TOPIC: INSTALLATION
A portable software repository comparison: PortableApps versus Portapps for Windows users
17th September 2025Moving between computers remains a fact of life for many people, whether working across office desktops and home laptops, studying in shared facilities or visiting clients and public spaces. Installing the same software repeatedly, then recreating familiar settings, can become a routine that wastes time and raises permission hurdles. Portable software aims to sidestep that friction by running without traditional installation, carrying preferences along for the ride, and leaving little behind on host machines.
Two notable projects occupy this space for Windows users: PortableApps.com and Portapps. Each offers a different route to a similar destination, and together they show how far the idea has progressed since the early days of USB sticks and limited storage. Both platforms enable users to create self-contained software environments that can travel between machines whilst maintaining settings and data integrity.
PortableApps.com: The Established Platform
PortableApps.com is often the first name people encounter, and with good reason. It has grown into a platform as much as a collection, providing a launcher that helps manage the entire portable environment. The project began in the early 2000s, created by John T. Haller, and has remained free and open source since then.
Core Architecture
The premise is straightforward. Applications are repackaged so they can live within a self-contained folder structure that can sit on removable storage or inside a cloud-synchronised folder. When launched from that location, they behave as if they were installed locally, only their configuration and data reside in the portable directory rather than the Windows registry or system folders. As a result, moving the folder to another machine brings the software and its settings along, keeping the host computer cleaner and reducing the need for elevated privileges.
The Platform Ecosystem
Much of the appeal lies in the PortableApps.com Platform, a menu and suite that acts as a hub. Rather than scattering shortcuts across the desktop, the platform collects everything in one place with a menu that can sit on a USB drive or a cloud drive. From here, users can run applications, group them in folders, mark favourites and initiate updates, all with a consistent interface.
The catalogue has grown substantially, now featuring over 1,400 portable packages spanning multiple categories: Accessibility, Development, Education, Games, Graphics & Pictures, Internet, Music & Video, Office, Security and Utilities. This includes major applications like LibreOffice, Firefox, GIMP, VLC media player, and hundreds of specialised tools across every computing category. That breadth helps the platform function as a complete environment rather than a one-off fix for a particular program. A person could keep a preferred browser with extensions and bookmarks, a document editor for quick edits, an image viewer for photos and a handful of diagnostic tools, all launched from the same menu.
Because the platform is designed to operate from cloud-synchronised locations as well, some forgo physical drives and keep their PortableApps directory inside providers like Dropbox or Google Drive. That way, the same set of tools appears on every machine where the cloud client is installed, with settings following through the sync client.
Portapps: The Modular Approach
Running alongside PortableApps is Portapps, an independent collection that also repackages Windows software to run portably, albeit with a different structure. Portapps distributes applications either as portable set-up files or as 7-Zip archives. Each title typically includes a small wrapper executable, named with a "-portable.exe" suffix, that orchestrates the portability layer.
Technical Implementation
That wrapper is written in Go and handles redirection of paths, environment configuration and other adjustments required to run the original application without leaving permanent traces on the host. The project is open source under the MIT licence, and many of its components live on GitHub, where users can watch releases and inspect how builds are constructed.
Usage and Transparency
Running a Portapps package is uncomplicated. After downloading the portable version of a supported application from the Portapps site or the relevant GitHub repository, the user extracts the files and launches the wrapper executable. The wrapper ensures that configuration and data reside in the portable directory and that the program operates without installing into Windows.
Portapps emphasises transparency around its build process. Properties and scripts are published, so observers can see how original sources are obtained and how wrappers are applied. Releases are versioned and binaries are provided, with wrappers scanned on VirusTotal to provide added confidence. The maintainers acknowledge that heuristic scanning can sometimes trigger false positives because of how the wrappers work, a reality that users should weigh against their own antivirus alerts and verification habits.
Application Focus and Updates
Portapps maintains a more selective catalogue of 54 applications, focusing primarily on modern software and developer tools. The collection includes popular applications like Discord, Visual Studio Code, Brave browser, VLC media player, Postman, IntelliJ IDEA, and various communication tools. The project targets contemporary software, particularly applications built with frameworks like Electron, and emphasises quality over quantity in its selections.
Recent releases continue actively, with regular updates to maintained applications. However, some applications are discontinued when the original projects become abandoned or when maintenance becomes unfeasible, demonstrating the project's pragmatic approach to software curation.
Comparison: Platform vs Modular
The distinction between the two projects emerges in how they are structured and managed, rather than in their core aim. This creates different advantages for different use cases.
PortableApps.com Advantages
PortableApps offers a full platform anchored by a launcher. It provides centralised update notifications and the ability to upgrade installed portable applications whilst preserving data. It integrates back-up functions and a customisable interface that collects everything into a single, recognisable menu. This arrangement suits anyone who wants a managed, coherent environment that travels intact from one machine to another, whether on a drive or inside a cloud-synchronised folder.
The platform's maturity shows in its comprehensive feature set: automatic updates, integrated back-up systems, theme customisation and extensive language support. The sheer size of its catalogue (over 1,400 applications across 10 categories) means users can often find portable versions of most common applications they need, from basic utilities to professional software suites.
Portapps Advantages
Portapps takes a per-application approach centred on wrappers. It does not bundle a unified menu or a site-wide update mechanism. Instead, it focuses on packaging individual programs so that each can run on its own from a portable directory. For some, that modularity is appealing because it keeps each application independent and allows for granular control over what gets updated and when.
The transparency of Portapps is particularly notable. All source code, build scripts and packaging processes are openly available on GitHub. This makes it easier for technically inclined users to understand exactly how applications are made portable and to contribute improvements or fixes. The project's focused approach means its 54 applications are typically modern, well-maintained packages that target contemporary software needs, particularly in development and communication tools.
Trade-offs and Limitations
Both approaches share similar constraints. Performance can lag when running from slow USB flash drives, especially with applications that read and write frequently. A modern external SSD or high-quality USB 3.x drive mitigates this, but older media can make the difference noticeable.
Compatibility relies in part on the host Windows installation. Some portable programs require certain components to be present or struggle if the operating system is very old or tightly locked down by policy. Security considerations apply to both: a portable device can be lost or stolen, so using encryption or secure storage matters if sensitive data are involved.
Another constraint is access to system-level features. Programs that need drivers, system services or administrative rights may not function as expected in portable form. Updates in Portapps require more manual intervention compared to PortableApps' centralised update system.
Which to Choose
The choice often comes down to preferences and requirements. Those who want a curated catalogue with a central launcher, integrated updates and back-up features will likely benefit from the PortableApps.com Platform. It reduces administrative overhead by keeping everything in one place and by handling upgrades whilst leaving settings untouched.
Those who prefer to choose individual portable packages, appreciate the transparency of wrapper-based builds, or focus on a subset of modern applications may lean towards Portapps. Both coexist comfortably because their aims overlap, yet their methods differ, and nothing stops a user from mixing them if that suits a particular workflow, though running two separate structures does introduce more to manage.
Practical Implementation
Setting up a portable environment generally begins with choosing where it will live. A fast USB 3.x flash drive or an external SSD keeps load times brisk and reduces frustration. If removable media is not desirable, a folder inside a cloud synchronisation service provides similar flexibility, just without the need to carry hardware.
PortableApps Setup
In the case of PortableApps, installing the platform to the chosen location yields a menu that can then be populated with software drawn from the catalogue. Updates can be triggered from within the platform and back-ups made as snapshots of the entire environment. The integrated app store makes discovering and installing new portable applications straightforward.
Portapps Setup
For Portapps, the process is more manual. Individual applications are selected from the website or GitHub, downloaded either as portable set-ups or archives, unpacked to a chosen directory, then started using the "-portable.exe" wrapper. Keeping track of updates often means revisiting the releases page for each application or subscribing to notifications.
Security Considerations
Security merits attention at the outset. Losing a drive can mean losing data, so encrypting the portable directory is wise, whether by encrypting the entire device with tools like BitLocker To Go or by placing the portable environment inside a container created with software such as VeraCrypt. Public or shared machines can carry malware risks, so scanning hosts when possible and treating sensitive actions with caution remains sensible.
