Portable open source software

This page contains a list of portable open-source software. Please note that many descriptions haven’t been proofread yet, and they may contain grammatical errors and typos. If you have a suggestion for the list, send it to dmpop@openoffice.org.

LEGEND
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Browser-based/Runs on XAMPP
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ASuite (http://sourceforge.net/projects/asuite) An application launcher for use with removable storage media. You can drag and drop applications to add them the ASuite panel, re-arrange the added items, and group them into folders. When minimized, ASuite stays in the System Tray, and you can access your applications by right-clicking on its icon.

WinPenPack (http://www.winpenpack.com/main/index.php) Portable application suites designed to fit USB sticks with different storage capacities. Use one of the available packages or compile your own using WinPenPack Launcher.

Portable GVim (http://portablegvim.sourceforge.net/) The Portable GVim Launcher allows you to run GVim from a removable drive whose letter changes as you move it to another computer. The program can be entirely self-contained on the drive and then used on any Microsoft Windows computer.

portaPuTTY (http://socialistsushi.com/portaputty) portaPuTTY is a hacked version of PuTTY that stores all its information in files, not in the registry.

Pocket K-Meleon (http://www.mc-fadzean.fsnet.co.uk/computing/kmeleon.html#pkm) Pocket K-Meleon is a fully portable and compressed packaging of K-Meleon 1.0. No special launcher is needed and only a single profile is used.

nPOP (http://www.nakka.com/soft/npop/index_eng.html) A light-weight email client that supports multiple accounts (POP3 and APOP), automatic check for new mail, a simple address book, and much more.

TiddlyWiki (http://www.tiddlywiki.com/) A self-contained wiki that can run from a removable disk.

Torpark (http://torpark.nfshost.com/) Torpark is a combination of Portable Firefox and Tor. Tor uses a distributed network of servers called onion routers to create a secure and anonymous connection to the Internet. Torpark comes with integrated and preconfigured Tor software – just launch the application and it takes care of the rest.

TrueCrypt (http://www.truecrypt.org/) Free open-source disk encryption software for Windows XP/2000/2003 and Linux.

NeoMem (http://www.neomem.org/) NeoMem is a nifty little free-form database application that allows you to store virtually any type of information, including passwords, serial numbers, links, contact lists, notes, and anything else you can think of.

Portable Scribus (http://www.quate.net/newsnet/read.php?id=31) Portable Scribus is a portable version of an open source page maker called Scribus, which is much like Adobe Pagemaker, which can help create professional looking documents, newsletters, magazines, etc.

OpenTTD (http://openttd.org/) OpenTTD is a clone of the Microprose game “Transport Tycoon Deluxe”, a popular game originally written by Chris Sawyer. It attempts to mimic the original game as closely as possible while extending it with new features.

XAMPP (http://www.apachefriends.org) XAMPP is an easy to install Apache distribution containing MySQL, PHP and Perl. XAMPP is really very easy to install and to use - just download, extract and start.

Runesword II (http://sourceforge.net/projects/runesword/) Runesword II (RSII) is a CRPG designed to appeal to the “pen & paper” role-player. RSII features turn-based, strategic combat, 50+ skills, 12 races, and several full-length adventures and worlds. Plus a completely flexible construction set/world builder.

Wiki on a Stick (http://sourceforge.net/projects/stickwiki) Wiki on a Stick is a personal wiki that lives in a single self-modifying HTML file (that is a single HTML file containing the software, interface, and database).

Xye (http://xye.sourceforge.net/) Xye is a remake of the classic game Kye. The goal of this game is to collect all of the gems while overcoming various obstacles on a variety of levels.

Infra Recorder (http://infrarecorder.sourceforge.net/) Infra Recorder is a free CD/DVD burning solution for Microsoft Windows. It offers a wide range of powerful features; all through an easy to use application interface and Windows Explorer integration.

PathSync (http://www.cockos.com/pathsync/) PathSync can analyze two directories and show the user a list of differences between the directories. The user can select what actions should occur (which files to overwrite, which to delete, which to ignore), and allow PathSync to synchronize. PathSync provides nifty statistics during the synchronization, so that the user is never wondering how much time is left, etc.

Universal Extractor (http://www.legroom.net/software/uniextract) Universal Extractor is a program do to exactly what it says: extract files from any type of archive, whether it’s a simple zip file, an installation program, or even a Windows Installer (.msi) package.

