probably not.
7Zip and VLC aren't necessary. Win 2k/xp have sufficient zip support for Joe Average (like stated before) and Vlc is big and slow.
Eraser/Win md5 are small and I would like them but maybe they are too geeky
And I think its good to remove Gaim but clearly say it so nobody comes here and asks questions about "the menu is deleting my Apps!!!".
“I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it is much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers that might be wrong.” - Richard P. Feynman
"What about Love?" - "Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." - Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate
Eraser / Winmd5 - yeah they're too geeky. PokerTH is good, but not sure if worth adding. Sumatra, I was about to say "no thanks", buy yeah, lets do it. Keepass, not too geeky?
---------------
"Truth is a river that is always splitting up into arms that reunite. Islanded between the arms, the inhabitants argue for a lifetime as to which is the main river." -- Cyril Connolly
"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." -- Robert Frost
"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: baby ain't mine." -- Adam Holguin
Geeky or not, password management is becoming a problem for everyone (how many web sites do you log into in a given week).
Including this will encourage people to try it out who otherwise might be writing passwords on yellow sticky paper or choosing crappy easy to remember (and crack) passwords.
Never forget a single one of your passwords. Barring brain-scanning gadgetimicons, the chances of a password crack comes out to somewhere between nil and nothing. Works for me (TM).
"since lots of users won't know how to remove an app yet"
"Press this button [Del]. Press [Enter] to confirm."
Well, a good idea would be to import from .gaim/ to .purple/, true. Average John Doe won't know this much.
What do you want for Light? I hope you're not going for the Diet Soda -- less sugar (file size), but not much healthier. I'd prefer stripped essentials.
Anyway, folks, here is the list:
- Mozilla Firefox
- KeePass
- Mozilla Sunbird: I don't use it, but I guess many do.
- 7-Zip - Full only: Windows handles ZIP archives natively, and other formats are less common, especially for John Windows Doe. 7-Zip also only unarchives a small part of the rich RAR format.
- Mozilla Thunderbird - Full only: I see some complain it is quite big.
- ClamWin - Full only: Computers should use a pre-installed, real-time security system, including antivirus and firewall.
- Pidgin - Full only: Shame on you for chatting at work. Not everyone needs this.
- All games - Full only, if at all: See the notes on Pidgin.
- OpenOffice.org - Full only: Bigger than yo momma.
- AbiWord - Light replacement for OO.o.
- FileZilla and PuTTY - Full only: Not everyone needs advanced network tools.
Exclusions:
- Sumatra PDF: Still quite buggy (inexplicable-crash-sort of buggy) and lacking in useful features. Not our fault, but it won't make for a nice impression. Wait for version 1.
- Accessibility tools: Windows provides a basic magnifier and screen keyboard already. Most people also have fair eyesight and use real keyboards.
- VLC Player: I don't know about you, but I haven't needed it in months.
Jafet has made one of the most self-righteous posts I have seen in a long time. Kind of funny though in a sense.
Your "Full Only", "You shouldn't be using this at work" blah blah blah is very short minded. I work from home, for myself and I don't even run these applications from a thumb drive. The reason some of us here use these applications are as follows:
1. Keep our registry tidy.
2. Not having to install a ton of software on your pc after a format. (takes up a lot of time initially not including configuring it.)
3. Much easier to update these releases than official versions usually.
4. Support, here you will find more support than one could ask for if you need it.
5. Knowing where everything is, where it writes to and how to find it.
6. This is open source, free and lacks spyware/adware/viri/trojans.
If you don't like it don't use it. You aren't paying for it and no one is holding a dead trout(IRC humor) to your head forcing you to use it.
I would like to see 4 Suites... Lite, Medium, Heavy, and Complete.
Divide the applications up anyway you want, but to be able and get all of the released PA Applications in 1 package just seems nice to me. I don't really mind downloading every individual package, it's just time consuming and you have to pay more attention to what you are doing.
I personally have every released application on this site running off my pc. Close to 90% of the beta applications for testing. I fully support what John and all the moderators and developers are doing here. If someone is using all this for something other than getting their work done, that is their or their employers problem. A network administrator should have enough intelligence to close down chatting ports, watch for proxy usage and stop whatever they don't what happening. Minus the games of course.
