The word "Portable" means not only being able to run without installation, it also means if the user runs it on a portable drive (e.g. USB thumb), all temp files should be saved on the portable drive instead of on the host computer. This means you should always save temp files, temp folders on the same drive as the application, and leave no trace on the host computer.
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This is what we do. No traces are left. In some cases, while the application is running it will work with files on the hard drive, but they will be cleared up afterwards.
I am a Christian and a developer and moderator here.
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” – Proverbs 15:1
Incorrect; traces are left and this is considered acceptable. Personal information is what isn't left behind, but traces are; MUICache for one. Even CCleaner doesn't wipe that, though, and seemingly, can't be made to (despite it saying it checks it on the registry tab).
Leaving no trace is stealth, which PA.c has never strived for. Rightfully so, some system administrators (e.g. at work or school) might see stealthy portable apps as a threat.
Firefox (well, Flash) and VLC have both been widely reported to leave files behind, even in their latest versions.
Not saying it's a problem, but it does happen.
Things don't get left behind that count, and that's what counts. Among other things, changing things in MUICache may be risky (can cause trouble with things reading and writing at the same time), and also it'd be impossible to sort out what's from what.
We do aim for what elsewhere is called "stealth". Here we just call it portable.
Flash doesn't count - it's not part of Firefox Portable.
I am a Christian and a developer and moderator here.
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” – Proverbs 15:1
First, I caught an earful a couple months ago for implying PortableApps.com apps are stealthy. I thought, as you're saying, that portable=stealth and stealth=portable. The other person (wasn't you or JTH, but another regular, can't recall who) said that stealth means something much more nefarious, that it erases all trace of its presence (except for server-level access logs for web-enabled apps).
Second, while I don't dispute that what counts isn't being left behind, when you've got a list of things that "don't count" and are "OK to be left behind", that doesn't sound like stealth at all. MUICache doesn't count. Extensions and plugins don't count.
For me, portable means it works from machine to machine without problems. A much looser term than this site implies. For me, stealth means it covers its tracks as well, and thoroughly. Stealth isn't required or even preferred for me, though it doesn't bother me. I don't care who sees what I do because I don't do anything that I'd be ashamed to be confronted with by those who own the computers I use the apps on. Still, media players and document handlers should clean up their MRU lists, at least, and VLC still leaves the volume label of every DVD video you watch in the %APPDATA folder under DVDCSS, to use one example.
Are you running the latest version? I think this has been fixed in the last couple of releases hasn't it?
No application leaves "no traces". They all leave stuff in the registry but thats a windows thing so we cant do anything about it. But our applications are tested to leave no personal data on the host pc.
"What about Love?" - "Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." - Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate
only apps that are run from windows environment it self will leave entries in MRU, if you have some app not doing entries itself and run it from CMD box, for example some cmd line app, then the entry in mru is not made.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland