Portable Apps

Have you ever wished you had all of your favorite computer applications handy when you were on someone elses computer?  How about your e-mail, or passwords to different web sites?  How about your word processor and documents?  PortableApps.com comes to the rescue.  Portable applications are specially designed versions of your favorite applications that run completely on a USB thumb drive.  They don’t have to be installed on your computer and when you are done, there is no trace of them left on the computer you are using.  They all reside and run from your USB thumbdrive.

This is a snapshot of my portable apps menu. Many of these applications, I use all the time, so I don’t have to learn new programs just to be portable.  Here is my list:

• Firefox Portable – If you are still using Internet Explorer, you don’t know what you are missing.
• FSResizer – This is a picture resizer, that I use all the time to change the size of my web photos
• KeePass Portable – Do you have problems remembering all of your different password for different web sites or applications?  This is a handy organizer that keeps them all nice and safe.
• KompoZer Portable – This is a WYSIWYG application for creating stand alone web pages.
• OpenOffice.org Portable – This is an office application suite similar to Microsoft’s Office, but completely FREE.
• Sunbird Portable – Is a calendar and organizer similar to Microsoft’s Outlook.  It is much more complete than Outlook Express.
• Thunderbird Portable – is an E-mail client that I have setup with all of our E-mail accounts and I can check my E-mail very easy where ever I go.  I still prefer to use an E-mail program like this, than to go onto the Internet to check my E-mail.
• Gimp Portable – I just added this one and is not shown on the picture of my Portable Apps menu.  Gimp is a photo program similar to Photo Shop.  I use it all the time on pictures we take with our digital camera.

Take the plunge and pick up an inexpensive USB thumb drive and carry your favorite applications with you.  There are many many other applications that can be added to the list.  Check them all out at PortableApps.com.  It’s fun! John