Portable & Useful Computer Software

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I thought I'd post a list of portable & useful applications, for obvious reasons (if you're unaware, you're ignorant; It's easier, and the computer you're on may not have the program you want installed, and the useful pieces of software are, well, you can guess that).

I know that this entire section is dedicated to this entire post, but I thought I'd update it a bit and add portable applications also.

If you want anything added to the list, feel free to post it and I'll update this post.

OpenOffice.org
OpenOffice.org is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It is available in many languages and works on all common computers. It stores all your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages. It can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose.

OpenOffice.org is the result of over twenty years' software engineering. Designed from the start as a single piece of software, it has a consistency other products cannot match. A completely open development process means that anyone can report bugs, request new features, or enhance the software. The result: OpenOffice.org does everything you want your office software to do, the way you want it to.

OpenOffice.org is easy to learn, and if you're already using another office software package, you'll take to OpenOffice.org straight away. Our world-wide native-language community means that OpenOffice.org is probably available and supported in your own language. And if you already have files from another office package - OpenOffice.org will probably read them with no difficulty.

Best of all, OpenOffice.org can be downloaded and used entirely free of any licence fees. OpenOffice.org is released under the LGPL licence. This means you may use it for any purpose - domestic, commercial, educational, public administration. You may install it on as many computers as you like. You may make copies and give them away to family, friends, students, employees - anyone you like.

Website: http://www.openoffice.org/
Portable Download Link: http://portableapps.com/apps/office/openoffice_portable




Skype
Free video calling
Why just talk when you can see each other face-to-face? Video call your family in Australia, your friends in Spain or your colleagues in Japan, for free. It’s the next best thing to being there.

Call mobiles and landlines
Call people all over the world on their mobile or landline from just 0.9c per minute (1c incl. VAT)* using Skype.

Free Skype calls
Talk to anyone else on Skype, anywhere in the world, for free with a Skype-to-Skype call. Catch up with your backpacking brother in Asia, check in with your boss away in the US – call any Skype contact for free.

Group video calling
Catch up face-to-face with more people at the same time on a group video call with Skype. Whether you’re kicking off a project or showing off the latest addition to the family, it’s the next best thing to being there.

Plus More:

Conference calls
Talk to more than one person at once. It's free if you're all on Skype.

Skype To Go numbers
Call people at great value rates from your mobile with special access numbers.

Online Numbers
One number anyone can call you on, wherever you are in the world - and you answer on Skype.

Voicemail
Let Skype take a message when you’re not free to talk.

Call forwarding
Forward your Skype calls to any phone you choose when you’re not online.

Call transfer
Transfer a Skype call to anyone else on Skype, or to a phone number.

Caller ID
Show it's you when you call a phone number from Skype.

Screen sharing
Show presentations, photos and more over a Skype call.

Instant messaging
The quick way to chat without having to make a call.

Send files
Send documents, video clips or photos – any size for free.

SMS
Send great rate text messages to friends' mobiles with SMS on Skype.

Skype WiFi
Get online with public WiFi using Skype Credit so you only pay for what you use.

Facebook News Feed
See your friends’ latest Facebook news in Skype.

How to Get Portable Skype
  • Download the NEWEST version of Skype (Older versions won't work) and install it on any computer as normal. (Skip this if you have the newest version of Skype)
  • Find the Skype executable (skype.exe) in it's installed directory - usually C:\Program Files\Skype\Phone\Skype.exe
  • Right-Click and copy "skype.exe" anywhere on your USB Drive.
  • In the directory where you copied "skype.exe", create another directory called "data". (minus the "")
  • With Notepad, create a file called "skype.bat" and put the following into the file:
skype.exe /datapath:"Data" /removable
  • Save the file.
  • Open "skype.bat" to use Skype Portable.

Website: http://www.skype.com/



VLC Media Player
The VideoLAN project is a project, lead and composed by a team of volunteers, that believes in the power of open source when dealing with multimedia.