Oh and there will be many more games coming soon
----------------------
pkeffect.com
-
"Need an answer ASAP? Try the forum's Search function."
"We exist in a multidimensional polymorphic hyerspacial internode of neurotranslinguistic manifestations subjugated by hyperbolic quantum entanglement."
Here's my list for the standard package:
* ClamWin Portable (antivirus)
* Mozilla Firefox - Portable Edition (web browser)
* Pidgen Portable (instant messaging)
* OpenOffice.org Portable (office suite)
* Mozilla Sunbird - Portable Edition (calendar/task manager)
* Mozilla Thunderbird - Portable Edition (email client)
* KeePass Portable - (password manager)
* Mines Perfect - (minefield game)
I would delete the Sudoku game as it is not very good and replace it with the Mines Perfect game. KeePass is a strong addition. Sumatra PDF still is a bit buggy. Eraser Portable might also be a nice addition but could be a problem with newbie users.
-IP
Any plans for a "Developer Edition" for well the you guys (why not make your lives a little easier and benefit from your own creations) and the wider developer community. Why not put a package together woth all those nice wee apps like Notepad++ (or Scite if it ever goes to full release ;)), Nvu/KompoZer, Command Prompt, GIMP, Vitual Magnifying Glass, Audacity, Firefox, PNotes (great app), Pencil Portable, InfraRecorder, VirtualDub, basically all the apps that help in creating software, music, videos etc.
Thought that would be a nifty idea!
-----------------------------------
RAM disk is not an installation procedure.
-----------------------------------
RAM disk is not an installation procedure.
That will be the Ultra Edition. It'll be the whole she-band (one app of each type... the more popular / better one). It won't be updated as often as the main suite types, but it will be a popular one to bundle with magazines n stuff.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
First, Window$ 2000 does not support ZIP files, only XP and up (if there is support for ZIP in Win2k, please tell me how to turn it on).
- Second, I think the ideal would be:
Firefox Portable - A Must Have;
Thunderbird Portable - Also a must have;
Sunbird Portable - It's practical;
7-Zip Portable - Foe NON XP/Server 2003/Vista Window$ (and Window$ XP/Server 2003/Vista that have ZIP support deactivated for freeing up system resources);
MPlayer Portable - It's practical, and it could be used with Fx Portable as a plug-in;
Pidgin Portable - For chatting;
ClamWin Portable - Duh!!! :D;
OpenOffice Portable - Yes, for editing documents;
The C.A.F.E. Mod Portable available on this forum - already set up ;);
Sumatra PDF Portable - Needed by most people;
KeePass Portable - For passwords;
Those games you said;
A lightweight explorer made by you, John T. Haller (not those ExplorerXP and Explorer2);
A lightweight image viewer.
- And the light version of PAM:
Firefox Portable;
Thunderbird Portable;
Abiword and Gnumeric Portable - The Gnome Office for Window$;
Pidgin Portable;
ClamWin Portable;
KeePass Portable;
And, Ok, a lightweight game (Mines-Perfect Portable).
____________________
The Blogger of Portimão
Blue is everything.
Hmmm... you're right. It isn't supported on Win2K. I always thought it was. Hadn't played with it in a while. Still not sure I want 7-Zip in the Suite, though, as it's a bit hard for non-geeks to use (Open, Open Inside, Open Outside... could that be any weirder?)
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
There should be an Ultimate Version (or some similar name) which has all the apps!
-----------------------------------------------------
Bensawsome
AKA
BJ
:My Website (Still under development):
iLike Macs, iPwn, However you put it... Apple is better ^_^
"Claiming that your operating system is the best in the world because more people use it is like saying McDonalds makes the best food in the world..."
It'll be called Ultra Edition
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Thanks John.
-----------------------------------------------------
Bensawsome
AKA
BJ
:My Website (Still under development):
iLike Macs, iPwn, However you put it... Apple is better ^_^
"Claiming that your operating system is the best in the world because more people use it is like saying McDonalds makes the best food in the world..."
I liked the Ultra Edition idea, so here is my suggestion for it (as it going to be mostly for developers):
All the apps I suggested for the Normal Edition;
Notepad ++ Portable;
NVU Portable;
XAAMP Portable (I don't use it, but...);
FileZilla Portable;
Putty Portable; (At this point, this is getting prety big)
Command Prompt Portable;
Eraser Portable.