Verifying downloads by checking hashes or signatures when provided, and scanning portable applications with antivirus software, adds another layer of reassurance. It is also useful to remember that even well-designed portable applications may leave temporary traces because Windows itself writes certain entries as part of normal operation. The objective is to limit permanent change, not to circumvent the operating system's behaviour entirely.
Performance Optimisation
Performance can be improved with a few choices. Using faster storage makes the largest difference, particularly for larger applications that read and write many files. Keeping the portable directory in a location that remains consistently available to a cloud client avoids sync stalls, and selecting a machine's local drive rather than a slow network path reduces latency. Ensuring that the portable environment is not subject to aggressive antivirus scanning on every read can sometimes help, though that has to be balanced against security policies.
Final Remarks
Portable software has matured from a niche convenience into a practical way of working that respects the realities of shared and changing environments. By focusing on containment, reducing dependency on installation and making updates and back-ups straightforward, projects like PortableApps and Portapps make it easier to carry a personal toolkit across diverse Windows machines.
The two platforms serve overlapping but distinct needs. PortableApps.com excels as a comprehensive, managed environment suitable for users who want everything integrated and maintained through a single interface. Its extensive catalogue and automated features make it particularly attractive for those building complete portable computing environments.
Portapps appeals to users who prefer transparency, modularity and direct control over individual applications. Its open development model and focused approach to specific modern applications make it valuable for technically minded users or those with specific software requirements.
Use cases abound for both approaches. Students and professionals who switch between school, work and home can keep a consistent environment without altering each machine. Technicians often carry diagnostic and repair tools that run without installation so they can assist on any PC they encounter. Travellers value having a browser and email client with their own preferences ready to use on shared computers.
With thought given to security, performance and management, both PortableApps and Portapps can add consistency to a computing life that is increasingly spread across locations and devices, all without imposing on the host systems that make it possible. The choice between them depends on whether one prioritises integrated management or modular control, but both represent mature approaches to an enduring challenge in modern computing.
What to do an error appears when using pip to install Python packages on Linux Mint 22
16th December 2024After upgrading to Linux Mint 22, the following message appeared when attempting to install Python packages using the pip command:
error: externally-managed-environment
× This environment is externally managed
╰─> To install Python packages system-wide, try apt install
python3-xyz, where xyz is the package you are trying to
install.
If you wish to install a non-Debian-packaged Python package,
create a virtual environment using python3 -m venv path/to/venv.
Then use path/to/venv/bin/python and path/to/venv/bin/pip. Make
sure you have python3-full installed.
If you wish to install a non-Debian packaged Python application,
it may be easiest to use pipx install xyz, which will manage a
virtual environment for you. Make sure you have pipx installed.
See /usr/share/doc/python3.12/README.venv for more information.
note: If you believe this is a mistake, please contact your Python installation or OS distribution provider. You can override this, at the risk of breaking your Python installation or OS, by passing --break-system-packages.
hint: See PEP 668 for the detailed specification.
This will frustrate anyone following how-tos on the web, so users will need to know about it. On something like Linux Mint, the repositories may not be as up-to-date as PyPI, so picking up the very latest version has its advantages. Thus, I initially used the unrecommended --break-system-packages switch to get things going as before, since doing never broke anything before. While the way of working feels like an overkill in some ways, using pipx probably is the way forward as long as things work as I want them to do.
There is wisdom in using virtual environments too, especially when AI models are involved. For most of what I get to do, that may be getting too elaborate. Then, deleting or renaming the message file in /usr/lib/python3.12/EXTERNALLY-MANAGED is tempting if that gets around things, as retrograde as that probably is. After all, I never broke anything before this message started to appear, possibly since my interests are data related.
Rendering Markdown into HTML using PHP
3rd December 2022One of the good things about using virtual private servers for hosting websites instead of shared hosting or using a web application service like WordPress.com or Tumblr is that you get added control and flexibility. There was a time when HTML, CSS and client-side scripting were all that was available from the shared hosting providers that I was using back then. Then, static websites were my lot until it became possible to use Perl server side scripting. PHP predominates now, but Python or Ruby cannot be discounted either.
Being able to install whatever you want is a bonus as well, though it means that you also are responsible for the security of the containers that you use. There will be infrastructure security, but that of your own machine will be your own concern. Added power always means added responsibility, as many might say.