The project started as a student project at the French École Centrale Paris, in 1996. After a complete rewrite in 1998, it became Open Source, thanks to the agreement of the École Centrale Paris, in 2001. The project started to open up to developers outside of the École. It is now a worldwide project with developers from 20 countries.
Since 2009, the project is completly separated from École Centrale Paris, and is backed up by an autonomous non-profit organisation.

Website: http://www.videolan.org/
Portable App Download: http://portableapps.com/apps/music_video/vlc_portable




Mozilla Firefox
Our Mission
Mozilla's mission is to promote openness, innovation and opportunity on the web.

What we do
We do this by creating great software, like the Firefox browser, and building movements, like Drumbeat, that give people tools to take control of their online lives.

What we strive for
As a non-profit organization, we define success in terms of building communities and enriching people’s lives instead of benefiting shareholders. We believe in the power and potential of the Internet and want to see it thrive for everyone, everywhere.

Who we work with
Building a better Internet is an ambitious goal, but we believe that it is possible when people who share our passion get involved. Coders, artists, writers, testers, surfers, students, grandparents—anyone who cares about the web can help make it even better. Find out how you can help.

What drives us
Read the Mozilla Manifesto to learn more about the values and principles that guide the pursuit of our mission.

Website: http://www.mozilla.org/
Portable Apps Download: http://portableapps.com/apps/internet/firefox_portable




TrueCrypt
TrueCrypt is a software system for establishing and maintaining an on-the-fly-encrypted volume (data storage device). On-the-fly encryption means that data is automatically encrypted right before it is saved and decrypted right after it is loaded, without any user intervention. No data stored on an encrypted volume can be read (decrypted) without using the correct password/keyfile(s) or correct encryption keys. Entire file system is encrypted (e.g., file names, folder names, contents of every file, free space, meta data, etc).

Files can be copied to and from a mounted TrueCrypt volume just like they are copied to/from any normal disk (for example, by simple drag-and-drop operations). Files are automatically being decrypted on the fly (in memory/RAM) while they are being read or copied from an encrypted TrueCrypt volume. Similarly, files that are being written or copied to the TrueCrypt volume are automatically being encrypted on the fly (right before they are written to the disk) in RAM. Note that this does not mean that the whole file that is to be encrypted/decrypted must be stored in RAM before it can be encrypted/decrypted. There are no extra memory (RAM) requirements for TrueCrypt. For an illustration of how this is accomplished, see the following paragraph.

Let's suppose that there is an .avi video file stored on a TrueCrypt volume (therefore, the video file is entirely encrypted). The user provides the correct password (and/or keyfile) and mounts (opens) the TrueCrypt volume. When the user double clicks the icon of the video file, the operating system launches the application associated with the file type – typically a media player. The media player then begins loading a small initial portion of the video file from the TrueCrypt-encrypted volume to RAM (memory) in order to play it. While the portion is being loaded, TrueCrypt is automatically decrypting it (in RAM). The decrypted portion of the video (stored in RAM) is then played by the media player. While this portion is being played, the media player begins loading another small portion of the video file from the TrueCrypt-encrypted volume to RAM (memory) and the process repeats. This process is called on-the-fly encryption/decryption and it works for all file types (not only for video files).

Website: http://www.truecrypt.org/



Graboid
Download for Free
Download the Graboid video search app and create your free trial account to get started in just a couple of clicks.

300,000+ Videos
Huge selection of HD videos, high-quality playback with no broken files and user ratings & recommendations.

Safe Downloads
Graboid is virus-free with no spyware or adware, you can easily find and download your favourite videos, plus you can watch your videos anywhere!

Website: http://www.graboid.com/



TeamViewer
TeamViewer connects to any PC or server around the world within a few seconds. You can remote control your partner's PC as if you were sitting right in front of it.

Remote control
Control computers remotely via the internet, as if you were sitting right in front of them. Whether you are providing spontaneous support, administering servers or working from your home office, TeamViewer lets you get the job done.

Spontaneous customer support
Do you provide daily support to your customers and need to offer quick, on-the-spot solutions? With TeamViewer, you can easily control your customer's computer remotely, as if you were sitting right in front of it. With the customer module, TeamViewer QuickSupport, your customer is ready for you to connect within seconds without the need to install any software.

