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Deprecated Apps and Fixes (unsecure apps)

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Portappss123
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Deprecated Apps and Fixes (unsecure apps)

Hi,
I try to be as brief as possible and explain what needs to be fixed (security), what apps need to be replaced and what are deprecated.

Internet --> Browsers:

1. Falkon. Falkon is based on shared libraries. The one you have have very outdated. GUI is the latest, but shared library is very, very old. The shared library should be updated and new Falkon should be compiled. The shared library is the engine: QtWebEngine. Current version is very unsecure. The Falkon will have the same version number (its "just" GUI"), but the main component (rendering engine) will be new and secure. Falkon has to be compiled against latest, secure QtWebEngine. Currently its very old and unsecure. I understand that this concept is absent for people using MS Windows, hence Falkon hasn't be updated for years.
P.S. Please do not activate "check for new versions of SMplayre every time it starts". New version comes from portable apps, not from SMplayer server. Its pointless. Remove the check box.

Expected result: compile Falkon against latest, secure QtWebEngine.

2.Firefox ESR. I think this is self explanatory. This way there are fewer updates, more tested browser and less strain on portable apps server. I would rather see this than FF Nigthly. "Regular FF" is more like a testing. Nightly is more like a beta. "Regular" has a very fast pace of adding new feature and is released way too often without testing, hence Firefox ESR is a must.

Expected result: Add Firefox ESR

3.Qupzilla years ago turned into Falkon. There's not such thing as Qupzilla. Its a historical browser, which place is in a museum. Its older than Internet Explorer. It deseased years ago.

Expected result: delete Qupzilla.

4.Kameleon. Its a weired browser, with weired history and no security updated. Its unclear who owns it, makes it (who took it over original devs?). It doesn't even have a website. It may or may not have engine developed by others (i.e. goanna engine). Its unlcear if its developed anymore. The browser doesn't have a website.

5. There are two excellent low recources browsers based on actively developed (incl. very regular security updates). They both have the same engine, but different Firefox GUI and they have forked security plugins/extensions (script blocking, ublock fork, etc). These are: Palemoon ("main" browser) and Basilisk (maintained by the Palemoon dev, different GUI, same security, same extensions, same goanna engine). Both are very active, never missing security updates (unlike Kameleon, which I don't know what it is now, its may well be dead). They are low recources (unlike FF). Palemoon has already a portable version, so its going to be much easier to add "just entries to the GUI of Portable Apps Menu"

Expected result: delete Kameleon. Add Palemoon (you may also add Basilisk for people who prefer this version of FF GUI).

6. Since Firefox "calls home" and has lots of telemetry (euphemism for spyware), it would be very nice to add LibreWolf. For secuirty and privacy conscious people its one of the best of the best options. Its on github. They have .exe relesed very timely, with all the massive junk of Firefox removed (omni.ja is hacked, nothing is "calling home" every time you open the browser....). People love this browser.

Expected result: for privacy and security conscious people: add LibreWolf

7. In the wake of "spyware" like WhatsApp etc. It would be nice to add something from a different world. Its on GPL v.3 and the company even provides secure SIP server software (also GPL v.3). They are unbeatable in terms of privacy and secrity. Libre Phone. Its been in development for years on years. Its private, more secure than anything else and the code is on GPL v.3! (incl. server side software!). Nothing matches! And it doesn't come from USA/NSA (5 eyes...).

Expected Result: Add secure, private conferencing software that beast the sh...t out of zooms and matrixes. Libre Phone.

8. Haven't checked yet, but Smplayer is the GUI for mpv. Hence mpv must be updated even if SMPlayer hasn't yet. SMplayer may stay on the same GUI version, but mpv as a shared library must be updated. And mpv relies on ffmpeg. So mpv by itself has to be updated whenever there is ffmpeg update (mpv compiled against ffmpeg with GNUTLS, so there's no "CPU" leakage on https with e.g. .flac).

Expected result: check the above version of shared libraries.

9. Thre's no filter (either on the website nor in Portable Apps Platform) for GPL licensed software. Its a mixed of unknown, unverifiable software (aka freeware) and libre software (freedom), which code on the other hand we can verify (for security, spyware and inclusion of malicious functions/code).

10. Due to 9 there is a complete lack of modern photo browser that does just that. All are freeware only or there's one, very, very old and outdated/abandoned, which doesn't display arithmetically coded jpgs (20 year old standard) and lacks of many modern photo compressions (aviff, webp and so on...). I found an new one with has all that a modern photo browser needs (and it doesn't pretend to be an editor) and is licenes under GPL v3. Nice. Its called PhotoQt. Website: https://photoqt.org/ Its has all formats needed. It also has an interesting GUI (open a photo and move mouse to the right and see what an excellent piece of software it is). After my testing it handles big (really big) photos way better then MS Windows included pic viewer. Way better.

11. The missing bits. The real music player. There is one: its called Strawberry. Its actively developed. Its strives to be simple, powerfull and yet lightweight with the emphasis on the sound quality. Long time ago it was forked from Clementine. Its Qt so as usuall is cross platformed and is licensed under GPL. The website explains it all: https://www.strawberrymusicplayer.org/ People love this music player. Shame its missing from Portable Apps.

12. There's only "fresh" version on LibreOffce. There is no "still" verion on Portable Apps. The difference is explained on LibreOffice website. To make the story short "still" (LO naming convention) is like FF ESR.

I hoep this helps to make Portable Apps even better.
Thank your for reading.
P.S. Sorry for typos and grammar, but the main goal is to help not be the Literate Nobel Prize winner.

John T. Haller
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Answers

1. Please contact the Falkon developers. They maintain the app. We simply package it for portable use.

2. All channels of Firefox including ESR are available and have been for years. If you only use the platform, please enable Advanced apps within the options to see the other channels. General users should only use Stable. ESR is only intended for larger organizations and developers who support them as per Mozilla's guidelines.

3. Qupzilla is marked as Discontinued on its homepage and in the app store. I switched it to an Advanced app.

4. K-Meleon is updated weekly. Has a website. And has a forum. They're linked from the K-Meleon Portable homepage on our website. K-Meleon is the only maintained browser that still works on XP and Vista.

5. Palemoon/Basilisk developers are hostile to repackaging and forks. See MyPAL drama. After our experience with ToDoList, we're not touching that.

6. You can disable Firefox's telemetry if you'd like. LibreWolf is English only, 64-bit only, and doesn't have an updater on Windows.

7. Specific apps can be requested in our Request Apps forum

8. Contact the developer of SMPlayer

9. You can filter the platform for open source apps only. It's in the options. It doesn't support a specific license at the moment but is planned for the future. Almost all of the open source apps are GPL-compatible.

10. You can request specific apps in our app request forum. PhotoQt would be a good candidate for addition even though it is 64-bit only.

11. Request apps forum again. I'd never heard of Strawberry and don't recall anyone ever requesting it. That would be a good addition.

12. We package both Fresh and Still and have for years. Turn on Advanced apps in the platform if you'd like to see it.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

ottosykora
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Last seen: 18 hours 25 min ago
Joined: 2007-10-11 17:48
kmeleon

is the most useful browser published here

not all people need all this 'modern' nonsense supplied in current versions of all those Chro... Browsers

Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland

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