But lets remove something:
The games;
And the lightweight image viewer and explorer.
Pretty big huh?
____________________
The Blogger of Portimão
Blue is everything.
I agree KeepPass is needed. I actually introduced a friend to the program and he started using it and likes it. I, on the other hand, didn't heed my own advice and have since forgotten at least 3 different passwords I had to get reset (I have WAY to many passwords I need to know for work).
I download apps individually as I find a need for them so I'll abstain from voting on the rest of the apps.
Cancer Survivors -- Remember the fight, celebrate the victory!
Help control the rugrat population -- have yourself spayed or neutered!
I did some quick size calculations on what the downloads and install sizes would be based on our current discussion. They're in the main post now.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
I like what you got up there right now.
(as in the top of this post)
_______________________________________________
Cool Kids Don't Have Signatures. Umm... *shifty eyes*
I like the standard lists, the way they are is probably the way to go.
It's not overly complicated, even for non-techs to add additional apps as they need them, especially since there's generic install instructions on all of the app pages.
Hmpf. I don't see any of my apps mentioned
Anyway, what about RSSOwl? News feeds are getting more and more popular all the time.
And, for the intilectuls, maybe WinBoard Portable? SuperTux or R'n'D are good too.
(Yes, I spelt intellectuals wrong on purpose
)
----
Ryan McCue.
Blog.
So all that Airbus-delay trouble over here in Europe is because of YOU!
Simeon.
"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."
1. RSSOwl requires Java, which is not a part of the PortableApps.com Suite
2. The others are all too big to justify game-wise. Sudoku and Mines-Perfect are both included because they're tiny (400k and 790k installed) and a quick reminder that games are a part of being portable. Winboard is 8.5MB. RnD is 6MB. SuperTux is 14MB. They would be candidates for the Ultra edition, though.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
And then, I found Wormux,
www.wormux.org
It's massive, but a fantastic program.
_______________________________________________
Cool Kids Don't Have Signatures. Umm... *shifty eyes*
is not portable... yet...
BTW, how do you change weapons???
If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port,
and the bus is interrupted as a very last resort,
and the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort,
then the socket packet pocket has an error to report
If I bothered to UPX them, it would be smaller
----
Ryan McCue.
Blog.
So all that Airbus-delay trouble over here in Europe is because of YOU!
Simeon.
"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."
do it... I use rssowl among others of yours...
------------------
If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port,
and the bus is interrupted as a very last resort,
and the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort,
then the socket packet pocket has an error to report
If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port,
and the bus is interrupted as a very last resort,
and the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort,
then the socket packet pocket has an error to report
the list you have up now (August 8, 2007 - 5:24am) but I think "Ultra" should have a bit more. It should either have one of each section/szb-menu or all available Apps in one package.
“I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it is much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers that might be wrong.” - Richard P. Feynman
"What about Love?" - "Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." - Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate
It's a work in progress. That's why all the numbers are blank.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
1st: I'm assuming that the new version of the suite will include the next rev of PAM??
2nd: I'm not sure how much value is in having more than 3 optional suites.
I only tried DLing the suite once, and not only was it a very large DL, it took quite a long time to install.
I prefer starting with the Platform and picking the apps I want.
When I recommend this site to my friends, I suggest they start with at most the Lite version, and then to add the "DownloadThemAll" extension to Firefox, which really speeds up all downloads, and then finally to add any other apps they like.
The table above is quite useful, and it gave me another idea:
Why not organize apps in "Collections" targeted to different users? I'm NOT saying to bundle them into single packages, but instead to list them with their individual sizes, and total collection size?
Here's an example...
You would have an "Artist" collection, that would be a page listing all the creative apps, such as the GIMP, Audacity, VirtualDub, etc. with file sizes, and links to the individual apps.
Solanus, The East Wind
I made this half-pony, half-monkey monster to please you.
Could you have a page to "build your own collection"?
This would resemble the current "Applications" page, with the addition of:
- Installed sizes
- Check boxes
- A "customize" button
The user would check the boxes next to their apps, and then click the "Customize" button, which would display a page showing the selected apps (each with a DL link), the sizes, and the total installed size of all the apps.
The user would then either download the apps one at a time, or discard the page and try again.
I'm not sure how to code it, but I have seen some similar "selection" functions on other sites...