TreeLine (http://www.bellz.org/treeline/index.html) Some would call TreeLine an outliner, others would call it a PIM. Basically, it just stores almost any kind of information. A tree structure makes it easy to keep things organized. And each node in the tree can contain several fields, forming a mini-database. The output format for each node can be defined, and the output can be shown on the screen, printed, or exported to html.
Source: http://www.portablefreeware.com/?id=971 Download the installer and extract using Universal Extractor to a folder of your choice. Remove Source and [NSIS].nsi. Launch the program by double-clicking on treeline.exe in the lib subfolder.

PUSS (http://www.liberta-project.org/liberta/core/puss) PUSS is the Portable Utility and Security Suite. PUSS is a simple utility to manage all aspects of your portable life. It integrates and improves on Sync and Backup as well as adding file encryption functions.

Clavier+ (http://utilfr42.free.fr/util/Clavier.php) Clavier allows to create keyboard shortcuts using almost any keys, including the Windows key.

KidBASIC (http://kidbasic.sourceforge.net/) KidBASIC is an easy to use version of BASIC designed to teach young children the basics of computer programming. It uses traditional control structures like gosub, for/next, and goto, which helps kids easily see how program flow-control works.

cdrtfe (http://home.arcor.de/kerberos002/cdrtfe/index_en.html) cdrtfe is a GUI frontend for the command-line based cdrtools for authoring CDs.

Jabbin (http://www.jabbin.com/int/) Jabbin is an open-source Jabber client program that allows free PC-to-PC calls using the VoIP system over the Jabber network.

PeaZip (http://peazip.sourceforge.net/) PeaZip is an OS-portable archiver tool, released under LGPL for Windows and Linux; it supports it’s native Pea archive format (featuring compression, splitting and flexible encryption and integrity check schemes) and other mainstream formats, with especial focus on handling open formats.

Titanion (http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~cs8k-cyu/windows/ttn_e.html) Strike down super high-velocity swooping insects.

Coccinella (http://www.thecoccinella.org/) Coccinella is a free and open-source cross-platform chat client with a built-in whiteboard for improved collaboration with other people.

QClip (http://cadae.mobilegamelab.com/) QClip is a queue-based clipboard extender.

AutoHotkey (http://www.autohotkey.com/) AutoHotkey is a free, open-source utility for Windows, which can be used to automate almost anything by sending keystrokes and mouse clicks.

VMmanager (http://vmmanager.sourceforge.net/) VMmanager is simple tool for creating and modifying virtual machines for use with VMware Player.

PortableApps Suite (http://portableapps.com/suite) PortableApps Suite is a collection of portable apps including a web browser, email client, office suite, calendar/scheduler, instant messaging client, antivirus, sudoku game, backup utility and integrated menu, all preconfigured to work portably.

Jarnal (http://www.dklevine.com/general/software/tc1000/jarnal.htm) Jarnal is an open-source application for notetaking, sketching, keeping a journal, making a presentation, annotating a document - including pdf - or collaborating using a stylus, mouse or keyboard.

The Uniform Server (http://www.uniformserver.com/) The Uniform Server is a WAMP package that allows you to run a server on any MS Windows OS based computer. It is small and mobile to download or move around and can also be used or setup as a production/live server.

HFS (http://www.rejetto.com/hfs/) A lightweight http server designed for sharing files.

Enigma (http://www.nongnu.org/enigma/) Enigma is a puzzle game inspired by Oxyd on the Atari ST and Rock’n’Roll on the Amiga. The object of the game is to find uncover pairs of identically colored Oxyd stones.
Source: http://www.portablefreeware.com/?id=1085 Download the zip package and extract to a folder of your choice. Launch the program by double-clicking enigma.exe. Open the Options screen and change the values in User path and User image path to config\ for portable operation.

JkDefrag (http://www.kessels.com/JkDefrag/) JkDefrag is a disk defragment and optimize utility for Windows 2000/2003/XP. Completely automatic and very easy to use, fast, low overhead, with two optimization strategies, and can handle floppies and USB disks/sticks. Included are a Windows version, a commandline version (for scheduling by the task scheduler or for use from administrator scripts), a screensaver version, and a DLL library (for use from programming languages).

Nexuiz (http://www.alientrap.org/nexuiz/) Nexuiz is a 3d deathmatch game project, created online by a team of developers called Alientrap.

GanttProject (http://www.ganttproject.org/) GanttProject is a tool for creating a project schedule by means of Gantt chart and resource load chart.

Winpooch (http://winpooch.free.fr/page/home.php?lang=en&page=home) Winpooch is a Windows watchdog, free and open source. Anti spyware and anti trojan, it gives a full protection against local or external attacks by scanning the activity of programs in real time. Associated with ClamWin antivirus, Winpooch keeps safe your computer against virus.

