A neat idea: removable applications

[SteveDallas]

If you've spent most of your time working on Windows 95 and its successors, you may have forgotten that there was a time when you could fit a program on a floppy disk and carry it with you. These days most software by default leaves pieces of itself littered around a computer. Besides, they're too big for floppies.

Now, the cheap availability of USB "keychain drives" has enabled larger amounts of storage that can be carried around. (I dare say the flash memory is probably more reliable than a floppy too.) So why not install, say, a web browser, so that all cookies, history, etc. etc. are saved on the removable drive? These people have done it.

However, their product costs roughly twice what you could get equivalent blank USB drives for. So now I have to wonder, how feasible is it to set up the same kind of deal on your own, starting from a blank drive? We'd want Mozilla--probably possible. If you wanted IM clients, not sure if those would be happy in completely separate disk space. For the really paranoid, throw in GPG and ssh for tunneling.

Hmmmmm.

[BrianR]

I think for certain stand-alone apps that would work, but for many WinBlows apps, it won't because they require other software to function.

For example, Outlook Express requires Windows Messenger to be running in the background. No obvious reason why, it just does. Other apps need Explorer. This web can quickly grow larger than your available flash card can handle.

Perhaps under Linux it's better since the kernel deals with EVERYTHING as a file and doesn't much care where said file is located.

On the other hand, installed software such as a game would probably do just fine, as would file sharing software and downloads WHO SAID THAT?

Anyway, just my two cents.

Brian

[Beestie]

The web browser functioning off a removeable drive is a joke. The same thing is easily accomplished by tweeking the browser or by making other mods. For example, since blocking cookies prevents access to many sites, I allow ALL cookies but have modified the cookie file to be read only - all changes to it are discarded when the session is closed. I leave some cookies in the file for sites that I want to remember me before changing to read only.

And there is no such thing as private web surfing - at least one entity knows what you are up to. If not the ISP, then the company one is using as an anonymizer.

The closest thing I found to completely private surfing is rewebber because they are not under the jurisdiction of tforchsA nhoJ. And the transmission is encrypted as it leaves your computer so your ISP can't see it and the web pages are encrypted as they are sent back to you so your ISP can't see the results either (your PC decrypts them then feeds the output to the browser).

[Riddil]

Well... this isn't *totally* related to your post... but...

Supposedly we are working towards the goal where once again all apps will be fully self contained. Now we have the DLL and registry pain... if you try to directly copy an application you KNOW it just won't work.

But! Windows .NET is building a platform that will enable coders to compile in such a way that all necessary info will be held in the app folder. I've built a few apps like this and it's GREAT. You want to delete the app? Just delete the folder, no messy uninstall to worry about. You want to give the app to a friend? Just zip up the folder and send it to him, and they're up and running. The app needs to cache files, create files, etc? All self contained in the folder, so no worry about leaving a mess in other folders.

Of course there are concerns about copy protection. (I still say easy to do... when app is installed and asks for the registration key, just have that create an encrypted key-file in the folder tied to that computers UUID. The app will work when copied... it'll just ask for the registration key again).

Anyhow, the technology already exists. We'll see if anyone picks it up.

It just doesn't fix your problem today.

[Undertoad]

"...and then Microsoft will make it work perfectly and nobody will ever write their own library code again."

heard THAT before

[Razorfish]

Self contained apps are mostly good but there are some limitations. I've created a list of good and not so good points that I have seen with various self contained apps such as browsers and utilities.

Good:[list=1][*]Self contained apps take much less time to install (as a matter of fact they take no time at all).[*]Typically these apps consume less memory, as they generally don't need to call the OS for management/processing tasks.[*]In a more developed state, all self contained apps would run like java applets. Self contained, OS independent, and only require that your comp has the proper programming language translator.[*]Also as said before: uninstall is a cinch, just delete the directory folder and forget about it.[/list=1]

Not so Good:[list=1][*]Install/uninstall processes make programs more idiot proof. One click handles it all. I have no problems finding the right directory but not every person is so sure.[*]By installing itself a program can tell the OS how to handle certain elements within itself. Often the OS rules out and causes the program to crash but the theory is right.[*]Also as stated before: linux is a better environment for these such apps. The ever dominant Windows platform sometimes has problems with them (not generally with small apps but with larger, multi-purpose ones). [/list=1]

Personally I favor the idea of self-contained apps. I picture being a network admin or repair technician and having the ability to store hundreds of self contained utilities and programs on a USB drive that could easily be carried around. No more installing apps all over the place, get in get out as they say.

One issue does come up here. Software companies make a lot of money by forcing their customers to buy multiple licenses for the same program to run on multiple machines. I doubt they look foward to the idea that they would lose this income. But there's always open source

[blue]

I just bought one of these. Not the standalone apps one, but just a simple 128M kingston drive.

I'm oddly excited about it....I have CF cards for cameras and such, PDAs, etc where I can easily shuttle stuff around, but having something ALWAYS handy (on my keychain) that just pops into a usb port is way cool! Anyway silly thing is just $20 after rebate from OfficeMax.

Yes I am a geek, no I won't fix your computer.