24/7 access to remote computers or servers
Administer remote computers or servers, as if you were sitting right in front of them. Take advantage of 24/7 access without the need for someone on the other end. Save your most important contacts in your computers and contacts list to be able to connect within seconds.
All permanent installations (TeamViewer hosts) are completely free of charge for license owners.

File transfer
With file transfer, you can easily copy files or entire folders to and from the remote computer. You can also use the drag & drop feature for even greater convenience and speed.

TeamViewer mobile apps – for when you're on the road
Are you often on the road and need to provide spontaneous support to customers or connect to your office computer and customer’s servers? TeamViewer apps for iPhone, iPad and Android allow you to be mobile and flexible to handle any situation.

Manage all your connections easily
Save all your customer information and connections in a database and share it with your colleagues. TeamViewer Manager logs all your remote control sessions, including start and end times, making it ideal for billing as well.

Website: http://www.teamviewer.com/



GlarySoft Yes, I believe that this organisation deserves it's post here. It has a few amazing programs.
GlarySoft's About Us said:
Glarysoft Ltd. is a professional software developing company aiming multimedia,system and network applications. Now it has a series of products which are highly commended by lots of users. Glarysoft faces all users in the world and is developing multiple channels based on Internet.

We strongly believe that PC users should have the best possible products available in order to enhance both personal and professional computing experiences. To that end, our goal is to provide easy-to-use, robust, and highly reliable software that increases computing productivity by keeping PCs running smoothly and error-free, greatly improving performance, ensuring personal and corporate security, and providing the mechanisms for an environment that allows computer users to concentrate on matters other than fixing problems, performing maintenance, or worrying about replacing or upgrading their PCs.

Website: http://www.glarysoft.com/



Auslogic Yes, another company I believe deserves to be on this list.
Auslogics Software Pty Ltd is a leading developer and publisher of computer maintenance and optimization software for Microsoft Windows. It is a fast-growing privately owned company located in Sydney, Australia. Auslogics team is composed of bright, driven and passionate people working hard to provide their customers with the best computer maintenance tools.

Founded in 2008, Auslogics is now one of the most popular names when people think of defragmenting or optimizing their computers. The software from Auslogics is used by over 10,000,000 people worldwide and is the tool of choice of many IT and computer manufacturing companies, like Sony VAIO, in the US and other countries.

The software that the company develops and publishes includes computer optimization, Internet speed-up, disk and registry maintenance and defragmentation tools; virus and spyware protection; and even emergency file recovery tools. Auslogics Disk Defrag was named the best disk defragmentation tool on CNet and other resources.

Auslogics Products
  • Auslogics BoostSpeed® 5
The program will clean up, speed up and repair your system to make it run as fast and stable as new.

  • Auslogics Disk Defrag
Defragments and re-arranges files to ensure the most efficient file placement.

  • Auslogics Registry Cleaner
Cleans up obsolete records and fixes corrupt references in your Windows registry.

  • Auslogics Registry Defrag
Improves computer performance by defragmenting and compacting the Windows registry.

  • Auslogics Duplicate File Finder
Helps you to find and remove useless duplicate files, stored on your PC.

Website: http://www.auslogics.com/en/



Launchy
Launchy is a free cross-platform utility designed to help you forget about your start menu, the icons on your desktop, and even your file manager.
Launchy indexes the programs in your start menu and can launch your documents, project files, folders, and bookmarks with just a few keystrokes!

Website: http://www.launchy.net/



RainMeter
Rainmeter is the best known and most popular desktop customization program for Windows. Enhance your Windows computer at home or work with skins; handy, compact applets that float freely on your desktop. Rainmeter skins provide you with useful information at a glance. It's easy to keep an eye on your system resources, like memory and battery power, or your online data streams, including email, RSS feeds, and weather forecasts.

Many skins are even functional: they can record your notes and to-do lists, launch your favorite applications, control your media player - all in a clean, unobtrusive interface that you can rearrange and customize to your liking.

There are thousands and thousand of skins available, crafted by a large and ever-growing community of Rainmeter users.

