What exactly makes an App 'portable'?

[ahhaa]

I guess this question is really about the Registry...

...there are any number of interesting apps http://portableapps.com/apps
that now will run right from a flash drive & leave no 'footprints' behind, among other features claimed. But isn't this kinda how computing was done back in the heyday of the VIC 20?

A ROM cart or a cardboard-encased floppy (that's why they were called floppies 8) ) that ran standalone as regards the OS, which could be shut down with a simple OFF switch.

With portable media capacity increasing exponentially- and intended to be used in multiple machines, what is the future of the OS itself?

[Soopafresh]

In addition to making no registry changes, it also doesn't copy any support files to the Windows directory

[mpack]

But isn't this kinda how computing was done back in the heyday of the VIC 20?

I'm a programmer and I still write all my Windows apps that way, ie. they use local config files, they seldom store stuff in the registry - because I want to be able to easily move apps+settings around from PC to PC by simply copying one folder tree. Or if I want to dump an application I simply delete it's folder - pow, it's gone completely, no messy residue.

IMHO the Windows registry was a design disaster: just think about the nightmare you have moving apps every time you buy a new PC. At least as far as as third party apps are concerned. The registry is fine for storing Windows OS settings.

And oh yes - another thing that makes an app "portable" is that it doesn't embed drive letters etc in local settings, as different host PCs have different drive letters.

[GMaq]

Hi,

The list is getting pretty impressive...Open Office, MPlayer, Floola, Virtualdub, Avidemux, WinFF, VLC, Reaper etc. etc. etc. Now if they were ALL cross-platform wouldn't that be fun!? Instead of no OS... ANY OS.

[cd090580]

and also no files a copied or created in "Documents and settings\<username>" directory.