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Portable Apps - Run Programs From A USB Drive!

Portable apps are not a new breakthrough in technology. The capability has been out there for a while. But now portable applications are taking off, and the first major portable apps have come out.

So how does it work?

You download the file and put the folder on your USB flash drive. Then, when you use another machine, you have all your programs at your fingertips. Extremely useful if you are a Firefox fan and have a lot of extensions and your available computer only has IE.

The only drawback is that most free programs do not offer a portable app version. However, here are a few notables.

Mozilla Firefox (web browser)
Mozilla Thunderbird (alternative to Outlook Express)
Mozilla Sunbird (calendar software)
Open Office (Microsoft Office alternative)
NVU (a web editor)
Gaim (similar to Trillian)
Foxit Reader (A PDF reader)
PStart (Use this to start portable apps from one menu, rather than individual folders)