Usefulness of Portable Apps


Encounter

I have always enjoyed using the latest software releases; even going as far as taking multiple Windows XP full-screenshots at home, mapping them using Visual Basic 6, and convincing my I.T. teacher that I had managed to upgrade my restricted Windows 2000 school PC.

Making my work unique and stand out more has been an early obsession. Using the latest tools gave me a small advantage. Attempting to install applications on restricted computers was not going to be possible. So while looking for alternative ways to run applications without running the installer, I came across something called Portable Applications.

At the time, my most desired applications to install were Macromedia Fireworks/Dreamweaver and the new Office 2007.


Microsoft Word 2000 Office Menu
Word 2000 Menu

Microsoft Word 2007 Office Ribbon Menu
Word 2007 Ribbon

Since Macromedia and Office software were not open-source/free, the portable applications were obtained from websites riddled with viruses.

Launching them with just 1-click, instead of waiting for it to install, was quite fascinating.

Intro

Over the years ... and many fresh OS install after, I began to favour Portable Apps more and more.

There are many reasons to favour Portable Apps, here are a few:

  • No Install
  • No re-configuration (moving different machines)
  • All contained in a single folder
  • Very Portable (USB drive, Cloud)

Security

The applications are placed inside a VeraCrypt container and securely encrypted.

To gain access, a portable VeraCrypt directory exists in the root of the USB, beside th encrypted container.

Apps I use

Purpose
cmder Console emulator for Windows. Ability to SSH/run linux commands, contains Git, and much more!
Sublime Text One of the fastest and best Text Editors out there.
WinSCP FTP/SFTP/WebDAV client that makes it easy to organise and encrypt multiple sessions.
Thunderbird E-mail client that handles multiple accounts with ease.
SSH Keys Used by WinSCP and cmder for password-less login to Home and Remote servers