The reason that these thought emerge here is that getting PHP to render Markdown as HTML needs the installation of Composer. Without that, you cannot use the CommonMark package to do the required back-work. All the command that you see here will work on Ubuntu 22.04. First, you need to download Composer and executing the following command will accomplish this:
curl https://getcomposer.org/installer -o /tmp/composer-setup.php
Before the installation, it does no harm to ensure that all is well with the script before proceeding. That means that capturing the signature for the script using the following command is wise:
HASH=`curl https://composer.github.io/installer.sig`
Once you have the script signature, then you can check its integrity using this command:
php -r "if (hash_file('SHA384', '/tmp/composer-setup.php') === '$HASH') { echo 'Installer verified'; } else { echo 'Installer corrupt'; unlink('composer-setup.php'); } echo PHP_EOL;"
The result that you want is "Installer verified". If not, you have some investigating to do. Otherwise, just execute the installation command:
sudo php /tmp/composer-setup.php --install-dir=/usr/local/bin --filename=composer
With Composer installed, the next step is to run the following command in the area where your web server expects files to be stored. That is important when calling the package in a PHP script.
composer require league/commonmark
Then, you can use it in a PHP script like so:
define("ROOT_LOC",$_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT']);
include ROOT_LOC . '/vendor/autoload.php';
use League\CommonMark\CommonMarkConverter;
$converter = new CommonMarkConverter();
echo $converter->convertToHtml(file_get_contents(ROOT_LOC . '<location of markdown file>));
The first line finds the absolute location of your web server file directory before using it when defining the locations of the autoload script and the required markdown file. The third line then calls in the CommonMark package, while the fourth sets up a new object for the desired transformation. The last line converts the input to HTML and outputs the result.
If you need to render the output of more than one Markdown file, then repeating the last line from the preceding block with a different file location is all you need to do. The CommonMark object persists and can be used like a variable without needing the reinitialisation to be repeated every time.
The idea of building a website using PHP to render Markdown has come to mind, but I will leave it at custom web pages for now. If an opportunity comes, then I can examine the idea again. Before, I had to edit HTML, but Markdown is friendlier to edit, so that is a small advance for now.
Contents not displaying for Shared Folders on a Fedora 32 guest instance in VirtualBox
26th July 2020While some Linux distros like Fedora install VirtualBox drivers during installation time, I prefer to install the VirtualBox Guest Additions themselves. Before doing this, it is best to remove the virtualbox-guest-additions package from Fedora to avoid conflicts. After that, execute the following command to ensure that all prerequisites for the VirtualBox Guest Additions are in place before mounting the VirtualBox Guest Additions ISO image and installing from there:
sudo dnf -y install gcc automake make kernel-headers dkms bzip2 libxcrypt-compat kernel-devel perl
During the installation, you may encounter a message like the following:
ValueError: File context for /opt/VBoxGuestAdditions-<VERSION>/other/mount.vboxsf already defined
This is generated by SELinux, so the following commands need to be executed before repeating the installation of VirtualBox Guest Additions:
sudo semanage fcontext -d /opt/VBoxGuestAdditions-<VERSION>/other/mount.vboxsf
sudo restorecon /opt/VBoxGuestAdditions-<VERSION>/other/mount.vboxsf
Without doing the above step and fixing the preceding error message, I had an issue with mounting of Shared Folders whereby the mount point was set up, but no folder contents were displayed. This happened even when my user account was added to the vboxsf group, and it proved to be the SELinux context issue that was the cause.
Updating Flatpack applications on Linux Mint 19
10th August 2018Since upgrading to Linux Mint 19, I have installed some software from Flatpak. The cause for my curiosity was that you could have the latest versions of applications like GIMP or LibreOffice without having to depend on a third-party PPA. Installation is straightforward given the support built into Linux Mint. You just need to download the relevant package from the Flatpak website and run the file through the GUI installer. Because the packages come with extras to ensure cross-compatibility, more disk space is used, but there is no added system overhead beyond that, from what I have seen. Updating should be as easy as running the following single command too:
flatpak update
However, I needed to do a little extra work before this was possible. The first step was to update the configuration file at ~/.local/share/flatpak/repo/config to add the following lines:
[remote "flathub"]
gpg-verify=true
gpg-verify-summary=true
url=https://flathub.org/repo/
xa.title=Flathub
Once that was completed, I ran the following commands to import the required GPG key:
wget https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.gpg
flatpak --user remote-modify --gpg-import=flathub.gpg flathub
With this complete, I was able to run the update process and update any applications as necessary. After that first run, it has been integrated in to my normal processes by adding the command to the relevant alias definition.