Solanus, The East Wind
I made this half-pony, half-monkey monster to please you.
I don't use all the apps in the light version anyway, so what I did, when PAM first came out, was download my apps one by one and add them to the base version. Doing this is very annoying, so a "Custom Portable Apps Platform" would be great if it could be created.
Prehaps through a launcher that downloads and installs the apps you want after installing Portable Apps Platform. (It would be easier than writing a new page for the site that does this.)
__________________________________________
Long Live the Wiki[INSERT WORD HERE]
OliverK> you don't live on a cow
IRC: It brings out the best in all of us...Especially when tired.
but also there should be a checklist type list on the site that shows all the applications. Sort of a chart like:
| Want? | Name of App | Size | etc. |
| Box | FireFox | 7 MB | etc. |
| Box | ClamWin | 7 MB | etc. |
| Box | NotePad | 7 MB | etc. |
| Box | ThunderBird | 7 MB | etc. |
Ultra version:
FFPE
TBPE
KeePass
ClamWin
OpenOffice
AbiWord
Soduku
PokerTH
Mines-Perfect
SumatraPDF
Gimp
VLC Media Player
Pidgin
Sunbird
7zip
Not sure what those totals would be.
I think you would expect the Ultra or Ultimate edition to be available for those who have 2Gb or larger drives. There are quite a few people out therewho have large drives and use they religiously that have very little knowledge about programing or coding.
--
Life is about the journey not the destination!
My site * My Blog
The Kazoo Spartan
Life is about the journey not the destination!
The Kazoo Spartan
Just a suggestion John in your installer use upx
Just include this in your script and it will compress your paf installer much more and it will still be usable. Just make sure you have upx at the bas of your script or it won't work. I mean it will still compile but Just not upx compressed
;----UPX Compression----
!define HAVE_UPX
!ifdef HAVE_UPX
!packhdr tmpexe.tmp "UPX --lzma --best -q --compress-icons=0 tmpexe.tmp"
!endif
-----------------------------
"I don't fear Computers. I fear the lack of them" Isaac Asimov
My Personal Blog in the making at a new address thibeaz.com
your friendly neighbourhood moderator Zach Thibeau
Yeah, I know about that, but there are issues. It only decreases the size a little bit (Firefox Portable's goes from 143k to 133k) but it increases the chance of an antivirus flagging it as a false positive.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Well I meant really just for the installer
-----------------------------
"I don't fear Computers. I fear the lack of them" Isaac Asimov
My Personal Blog in the making at a new address thibeaz.com
your friendly neighbourhood moderator Zach Thibeau
UPX can only compress the header (the bits that do the actually installation... the NSIS code). It won't make an installer smaller.
You can make an installer smaller by incorporating 7-zip into it (Firefox is packed this way) but it has to extract the whole installer to the temp directory on the local PC in the process... something we don't want to to with 250MB of files in the Suite.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
This Is What I Think Should Be In The Fallowing Packages
Light Package -
Firefox Portable
7-Zip Portable
Miranda IM Portable
8.4 Not Installed
28.7 Mb Installed
Standard Package -
Firefox Portable
Thunderbird Portable
PokerTH Portable
KeePass Portable
19.5 MB Not Installed
58.5 MB Installed
Recommended: 256 MB Drive.
Ultra Package -
Firefox Portable
Thunderbird Portable
AbiWord Portable
VLC Media Player
Gimp Portable
40.5 MB Not Installed
119.20 MB Installed
Recommended: 512 MB And Up
=====================================
- U3 1GB Flash Drive (U3 Removed :P)
- 512 MB Lexar Jump Drive
Na na na, come on!
Hello Group;
I noticed that 7-zip may not be included. I use Windows 2000 Pro and it does not have a built in zip file. Other MS OS's might but Win 2000 Pro does not.
Frank D. Hubeny
This was discussed above. 7-Zip is very handy... but average users don't usually use Zip files. And 7-Zip's interface is not quite where it should be (Open, Open Inside, Open Outside, for instance). Basically, if you can handle adding an app yourself, you can probably figure out 7-Zip. If you can't, you can't, and it's better not to expose newbies to it.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
You are right about the Gui. I only brought it up because some posts say that Windows 2000 has built in zip support. I use it and it does not have any such built in support.
It is however avaliable for download from this site as a person so chooses.