Launchy (http://www.launchy.net/) Launchy is a free windows utility designed to help you forget about your start menu, the icons on your desktop, and even your file manager. (Tweaking Launchy: http://lifehacker.com/photogallery/tweaklaunchy/)

StarDict Portable (http://sourceforge.net/projects/stardictportabl/) A portable version of the StarDict multi-lingual dictionary.

Money Manager Ex (http://www.thezeal.com/software/index.php?Money_Manager_Ex) Money Manager Ex is a free, open-source, cross-platform, easy-to-use personal finance software. It primarily helps organize one’s finances and keeps track of where, when and how the money goes. It is also a great tool to get a bird’s eye view of your financial worth.

KeePass (http://keepass.sourceforge.net/) KeePass is a free/open-source password manager or safe which helps you to manage your passwords in a secure way. You can put all your passwords in one database, which is locked with one master key or a key-disk. So you only have to remember one single master password or insert the key-disk to unlock the whole database. The databases are encrypted using the best and most secure encryption algorithms currently known (AES and Twofish).

MoinMoin Desktop Edition (http://moinmoin.wikiwikiweb.de/DesktopEdition) A self-contained version of MoinMoin wiki that can run from a removable disk on Linux, MacOS X, and Windows.

G3 Torrent (http://g3torrent.sourceforge.net/) A feature-rich graphical BitTorrent client written in Python.

Universal Viewer (http://www.totalcmd.net/plugring/ATViewerExe.html) Universal Viewer is an advanced file viewer with wide range of formats supported, similar to Total Commander Lister.

Sylpheed (http://sylpheed.sraoss.jp/en/) Sylpheed is a light-weight email client that supports SMTP, POP3, IMAP4 and NNTP. It supports multiple accounts, threaded display, junk mail filtering, security options (GnuPG, SSL/TLSv1), GPG integration, search, etc.
Source: http://www.portablefreeware.com/?id=1112 Download the ZIP package and extract to a folder of your choice. Create an empty subfolder called profile in that folder, and launch the program by using sylpheed.exe --configdir profile.

Portable Python (http://www.portablepython.com/) Portable Python is a Python® programming language preconfigured to run directly from a portable device, enabling you to have, at any time, a portable programming environment.

Lost Labyrinth (http://www.lostlabyrinth.com/) Lost Labyrinth is a coffee break dungeon crawling game.

Rachota (http://rachota.sourceforge.net/en/index.html) Rachota is a straightforward application for time tracking different projects on one computer. It displays time data in diagram form and creates HTML reports.

WikidPad (http://www.jhorman.org/wikidPad/) wikidPad is a Wiki-like notebook for storing your thoughts, ideas, todo lists, contacts, or anything else you can think of to write down.

iKog (http://www.henspace.co.uk/ikog/index.html) iKog is a text-based to-do manager that can help you to keep tabs on your tasks from the command line. Although it lacks all the bells and whistles of a full-blown GUI task manager, it’s one of those tools that make a virtue of doing a limited range of tasks well.

ArsClip (http://www.joejoesoft.com/vcms/97/) ArsClip monitors the clipboard and keeps track of the entries. Press a configurable hotkey and select an item (or items) to quickly paste into a program.

Notepad++ (http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/) Notepad++ is a powerful text editor that supports syntax highlighting, tabbed windows, advanced search/replace, bookmarks, and much more.

GCALDaemon (http://gcaldaemon.sourceforge.net/) GCALDaemon is a cross-platfom Java-based utility that offers two-way synchronization between Google Calendar and various iCalendar compatible applications. GCALDaemon is primarily designed as a calendar synchronizer but it can also be used as a Gmail notifier, Address Book importer, Gmail terminal, and RSS feed converter.

TripleA (http://triplea.sourceforge.net/mywiki) TripleA is a turn based strategy game inspired by the Axis and Allies board game. It features high-quality graphics, different scenarios, network play capabilities, and an artificial intelligence (AI) engine. More importantly, TripleA has an addictive gameplay, which provides hours of solid entertainment.

WinSCP (http://winscp.net) WinSCP is an open source free SFTP client and FTP client for Windows. Legacy SCP protocol is also supported. Its main function is safe copying of files between a local and a remote computer.

Cobian Backup (http://sourceforge.net/projects/cobianbackup/) Cobian Backup is a backup application that supports scheduled and remote backups. The application has integrated compression capabilities, using the Zip64 or the SQX algorithms. All the functions in the program can optionally be password protected and the backup files can be encrypted using one of the following methods: RSA (1024-bit), Blowfish (128-bit), Rijndael (128-bit) or DES (64-bit).
Source: http://www.portablefreeware.com/?id=1190 Download the installer and install to the default folder (select "As an application (No autostart)". Copy all files (except cbUninstall.exe) to a folder of your choice. Now uninstall the program. Edit Settings\cbEngine.ini using a text editor and modify the first line to read: Current list=DB\Main List.lst. Launch the program by double-clicking Cobian.exe.

