Portable Software

Portable Software (or standalone software) are programs that do not require an installation procedure for the launch and can be completely stored on removable media, which makes it possible to use this software on many computers. Sometimes apps are created in two versions: portable and installable.

A portable application is defined according to the following criteria:

An app that does not use a system installer.
The files used by an app are stored in the folder (or subfolder) of the executable;
A discreet app is a consequence of the previous point. Since the app is sealed, the user leaves very few traces of use or an imprint of this app on the system it uses, whether they are files, libraries, or entries;
An autonomous app. As a result of the previous points, only the system currently in use in the RAM of the computer is needed to run the portable application;
A portable app. The executable is referenced to the files used. That is, it will not rely on the address of the file it wants to use, but on its execution location. Thus, it is possible to use a portable application from a USB stick, external hard drive, or other removable media mounted on a system with the letter E and X on another system.

If the first four points are most often respected and considered as sine qua non-conditions for defining the "portable" application, the last point is often neglected.

Portable applications obviously remain dependent on the operating system for which they were designed (or even a particular version of this operating system). Thus, a portable application designed for Microsoft Windows will only work on this system and the host computer will have to dispose of it.

It is therefore possible to use the portable software on any computer that meets the prerequisites of the software. Often personal data may be stored on the media that contains the portable application. Thus, if the portable app is more discreet, it is possible to use it without leaving traces on the host computer as well as to distribute it via the flash card.