I personally like the suggestions at the beginning of the topic. I do like a small basic set af apps. The ones you choose are a good start. Perhaps you should remove the Ultra. It seems to have added only Abiword if I read it right. Or make Ultra a collection of everything. This how ever would limit the users to large USB Drives and may not be desireable.
The idea of limiting the intial size for people who can not afford a large USB drive is a real good idea. It should allow for more users to try it out.
As discussed, ultra will include at least one app of each type. The table is marked work in progress and the numbers for ultra are all blank.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
This is portableapps.com not tumbdrive.com or usbstick.com. As said many times by many users, a lot of people use these on their home machine or even from very large external drives. Which is why I think having a few suite options are essential.
(On that note, I'm thinking of having the installer remove Gaim as it installs - only if it successfully imports the settings - since lots of users won't know how to remove an app yet... thoughts?)
Excellent idea. Probably save a lot of hassle.
_______________________________________________
pkeffect.com
"We exist in a multidimensional polymorphic hyerspacial internode of neurotranslinguistic manifestations subjugated by hyperbolic quantum entanglement."
did you do something to this thread so it can become sooooo long and doesn't split into 2 pages?
I hate the 2 pages cause the "new post" marks dont work (as discussed before).
“I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it is much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers that might be wrong.” - Richard P. Feynman
"What about Love?" - "Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." - Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate
I upped the comments per page to 90 as an experiment.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
slightly longer to load but I REALLY like it!
“I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it is much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers that might be wrong.” - Richard P. Feynman
"What about Love?" - "Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." - Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate
Wondering how this and the platform page went back to one page, thanks.
_______________________________________________
Cool Kids Don't Have Signatures. Umm... *shifty eyes*
Good choice. Please leave it that way. The page breaks were a pain.
-IP
I think that you should go with everything you already have down, but add Toucan to the Light, Standard, and Ultra, and add Winboard Portable to the Standard and Ultra.
----
"Pray as if everything depended upon God and work as if everything depended upon man."
Francis Cardinal Spell
-Please search before posting.
"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." - Rick Cook
As stated earlier in the page, Toucan is intended for advanced users only, whereas the Suite is designed so even average users have no problem with it (hence the simple to use backup utility included). And the only reason Sudoku and Mines-Perfect are included is because they are tiny. All the other games are too big for the Suite.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Well, do you plan on putting Toucan in the Ultra Suite?
----
"Pray as if everything depended upon God and work as if everything depended upon man."
Francis Cardinal Spell
-Please search before posting.
"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." - Rick Cook
Toucan for encryption.
The Ultra Version should have a project style application to go with the open office suite. I myself work in an office as a Project Engineer (design pos/pop displays, draw 2d/3d models along with production drawings, bills of materials, source suppliers etc, manage most of the company projects from start to finish and the odd sales work here and there). So I use open office and planner quite a lot when I am not actually in the office. When at work I have the unfortunate use of microsoft office/project.
___
Visualize the possibilities!
Dell XPS M1530 Laptop
Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 2.5GHz
4GB Ram
256MB GeForce 8600M GT
On the Ultra Version, here's a few thoughts...
1) Don't bother including AbiWord when you're installing Open Office. AbiWord is OK for the smaller packages, but it can confuse others when you have both Open Office Write & AbiWord on the same drive.
2) Include VLC for media player... No offense to MPlayer, but VLC is pretty solid & can support every media format I throw at it (WMA, WMV, MP3, MP4, OGG, MOV, NSV). It does, however, take about 30 seconds for the video stream to kick in for NSV format.
3) Load it up with the games. C'mon! Who doesn't like anti-productivity software, especially when the network goes down?
4) Add GIMP & 7-Zip. It's surprising how many times I've needed to use them away from home. There's been a few times where I had to make a few minor tweaks to an image OR confront a compressed file in an attachment.
~TStodden
~TStodden
Game Monkey Likes You!
It is called Claws-Mail it runs on many OSes, it is light-weight,fast,powerful (very configurable),responisve and it has a Thunderbird-like interface.
It is found here: http://www.claws-mail.org/
It is licensed under the GPL.
--
As all of ya should know Microsoft is the Evil Empire, and Windows (a.k.a. Winblows or Windoze) is their greatest general, so please make a difference and install Linux or FreeBSD on yer Windows comp.
I believe probably a very good approach would be something quite similar to an idea suggested above: Don't do suites, do collections.
However, I foresee it without all that web programming hassle:
First there is the most stripped down suite you can possibly build.
Then there are many "collections" or "packages" or "bundles" (perhaps with some overlays). Some examples:
Security: Putty, KeePass, Toucan, PAM Backup (if left out of the basic)
NetAdmin: Putty, KeePass, VNC
Games: Sudoku, Mines Perfect, etc.
Multimedia: MPlayer, VLC...
Entertainment: Games + Multimedia
Communications: Thunderbird, Firebird, Pidgin
IM: Pidgin, Miranda
Accesibility: Keyboard, Magnifying Glass
Dev: NSIS, Notepad++
That way, each one can download, in just a few "bundles" something quite close to their ideal cocktail of apps.
The nice part is that you could still have a "light" and an "ultra" bundle, but bundles wouldn't be mutually exclusive. i.e: I can get the Basic Suite + the "light" bundle + the games one with no conflict and without having to download all the games left out of the light bundle one by one. And perhaps then add only KeePass, not the whole security bundle...
Of course, an utmost important part of this is that the bundles should be really easy to install. At most, as difficult as installing one app.
There would be some duplication in hosting space, but probably little duplication in bandwidth. And it would become a lot less critical to get it right with suites that can't (easily/apparently) be installed together or that don't cover the whole spectrum of user needs.
And as time goes by, you could make a ranking of the most downloaded bundles, and drop the least downloaded (This doesn't necessarily mean drop any apps. Just stop providing them bundled in one same package) and create new bundles that would seem useful.
Just my 3 1/2 p. (I wasn't going to pick a round number, right?)
The problem with that much choice... is that the end user is left having no idea what to do. Not to mention the fact that you wind up having to update lots of different bundles when certain apps are updated.
We can recommend certain apps for certain situations, but I think bundles of apps will get way to complex from both an end-user perspective and a package maintainer perspective.
The platform (Menu, Backup, Icons, Folders, Autorun, etc) is the main base of all the downloads. The suites are meant to serve as a simple "getting started" download for new users. They also serve as ideal targets to bundle with magazines, etc. Having 12 different packages wouldn't really add to either scenario. Recommending apps in certain categories (which is coming) is a nice complement, but would be too much in terms of downloadables.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Yes, you're probably right with the maintainance thing and the magazines. The part about confusing the user is probably much more a matter of how you explain it, than what you do...
But well, if you feel more confortable with the suites... after all I'm a satisfied customer of them
I like the bundle ideas.
How about (as you mentioned it becomes quite a chore) just have pages that have links to the programs suggested for each bundle?
Like:
Developement
it is suggested that you download
this
this
and this
and maybe that
Eh?
There are 10 types of people in the world.
Those who understand Binary
and Those who don't
Too many lonely hearts in the real world
Too many bridges you can burn
Too many tables you can't turn
Don't wanna live my life in the real world
First off, Light != Lite. So don't change the name
Call it Slim, or something if you do want a name change. PA Slim ^_^
Secondly, this is what I think should be included. It balances functionality, but ease of download (for those of us with slow connections). During writing this I made several changes in fact, so I'm hoping I got a perfect balance, and am strongly urging you to consider this arrangement, say you choose the line up yourself if it will help you use this lineup, I don't care :P).
Thirdly, I suggest making 5 versions for download! It will mean much more flexibility for people who want to use your application.
Platform
----------------
Menu
Backup
Folders & Icons
Slim
----------------
Everything Platform has plus:
Firefox
Thunderbird
Clamwin
Notepad++
Sudoku
Standard
----------------
Everything Slim has plus:
Pidgin
Sumatra PDF
AbiWord
Mines-Perfect
7-Zip
Delux
----------------
Everything Standard has plus:
VLC Media Player
GIMP
Sunbird
Ultra
----------------
Everything Delux has plus:
OpenOffice
Toucan
The ultimate goal obviously would be to be able to generate exe setups on the fly when a user selects what they want. This would mean versions could be made up to date all the time (gaim, and old 1.5 thunderbird in the latest suite
I wish I saved myself the bandwidth if I'd known I would have to re-download the new versions :P) and people could select what they want without need for this package debate 
But I suppose thats a little complex for now ^_^
Pages