Portable Application Launchers

My portable LG HDD

I have noticed that portable applications are life saver, as traveling this much. I have reached resources such as portableapps.com and so forth.

However my problem was about the launcher itself. I have 2 GBs of portable applications on my traveling portable HDD. I have tried number of launchers, here are the notable ones and my sights:

1. portableapps.com Suite menu / portableapps.com Platform menu

The helper coming with the portableapps.com both bundles (suite or platform bundle) did well at first when I was discovering the world of portable applications. But I have noticed that they are insufficient for me. And free it is.

a. Startup Speed: Disaster, worst of all. It kills me to wait for like 1 minute to (USB 2.0) warm up. Because, application looks for new applications, icons, and stuff I guess. It is too much. I just want to load a Notepad++ maybe and waiting for 1-minute which is way too long if you consider this is “PORTABLE” not home necessarily.

In forums it is suggested to PAFize the application [2], which I don’t (neither want to learn and) want to do that for 2GBs existing already and the probable upcoming ones. Instead I need something with less installation cost.

b. Customizing Index Folders: Great, even the best. It automatically discovers the data inside my portableapps folder in HDD. Also supports dynamic drive letter of USB HDD which crucial because, I use a number of computers and each give different drive letter to my HDD. Such as, despite F:\portables is the folder at a friend’s, H:\portables at some other friend’s computer. It should go on working without any other operation inspite of computer.

c. Being Portable: Yes, thanks… Launcher should be portable of course, and it is.

d. Capability: Low. Just add applications and run them. That’s it. Serve for the purpose…

e. Instant Search Capability:  No. Just find the application on the list and click to open. Though it supports a “favourite applications” list above other all.

2. Executor

This is also a freeware for the same purpose.

Executor auto-complete example

a. Startup Speed: Good. Despite this is not really a hard to solve issue. But since it is customizable yes it reponds to that need well, it scanned and indexed in like 2 minutes and that is it. There is even an options to choose: index each startup, index each 15 mins, index each 15 mins of idle. Well done.

b. Customizing Index Folders: Yes, and good one.

c. Being Portable: Yes, you put $D$ in the drive letter to reach portable driver of yours.

d. Capability: High. Comes with few additional utilities built-in.

e. Instant Search Capability: Yes, and very good because it is customizable (really -highly).

f. Visual: Poor GUI (in sense of look only). I have seen better like Humanized Enso and Launchy.

3. Launchy

Open source and free.

a. Startup Speed: Good.

b. Customizing Index Folders: Yes, easy to manage, not bad. But when I get in to options and say “ok” each time it rescans whole directories, which is not that good. Sorry.

Launchy also has got great skins

c. Being Portable: Yes, kind of. Actually there is an impressing option in the installation asking “if this is to be portable or installed on system drive”. However no option to express portable driver is “portable drive” :) Sad thing is that they have that vision but ignore somehow to see that portable drives change letters mostly.

d. Capability: Medium. There are plugins you can even download more. But lack of main functions you expect in the first place.

e. Instant Search Capability: Yes, better than Executor. It has easily seen icons with dropdown.

f. Visual: Cool GUI (in sense of look only).

 But though, it has lack of support for dynamic drive letter. So no.

4. CodysSafe

When I realized that to add an application to the list is even harder than MS Windows itself, I quit trying. Overall, poor; for the first throat I should be passing.

5. SlickRun

Not to be so harsh, it does not fulfill my needs. But not to forget, this application is not an “portable applications launcher” it belongs to another category. But still, I wanted to try though. There is not support for customizing directory indexing.

6. Humanized Enso Launcher

It is free (anymore it says). Good one actually, if I wasn’t looking for portable solution. Again, this is a great software in fact. However it belongs to some other category as SlickRun. Because, it has great utilities builtin. But not to ignore, this is something you should use, if you know what you are doing. But though could watch the video here and others linked there. I would try to portabilize it :) if it supported customizing indexed directories. In portable meaning, it is poor despite great look and time saving GUI.

Conclusion

After all, I didn’t have time and courage to check FARR and maybe more stuff available on the net. However, I am going with Executor now.

[1] http://portableapps.com
[2] http://portableapps.com/node/25181
[3] http://executor.dk/
[4] http://www.launchy.net/index.php
[5] http://www.codyssey.com/
[6] http://www.fiddler2.com/SlickRun/
[7] http://humanized.com/enso
[8] http://humanized.com/enso/launcher/fingertips.php
[9] http://www.donationcoder.com/Software/Mouser/findrun/

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