Trying out a new way to upgrade Linux Mint in situ while going from 17.3 to 18.1
19th March 2017There was a time when the only recommended way to upgrade Linux Mint from one version to another was to do a fresh installation with back-ups of data and a list of the installed applications created from a special tool.
Even so, it never stopped me doing my own style of in situ upgrade, though some might see that as a risky option. More often than not, that actually worked without causing major problems in a time when Linux Mint releases were more tightly tied to Ubuntu's own six-monthly cycle.
Linux Mint releases now align with Ubuntu's Long Term Support (LTS) editions. This means major changes occur only every two years, with minor releases in between. These minor updates are delivered through Linux Mint's Update Manager, making the process simple. Upgrades are not forced, so you can decide when to upgrade, as all main and interim versions receive the same extended support. The recommendation is to avoid upgrading unless something is broken on your installation.
For a number of reasons, I stuck with that advice by sticking on my main machine with Linux Mint 17.3 instead of upgrading to Linux Mint 18. The fact that I broke things on another machine using an older method of upgrading provided even more encouragement.
However, I subsequently discovered another means of upgrading between major versions of Linux Mint that had some endorsement from the project. There still are warnings about testing a live DVD version of Linux Mint on your PC first and backing up your data beforehand. Another task is ensuring that you are upgraded from a fully up-to-date Linux Mint 17.3 installation.
When you are ready, you can install mintupgrade using the following command:
sudo apt-get install mintupgrade
When that is installed, there is a sequence of tasks that you need to do. The first of these is to simulate an upgrade to test for the appearance of untoward messages and resolve them. Repeating any checking, until all is well, gets a recommendation. The command is as follows:
mintupgrade check
Once you are happy that the system is ready, the next step is to download the updated packages so they are on your machine ahead of their installation. Only then should you begin the upgrade process. The two commands that you need to execute are below:
mintupgrade download
mintupgrade upgrade
After these complete, restart your system. In my case, the process worked well, with only my PHP installation requiring attention. I resolved a clash between different versions of the scripting interpreter by removing the older one, as PHP 7 is best kept for testing. Apart from reinstalling VMware Player and upgrading from version 18 to 18.1, I had almost nothing else to do and experienced minimal disruption. This is fortunate as I rely heavily on my main PC. The alternative of a full installation would have left me sorting things out for several days afterwards because I use a customised selection of software.
Updating Piwik using the Linux Command Line
28th November 2016Because updating Piwik using its web interface has proved tempestuous, I have decided to update the self-hosted analytics application on an SSH session. The production web servers that I use are hosted on Linux systems, so that is why any commands apply to the Linux or UNIX command line only. What is needed for Windows servers may differ.
The first step is to down the required ZIP file with this command:
wget https://builds.piwik.org/piwik.zip
Once the download is complete, the contents of the ZIP archive are extracted into a new subfolder. This is a process that I carry out in a separate folder to that where the website files are kept before copying everything from the extraction folder in there. Here is the unzip command, and the -o switch turns on overwriting of any previously existing files:
unzip -o piwik.zip
Without the required folder in the web server area to be updated, the next step is to do the actual system update that includes any updates to the Piwik database that you are using. There are two commands that you can use once you have specified the location of your Piwik installation. The second is needed when the first option cannot find where the PHP executable is stored. My systems had something more specific than these because both PHP 5.6 and PHP 7.0 are installed. Looking in /usr/bin was enough to find what I needed to execute in place of PHP below. Otherwise, the command was the same.
./[path to piwik]/console core:update
php [path to piwik]/console core:update
While the upgrade is ongoing, it prompts you to permit it to continue before it goes and modifies the database. This did not take long on my systems, but that depends on how much data there is. Once, the process has completed, you can delete any extraneous files using the rm command.
