Hey, in the readme included in the source for Pidgin Portable, it mentions the ability to restructure the directories for the launcher using PidginPortable.ini placed in the same folder as PidginPortable.exe, but it doesn't explain how to do it. I'm trying to restructure it for use on a U3 Smart Drive, and it currently works, but for the U3 drive to recognize it (mostly for upgrading purposes, retaining settings through an update), I need to structure the directories like this:
Data
-->>DefaultData
-->>GTK (putting the GTK directory here would allow skins to be retained)
-->>GTKLegacy
-->>settings
---->>.purple
Exec
--PidginPortable.exe
--PidginPortable.ini
-->>App
---->>AppInfo
---->>aspell
---->>Pidgin
Basically, I need to move anything related to settings up one directory level from the launcher and into a folder called "Data". The subdirectory structures would remain otherwise unchanged. How would I go about doing this?
Also, as I am packaging this for a U3 drive (basically just wrapping it in a .u3p) since I have the U3 Launchpad already and would rather use it instead of having both it and the PortableApps Launchpad, would there be any problem with me distributing the U3 installer once I'm done? I have "PortableApps.com (John T. Haller)" listed as the vendor in the U3 manifest file, with http://portableapps.com as the vendor URL. However, the U3 install directory isn't very accessible for the documentation, so I'm currently debating how I would release that, especially since the U3 installation process doesn't include a "license" page. Anywho, any help on this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
-Ben
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Hey Ben. Actually, you'd need to leave us off the manifest as we dropped support for the closed U3 platform a long time ago and don't want to deal with support issues for it. Also of note... it's illegal to package and redistribute any GPL licensed software (like Pidgin, all of the PortableApps.com launchers, etc) using U3's installer as it is closed source/proprietary... which is GPL incompatible.
The current Pidgin Portable launcher doesn't have an option to restructure the directories to fit U3's format and we're not working on anything U3-compatible or friendly going forward.
I'd prefer you didn't redistribute it at all as we're trying to encourage people to move away from a lock-in like U3 was. Lots of people have already been burned by Vista-incompatible drives, firmware upgrades that fail and lose data, buggy software, vendors dropping support, etc. And the whole platform is being dropped this year. The new Microsoft/Sandisk replacement won't be compatible with the older drives either.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
How good can a replacement be for the U3. I was tempted to buy one cheap to play with it (Like burning a new cd partition and putting it so that it starts PortableApps.com.)
But then I realised just to refer to the correct drive it might be a bit hard (unless you assume the writable part is always one drive letter above the CD part. Then maybe a launcher could be made.
Like, using only the hardware and doing away with the preinstalled menu and apps (whatever they are like). I already modded my FingerPrint thumbdrive that way to play a little. But that still uses the propritary cd partition unchanged as it starts the biometric software. It's a bit like U3 but I guess different.
I just wonder if ScanDisk and MicroSoft will make anything that would be more open to all and not just to have your windows settings and some propritary menu.
Isn't there some Open Source Hardware around?
Well, what if I changed how I documented you but then put in there that it was not officially supported by PortableApps or by you, mostly as a pitch for PA for anyone who doesn't have a U3 drive? I think this is a really great site you have set up and I just see this as a way to bring it to others who, like me, use U3 drives. Basically, I'd like to give you credit for your work, but I'd make it clear that you won't offer support for it in its U3 form.
And also, to the best of my knowledge, a .u3p file is just a re-named zip file, so where is the proprietary conflict? You use the launchpad to browse for and install the .u3p, but I guess I just don't understand where that causes license issues unless you were referring to U3's U3PtoEXE packager which turns it into a setup exe...
Quamquam omniam nescio, nec nihil scio.