Planner Portable (http://www.tanisthalon.karoo.net/plannerportable.html) Planner Portable is a general purpose project management tool that provides a variety of features, which are available via 4 separate screen layouts called views.

Gnumeric Portable (http://www.tanisthalon.karoo.net/gnumericportable.html) Gnumeric Portable is a spreadsheet, a computer program used to manipulate and analyze numeric data. Gnumeric Portable can help you keep track of information in lists, organize numeric values in columns and rows, perform and update complex calculations by defining each step of the calculation and modifying particular steps subsequently, create and display or print graphical plots of data using bar plots, line graphs, pie charts or radar charts, implement complex optimization modeling or perform many other tasks involving numbers, dates, times, names or other data.

CamStudio Portable (http://www.tanisthalon.karoo.net/camstudioportable.html) CamStudio is able to record all screen and audio activity on your computer and create industry-standard AVI video files and using its built-in SWF Producer can turn those AVIs into lean, mean, bandwidth-friendly Streaming Flash videos (SWFs).

TexMaker (http://www.xm1math.net/texmaker/) Texmaker is a free LaTeX editor, that integrates many tools needed to develop documents with LaTeX, in just one application.
Download the installer and extract using Universal Extractor to a folder of your choice. Remove the [NSIS].nsi file. Launch the program by double-clicking on the texmaker.exe file.

KeyJnote (http://keyjnote.sourceforge.net/) KeyJnote is a program that displays presentation slides. But unlike OpenOffice.org Impress or other similar applications, it does so with style. Smooth alpha-blended slide transitions are provided for the sake of eye candy, but in addition to this, KeyJnote offers some unique tools that are really useful for presentations.

floAt’s Mobile Agent (FMA) (http://fma.sourceforge.net/) FMA is a Sony-Ericsson mobile phone tool for Phone and SIM book editing, Calendar, bookmarks, alarms handling, SMS archive and organizer, which could sync Phone book to Microsoft Outlook contacts. Starting from version 2.1 beta 4 could be used as portable application. The application checks if it is started from Removable device (an USB stick) and enters in Portable mode automatically. Or it could be forced to do so by setting a command line switch ”/PORTABLE” without quotes.

Visuwords (http://www.visuwords.com/) Visuwords is a Flash-based Web-application that acts as a graphical client to WordNet’s lexical data. It displays not only synonyms of the currently viewed word, t but also a variety of other lexical relations.

TaskStep (http://taskstep.cunningtitle.co.uk/) TaskStep is a list and to-do manager. It is designed to work vaguely with fans of GTD and act as a slightly more advanced task manager which can be kept on your computer, rather than over the Web.

eyeOS (http://www.eyeos.org/) eyeOS is a Web-based desktop featuring a wide range of useful applications, such as word processor, a browser, and RSS reader, Calendar, Address Book, etc.

SuperTux (http://supertux.lethargik.org/) SuperTux is a classic 2D jump’n run sidescroller game in a style similar to the original SuperMario games. Download the installer and extract using Universal Extractor to a folder of your choice. The application is in the {app} folder. Launch the program by double-clicking on the supertux.exe file.

BonkEnc (http://www.bonkenc.org/) BonkEnc is a CD ripper, audio encoder and converter for various formats. It can produce MP3, MP4/M4A, Ogg Vorbis, AAC, Bonk and FLAC files.

Texter (http://lifehacker.com/software/texter/lifehacker-code-texter-windows-238306.php) Text substitution app Texter saves you countless keystrokes by replacing abbreviations with commonly used phrases you define.

PortableTor (http://portabletor.sourceforge.net/) PortableTor allows you to connect into the Tor anonymous internet system from any computer with your flash or thumb drive. This allows you to browse the internet anonymously from public locations, such as internet hotspots, library, or school computers and public terminals.

ToDoList (http://www.codeproject.com/tools/todolist2.asp) ToDoList is a powerful to-do manager that support recurring tasks, subtasks, priority settings, rich text formatting for accompanying notes, and encryption.

Explore2fs (http://www.chrysocome.net/explore2fs) Explore2fs is a GUI explorer tool for accessing ext2 and ext3 filesystems. It runs under all versions of Windows and can read almost any ext2 and ext3 filesystem.

PNotes (http://pnotes.sourceforge.net/) PNotes is a light-weight, flexible, skinnable manager of virtual notes on your desktop. Features include settings for individual note, transparency and scheduling.