On Sun, 10 Oct 2021, at 16:29, CVBruce wrote: > Since we are only talking Windows, there are several different ways of > getting apps on a thumb drive that makes it easy to use them. This > article explains what a portable app is and why they are a good idea.
> https://www.howtogeek.com/290358/what-is-a-portable-app-and-why-does-it-matter/ > I use the PortableApps framework mentioned in that article. There is a launcher (application menu) but one doesn't need to use it to start one of the applications. I usually only start the launcher once every ten days or so, giving it a chance to download new versions of any of the PA apps that I've "installed" (which is to say downloaded either by myself or under the launcher's control). The files don't have to be on a USB stick. Mine are in a Dropbox directory, so - when I had several PCs - downloading an application to a framework directory on one PC made the application immediately available for use on them all. As far as I understand it, the PA method doesn't require applications to be rewritten to work within its framework. Maybe (I'm not completely sure) when one starts a PA app it moves aside config files, registry entries etc that might already be on the system concerned for that application, sets up what the PA app needs, runs it, and undoes the changes afterwards. I think that's needed eg so that file associations work, and File Explorer context menu entries apply to the PA application, not the PC owner's normally installed version of the corresponding application. If a PA-application crashes without the undoing application running and cleaning-up properly, an attempt to rerun a PA app will tell you that. I'm not sure whether it could restore a machine owner's own settings in that situation though which is maybe a weakness. When I start my PA version of the IrfanView image viewer from a desktop shortcut, it actually runs C:\Dropbox\PortableApps\PortableApps\IrfanViewPortable\IrfanViewPortable.exe but IrfanView itself is at C:\Dropbox\PortableApps\PortableApps\IrfanViewPortable\App\IrfanView\i_view32.exe and - as long as the viewer is running - both of these .exe's are running. I expect that cleanup/restore settings after the real app ends almost always happens as the <appname>Portable.exe must see if the child process it started has suddenly ended. A BSOD or deliberate power-off might break it. -- Jeremy Nicoll - my opinions are my own. _______________________________________________ Oorexx-devel mailing list Oorexx-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/oorexx-devel
