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u.b.u.n.t.u
August 28th, 2007, 01:35 PM
Hi,

Does portable software exist on Linux, specifically Ubuntu?

For example, having Thunderbird on a USB pen, it can be taken from one XP machine to another.

With portable software all the settings are encapsulated within the folder and so are never reliant upon the operating system.

Is it possible to have such a system with Ubuntu or does one have to install all software and have settings under Ubuntu?

From experience, installing software under an operating system is second best to having portable software.

I have seen Ubuntu fail many times and if I had any settings and data, such would simply be lost. Conversely XP can crash all it wants and my software and data (as portable folders and files on a separate hard drive) are always safe.

So portable software under Linux... ?

salsafyren
August 28th, 2007, 02:17 PM
Well, it should be possible.

The klik project produces single files with a whole app in it, but I think the settings are still stored in your home directory.

The idea is nice and would definitely benefit Linux since a lot of people complain about the repositories.

ltk5
August 28th, 2007, 02:22 PM
That would really be useful :D.

LaRoza
August 28th, 2007, 02:30 PM
I use a lot of portable apps, I get them from portableapps.com, and portablefreeware.com, and other apps I found to be portable.

Most of them work in Wine, so it might be better to use them like that, so you can use the exact same Firefox on any Windows computer, and any Linux computer with Wine.

Sporkman
August 28th, 2007, 06:44 PM
Programs compiled in Java bytecode would be portable...

smartboyathome
August 28th, 2007, 07:31 PM
Hi,

Does portable software exist on Linux, specifically Ubuntu?

For example, having Thunderbird on a USB pen, it can be taken from one XP machine to another.

With portable software all the settings are encapsulated within the folder and so are never reliant upon the operating system.

Is it possible to have such a system with Ubuntu or does one have to install all software and have settings under Ubuntu?

From experience, installing software under an operating system is second best to having portable software.

I have seen Ubuntu fail many times and if I had any settings and data, such would simply be lost. Conversely XP can crash all it wants and my software and data (as portable folders and files on a separate hard drive) are always safe.

So portable software under Linux... ?

There is a piece of software like this in the ROX desktop, but I can't remember the name. It takes the /usr folder and puts it on your USB pen, so you can run the program from it.

SF007
November 17th, 2008, 10:00 PM
There is some info about this at:
http://hacktolive.org/wiki/Portable_Applications_(Linux)

hessiess
November 17th, 2008, 10:06 PM
Hi,
I have seen Ubuntu fail many times and if I had any settings and data, such would simply be lost. Conversely XP can crash all it wants and my software and data (as portable folders and files on a separate hard drive) are always safe.


If its on the same partition then you may lose the settings, 99% of configuration files are located in '~/', your home directory. just create a separate partition for the home dir and you can re-install the OS, mount the partition, install any extra programs and everything will be the same. You could also just tar up all of the '.' files in the home dir.

init1
November 17th, 2008, 11:36 PM
Hi,

Does portable software exist on Linux, specifically Ubuntu?

For example, having Thunderbird on a USB pen, it can be taken from one XP machine to another.

With portable software all the settings are encapsulated within the folder and so are never reliant upon the operating system.

Is it possible to have such a system with Ubuntu or does one have to install all software and have settings under Ubuntu?

From experience, installing software under an operating system is second best to having portable software.

I have seen Ubuntu fail many times and if I had any settings and data, such would simply be lost. Conversely XP can crash all it wants and my software and data (as portable folders and files on a separate hard drive) are always safe.

So portable software under Linux... ?
I'm sure it's possible, but it's more practical to just run Ubuntu off the pendrive.

VincenzoDentamaro
February 12th, 2009, 02:43 PM
See here ...
http://code.google.com/p/sfs-technology/
I think that will be wonderful something like this SFS Technology on Ubuntu.

azad100
January 6th, 2011, 11:37 PM
is it possible any in linux that like windows ,making portable apps????????/
i think if not its a very bad for linux its ugly:d
and weakness of all of linux that cant do it dont it?

jmszr
January 7th, 2011, 12:03 AM
azad100,

Here are some: http://portablelinuxapps.org/, and here is an article about them: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/portable-linux-apps-work-linux-distro/ .