It is my first computer since discovering portable apps, I have many on a flash drive that I used because I did not have anything to install what I want onto.
I was looking for opinions whether I should now install all my favourite apps or just copy the portable apps folder onto my laptop and run them from there as if they are portable?
Which method would be better? I get the privacy from the portable format or the full install will give me full integration.
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Just got a laptop, apps stay portable or install?
May 13, 2010 - 7:23pm
#1
Just got a laptop, apps stay portable or install?
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Portable applications can make it far easier to make backups. However, you then can't (easily) manage file associations which are very convenient.
If it's just privacy you're concerned about, I don't understand why. You won't get more or less privacy from either technique, all the files and whatnot will still be there, if you're meaning privacy from other people. If anything, they'll find all your data neatly laid out in directories rather than all over the system...
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
Sure you can. Why wouldn't you be able to?
For example, right click a video, choose Open With. Browse to VLCPortable.exe and associate it with that. You'll have to do this once for every video format you have, however, but once it's done, it's set until you reformat. You can do this with all kinds of files and portable apps.
Also, make shortcuts to all your portable apps on the desktop, then in your portable apps drive, make a folder called Shortcuts, and copy all the portable app shortcuts from the desktop to this folder. Now, if you reformat, you can dump all those shortcuts straight to the desktop. There's really no good reason to use the PortableApps.com Platform or any app launcher on your own machine.
//edit: Oh, you said convenient. It's convenient enough for me. YMMV.
If the app you want uses file associations (like .jpg or .html) then is better to install... if the app do not use file associations (like games) then don't...
That's how I do it...
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
I use portable apps almost exclusively. I have Chrome installed, as a default browser, OpenOffice for docs, and Picasa for pictures, but for everything else, I open the program first through a shortcut.
I actually use FFP mainly, with about 70 extensions, but Chrome is quicker, and if you are opening a file, that is usually the priority. (You can also use DefaultMyFFP, of course.)
Whether or not an app is portable has become one of the main criteria by which I choose what programs to use.
My 2000 millicents.
I am not my signature.
I try to avoid using any installed applications anymore, always! Portable applications are easier to backup and restore, more convenient to locate to a different drive (I typically have two partitions on a system) and all around more flexible in my humble opinion.
I use portable apps on all my desktop computers at home (except a Mac for obvious reasons) and, having one desktop as my "master" I simply synchronize (using Toucan) my USB drive with that master periodically, so I have portable apps on the go too.
It's saved my bacon on many occasions.
On my last laptop, I had multiple HDD and OS problems that required replacement and re-installation of the OS. On each occasion, I was able to retrieve my entire suite (by using a Linux boot disk or pulling from backup) and get myself up and running in no time.
The most important ones, of course, were the ones which had settings and files, such as Firefox (with all my bookmarks and add-ons), Thunderbird (with all my e-mails), and Filezilla (with my FTP settings and passwords).
I made this half-pony, half-monkey monster to please you.
I use portable wherever possible.
It makes for a faster & more reliable computer - less junk gets installed.