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VMWare's ThinApp is the solution for many app requests

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September 27, 2008 - 5:47pm
#1
tonythunfish
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VMWare's ThinApp is the solution for many app requests

For "portablizing" specific apps I use VMWare's ThinApp (formerly known as Thinstall). I created a clean Windows Installtion in a virtual machine and there I simply install an app before packaging it with Thinapp.

Till now I portablized apps like:
- Creative Suite 3
- Mindjet Mindmanager (uses complete .NET FW appendice)

I think everyone knows that the apps mentioned above are really complex scenarios.
And so my definitive suggestion for specific apps (respectively those more complex than a 10-File utility)is ThinApp. Give it a try.

So far, :tony

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September 27, 2008 - 6:01pm
Tim Clark
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Sounds great, where can a get a completely free

Sounds great, where can a get a completely free, legal, non-trial version that's not handicapped in any way in regards to functionality or time limits ....?,...?,..?,.?

[/sarcasm]

Tim

Things have got to get better, they can't get worse, or can they?

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September 27, 2008 - 6:53pm
(Reply to #2)
tonythunfish
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Thats the hook, its a

Thats the hook, its a commercial software. Biggrin

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September 27, 2008 - 6:56pm
(Reply to #3)
Havvy
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Freedom in Cost and Usability

Hey, though that program is probably great, note that we go for the FOSS philosophy here.

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September 27, 2008 - 7:02pm
(Reply to #4)
Bensawsome
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Thats the hook, we....

Thats the hook, we do Open Source software Biggrin

 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..."

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September 27, 2008 - 10:49pm
silentcon
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Not free..............

Try PAC or PortableApps Template

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January 20, 2009 - 3:25pm
Laca
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ThinApp HowTo

Dear Tony,

I would like to create a portable version of WinMount (to be able to mount zip, rar, iso, ... in a portable way), and I tried to make it with VMware ThinApp. I'm sure it is possible, because you can download a ThinApp'ed version from the Net and that works correctly, the only problem is that it contains trojan and who knows what else... So I tried to make WinMount portable, but I did not succeed. When I start the portable version, it is O.K., but only until I uninstall the "normal" winmount. When that is uninstalled, my portable version stops working too (the app starts, but the mount possibility is disabled. Do you have any ideas what I do wrong? I am not an expert of thinapp yet, I don't know how to handle scenarios when an installer registers a service or a dll for example. Please help.

Regards, Laca

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January 20, 2009 - 3:53pm
(Reply to #7)
Zach Thibeau
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ok here I go Thinapp is a

ok here I go

Thinapp is a proprietary, closed source application and it can not legally be used to package GPLed software like FileZilla for instance. Nearly all 'thinapped' portable software floating around the net is illegal and even copies of thinapp are illegal too. So, as a general rule, we don't work with ThinApp at all

your friendly neighbourhood moderator Zach Thibeau

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January 21, 2009 - 2:25pm
(Reply to #8)
m2
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No, it can be used to package

No, it can be used to package GPLed software like FileZilla as long as one doesn't distribute it.

And OP asked about another program anyway...

"Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do." Asimov

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January 21, 2009 - 9:23am
(Reply to #9)
rab040ma
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Creating a virtualized

Creating a virtualized environment like Xenocode or ThinApp is a bit more complicated than making a portable app. But it is not impossible.

Doing it to a proprietary program like WinMount probably violates its license, even if you roll your own virtualizer. It probably violates WinMount's license (at least how they perceive their license) to do it with ThinApp, even if you purchased both. So we would probably not want to discuss it in public, just to avoid the hassle.

WinMount looks like it would need to install a driver or service in order to mount a file as a virtual filesystem. Setting that up is not for the faint of heart and doing it portably is even more of a challenge. It requires Admin to set up, at least (so it would not be very portable unless you have Admin privileges wherever you go). I suspect that ThinApp can virtualize an environment that includes Services and Drivers that you can run on a machine where you have limited privileges, but again, if either the ThinApp or WinMount folks heard about it and decided it violates their license, it would be a big hassle.

The best bet (at least for public discussion) is for the WinMount folks to distribute their software in a virtualized format, so it doesn't need Admin to install or run. Then you could simply purchase a copy and go.

MC

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January 21, 2009 - 2:30pm
(Reply to #10)
m2
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ThinApp can't virtualize

ThinApp can't virtualize drivers.
The way to package programs that need them is using internal scripting engine to install the driver at startup and uninstall at shutdown. Yes, it requires admin rights in order to work properly.

It's actually easier than with NSIS.

Laca, if it doesn't help, I suggest to go to Thinstall forum. They know Thinstall better than we do. Wink

"Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do." Asimov

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January 21, 2009 - 6:02am
lordmax
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alternative

Hi to all.

There's some alternative to thinapp?

I'm using Altiris SVS for application virtualization but it's no more free.

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March 18, 2010 - 2:31am
samsungcom
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Sounds good to me but can

Sounds good to me but can anyone please mention where to get the trial version before purchasing it.Also if anyone can provide the tutorial on how to set the hings up it will be quite useful.

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March 18, 2010 - 8:21am
(Reply to #13)
computerfreaker
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Not here

Welcome to PortableApps.com!

You should be able to get the trial from the VMWare site; other than that, I don't think we can help you as there are a lot of legal tangles surrounding ThinApp.
You'd do better, I think, to ask on the VMWare forums or ThinApp forums.

Also, please remove the link from your signature; it's not allowed.

"The question I would like to know, is the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. All we know about it is that the Answer is Forty-two, which is a little aggravating."

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March 18, 2010 - 8:38am
Darkbee
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Overkill?

This strikes me as an awful lot of effort just to run one or two apps portably. Might was well just run a LinuxLiveCD or something like that.

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March 18, 2010 - 2:16pm
(Reply to #15)
Mir
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Knoppix

Knoppix 6.x comes with VM software and can be installed onto a USB device.

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March 18, 2010 - 8:40pm
(Reply to #16)
ottosykora
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but thinapp

is just a product belonging now to VMware and it is not the VMware server or workstation or player itself. Has nothing to do with the virtual machine they produce otherwise.
Thinapp is for building applications so that they can run on virtual systems on networks using thin client terminals. So it in fact creates kind of portable packages of almost anything.

see: http://www.vmware.com/products/thinapp/

Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland

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