Rainmeter is not just an application, it is a robust toolkit. Create and modify your own skins in a simple language that's easy to learn, with the help of our extensive documentation, getting started guide and skin tutorials. Skins call upon measures, a set of powerful built-in modules that do all the heavy lifting, and create interactive meters to display that information however you decide. In this way, Rainmeter brings productive innovation together with creative artistry like no other platform of its kind.

Rainmeter is a community.People in our forums are always happy to help you get started or answer questions. Over the last few years, a thriving community has built up around Rainmeter, as average users freely contribute their own original skins, their generous knowledge and support, and their inspirational ideas to a project whose scope and capabilities are constantly expanding.

Rainmeter is designed for YOUR system. Rainmeter uses very little CPU and RAM resources, has a tiny space footprint, and will run perfectly well on any hardware using Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7.

Rainmeter is free and open source. Rainmeter is open source software distributed free of charge under the terms of the GNU GPL v2 license.

Website: http://rainmeter.net/cms/



Google Chrome
Why use Google Chrome
Google said:
The web browser is arguably the most important program on your computer. That's why we built a browser with everything you need to make the most of the web.

Speed
Chrome is designed to be fast in every possible way. It's fast to start up, fast to search and load web pages, and fast to run all your web apps.

Security
Chrome is built to help you browse more safely and securely on the web. Chrome's sandboxing, Safe Browsing, and auto-update technologies help protect you against phishing and malware attacks.

Simplicity
Chrome's browser window is streamlined, clean and simple. Its combined search and address bar makes it easy to search and navigate the web, all from one box.

Chrome Web Store
The Chrome Web Store is an online marketplace where you can discover thousands of apps, extensions, and themes for Chrome.

Website: https://www.google.com/chrome/



GoogleDocs
Create and share your work online!
Upload your files from your desktop: It's easy to get started and it's free!
Access anywhere: Edit and view your docs from any computer or smart phone.
Share your work: Real-time collaboration means work gets done more quickly.

Website: http://www.docs.google.com
 
Awesome links, thanks for the share.
Also, and don't complain for me saying this:
Besides Firefox, there is also Chrome. (although I'm guessing everybody uses one of the two)
 
Stybar said:
Awesome links, thanks for the share.
Also, and don't complain for me saying this:
Besides Firefox, there is also Chrome. (although I'm guessing everybody uses one of the two)
I use Chrome, it's amazing.
I just posted Firefox because of the portable side of it, but I'll update this post with Chrome (and GoogleDocs for you, Fries).
 
I've updated the Original Post, it now includes Google Chrome and GoogleDocs (as I've just switched to using it. I like it better than Microsoft Office or OpenOffice).

Stybar said:
Awesome links, thanks for the share.
Also, and don't complain for me saying this:
Besides Firefox, there is also Chrome. (although I'm guessing everybody uses one of the two)
I use Chrome, it's amazing. I just posted Firefox because of the portable side of it.

Mave said:
Thanks for this, gonna try Truecript.
I use TrueCrypt. I recently encrypted my entire hard drive, and both my external hard drives.

Don't forget, feel free to post any programs you think are portable or overall useful! This does include programs that are required to be purchased. Those will be put in to a separate section though.
 
Tiny little application to change entire sets of application icons with one click. Basically you give it an icon set and then press a button, designate where to change icons (taskbar, startmenu, everywhere, etc) and then it does it automatically. You don't have to tell it what programs are there or anything.

http://wronex.deviantart.com/art/7CONIFIER-177688442

Love it. Works like a charm.
 
I will update this post as soon as I get my laptop working again. Well, working to my standards.

I'm not going to update it now as it would be a bitch of a thing to do on an iPod Touch First Generation >.<
 
Notepad ++

http://notepad-plus-plus.org/

Notepad++ is a free (as in "free speech" and also as in "free beer") source code editor and Notepad replacement that supports several languages. Running in the MS Windows environment, its use is governed by GPL License.

Excellent program for programming.
 
Sublime Text 2
http://www.sublimetext.com/2

It's like notepad++, except better in every single way possible ever.
Also check out the color schemes included, and Soda theme.

Screenshot:

QCMS4.png
 
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