Portable Apps

For a few months now, I’ve been making better use of my USB flash drive. Instead of just keeping files on it, I’ve started using portable apps from portableapps.com.

Portable apps are apps that you store and run directly from your usb drive. They don’t require any installation, and they don’t leave any trace (passwords, cached files, etc…) on the host computer.

So, if you’re not permitted to install any software on your pc at work, you can use your usb key to run Firefox, Thunderbird, Filezilla, Putty, Gaim, or a number of other open source applications without breaking the rules.

By running Firefox as a portable app, I have access to the bookmarks I need, as well as the passwords stored in the password manager. With the portable version of Gaim, I can log into my MSN/Yahoo accounts without having to modify settings on the host computer.

Since I almost always have my usb key with me, I always have the tools I need when I use a new computer. It’s definitely a time-saver for me.