Forcing an upgrade to Windows 10 Anniversary Update
6th September 2016There remain people who advise those on Windows 7 or 8.x to hold fire on upgrading to Windows 10. Now that the free upgrade no longer is available, that advice may hold more weight than it did. Even so, there are those among us who jumped ship who are open to having the latest versions of things at no monetary cost to see what is available, and I must admit to being one of those.
After all, I do have a virtual machine with a pre-release version of the next update to Windows 10 installed on there to see what might be coming our way and to get a sense of what changes that may bring so that I am ready for those. Otherwise, I am usually happy to wait, but I noticed that the Windows 10 Anniversary Update only came to my HP Pavilion dm4 laptop and not other machines with Windows 10 installed, so I started to wonder why there was a lag when it came to automatic upgrades.
So that these things do not arrive when it is least convenient, I took advantage of a manual method to choose my timing. This did not involve installation from a disk image, but was in-situ. The first part of the process is standard enough in that the Settings app was started and the Update & security item chosen. That dropped me onto the Windows Update, and I first clicked on the Check for updates button to see what would happen. When nothing came of that, the Learn more link was clicked to bring me onto part of the Microsoft support website where I found that the Windows 10 Anniversary Update installer could be downloaded, so I duly did just that.
Running it produced a screen asking whether I wanted to proceed. Since I wanted to go ahead, the appropriate button was clicked and the machine left alone until the process completed. Because the installer purely is a facilitator, the first stage is to download the rest of the files needed, and that will take a while on any connection. Once downloading was completed, the actual process of installation commenced with several restarts before a log-in screen was again on offer. On logging in to the machine, the last part of the process started.
Though the process took quite a while, it seemingly worked without a hitch. If there was anything that I needed to do, it was the re-installation of VirtualBox Guest Additions to restore access to shared folders, as well as dealing with a self-inflicted irritation. Otherwise, I have found that previously installed software worked as expected and no file has been missed. Waiting a while may have had its advantages too because initial issues with the Anniversary Update will have been addressed, though it is best not to leave it too long, or you could have the feeling of being forgotten. A happy balance needs striking.
Compressing a VirtualBox VDI file for a Windows guest running on a Linux Host
11th February 2016Recently, I had a situation where my the VDI files for my Windows 10 virtual machine expanded in size all of a sudden and I needed to reduce them. My downloading maps for use with RouteBuddy may have been the cause, so I moved the ISO installation files onto the underlying Linux Mint drives. With that space, I then set to uncovering how to compact the virtual disk file, and the Sysinternals sdelete tool was recommended for clearing unused space. After downloading, I set it to work in a PowerShell session running on the guest operating system from its directory using the following command:
.\sdelete -z [drive letter designation; E: is an example]
From the command prompt, the following should do:
sdelete -z [drive letter designation; E: is an example]
Once, that had completed, I shut down the VM and executed a command like the following from a bash terminal session:
VBoxManage modifyhd [file location/file name].vdi --compact
Where there was space to release, VDI files were reduced in size to return more disk space. More could be done, so I will look into the Windows 10 drives to see what else needs to be moved out of them.
Turning off Apport crash reporting on Ubuntu
6th April 2015Last week, I kept getting a multitude of messages from Ubuntu's crash reporting tool, Apport. So many would appear at once on reaching the desktop session during system start-up that I actually downloaded an installation ISO disk image intending to perform a fresh installation to rid myself of the problem. In the end, it never came to that because another remedy produced the result that I needed.
Emptying /etc/crash was a start, but it did not do what I needed, and I disabled Apport altogether. This meant editing its configuration file, which is named apport and is found in /etc/default/. The following command should open it up in Gedit on supplying your password:
gksudo gedit /etc/default/apport
With the file opened, look for the line with enabled=1 and change this to enabled=0. Once that is done, restart Apport as follows:
sudo restart apport
This will need your account password before working, with any messages appearing afterwards. While I would not have done this for a real system problem, my Ubuntu GNOME installation was working smoothly, so it was the remedy I needed. The tool lets Ubuntu developers get information about application crashes, but it sends me to the Ubuntu Launchpad bug reporting website, which requires login details. This is enough to stop me continuing, making me wonder if developers could get what they need without this extra manual step. This would provide them with additional information and give us a more stable operating system in return.