In the source-folder of all the apps from portableapps.com there’s a file named
“%portableappname%.ini” ie
“\PortableApps\GIMPPortable\Other\Source\gimpportable.ini”
Copy that file to the app-DIR (where the “%portableappname%.exe” is located ) .
Now open the .ini-file with notepad or whatever editor you use and change the line “DisableSplashScreen=false” to “DisableSplashScreen=true” .
A few apps don’t have that line, in that case you simply create it …
All the apps from “portableapps.com” use a NSIS (nullsoft scriptable install system)
wrapper/launcher that “re-directs” the settings to the app-DIR instead of the win-user DIR .
This works great as long as the app doesn’t crash; if it does the “portableapp-launcher” won’t be able
to “clean-up” and stuff could be left behind in the temp-DIR …
Thanks gordon for the insightful method, I still think I’ll pass. Don’t like the feeling of PortableApps “messing around” with the programs, even though it’s moderate and even a characteristic thing of open source software.
The thing about portable software is that I like how you can update to new versions. Installed programs often handle this well, but not always, so with portable programs you just replace the files in the dedicated folder - and voilà, the program is properly updated. Now both Firefox and OpenOffice.org does update properly as installed programs (don’t remember how GIMP works), so they might just as well stay installed.
Java Runtime Environment (which I haven’t mentioned in my list - I hide runtime files, codecs etc. in “Common Files”), on the other hand, does not update properly as far as I can remember. Instead it keeps the old version and adds the new one in an other folder. Annoying.
I also think 7-Zip updates properly as installed, and of course CFP does. Adobe Reader Lite MUST be uninstalled and then newly installed. PDFCreator - I don’t remember because they hardly update it.
So that was just about all my apps, almost. Conclusion, I’m very happy with the current setup, and I’ll gladly discuss anyone else’s setup / questions!
It’s slightly more bloated (from the clean freaks’ eyes) than Foxit Reader in terms of filesize (6.96 MB here) and ~40 K’ish range in RAM usage even with the portable version, but it’s feature-rich and can edit things. Ironically, I rarely ever access PDF’s, and if so, just to view them. So why did I switch? Because I’ve read on reviews that it renders text better than Foxit.
I really should’ve compared the output and PrntScrn + MSPaint the differences, but now I lack the motivation to do it. LA? (:SHY)
Hm, where can I get the portable version? Didn’t find it. During my “PDF session” a long time ago, I tried just about every PDF reader out there. For some reason I didn’t like PDF-XChange Viewer, probably there was something in the GUI. :-\
Well at least it renders transparency properly. But it took 5 seconds to render the front page of my heavy thesis PDF file (which contains many things so it’s a great reference to try in PDF readers). :-TD
Also, how can you live with all those “pro version” reminders?!
Thanks but no thanks, Adobe Reader Lite smashes them all. ;D
What reminders? I must’ve disabled that option because it’s just that customizable. Also, I dont’ really have a GUI since I disabled all toolbars except the status bar at the bottom.
At the cost of being labelled bloatware. Yes, Adobe is the original king of quality and bloatness at the same time.
By transparency you mean those checkered images in the background?
Hm, I was talking about transparency in e.g. text boxes produced with a program like OOo Writer, or AbiWord. Unlike Foxit, PDF-XChange Viewer (and Adobloate of course) displays them correctly.
That’s a good choice! Maybe I’ll even give it a second chance. Being portable I guess it can’t bloat my nano fresh (trying to illustrate complete pureness and perfection here) system…
7-Zip
Adobe Reader Lite
Bryce
CCleaner P
CFP
DC++ P
Diino P
GIMP
InfraRecorder P
Internet Explorer
JkDefrag P
Media Player Classic P
Mozilla Firefox P
NT Registry Optimizer P
PDF Split and Merge P
PDFCreator
RegSeeker P
I also think Bryce is close to being portable, since I’ve deleted the uninstaller (it bloated my Windows-folder with an exe file >:() and I don’t think it writes any registry entries (I may be wrong - then it’s not really portable). It should work to just have the folder as it is, and two DLL files put in system32. Maybe the last one is a criterion for Bryce not being portable.
I’d love to use OOo and GIMP portable, but they come from portableapps.com - which add their own splash screen, at least when I tried GIMP. I don’t like such things. Oh wait, they are both open source, I could fix it myself!! Or maybe not…
You can’t block it with CFP 3 ? ;D What’s better ? A little splash screen or a bloat in registry entries ? ;D
I don’t like splash screens either, but I can make exceptions if I benefit from it ;D I have one splash screen (appears on the lower left corner of the screen) in MS Office 2007
The splash screen is unacceptable since it reminds me of adware, so I prefer a few registry entries. It’s not the end of the world. OOo and GIMP are really, really decent programs from the registry’s point of view, it’s a completely different thing with e.g. AutoCAD and M$ .NET Framework… and Adobe products… my lord, they bloat the registry like nothing else (well maybe Norton is just as bad ;D).
