I’m a big fan of using USB sticks for standalone applications. For instance, I use a portable version of Firefox written by Jonathan Haller at PortableApps.com, and I carry this to any Windows machine when I want the same look and feel for my browser. The trick behind the portable applications is that they store all their files on the stick and don’t muck with the guest machine’s registry in any significant way, and it means you can carry the applications you like from machine to machine without much effort.
SnapFiles has a list of portable applications they consider handy to have. Here’s a few that I’ve used and like:
- Greatnews– an RSS reader.
- Foxit PDF Reader– a free PDF reader (though most machines now have Adobe Reader).
- TreePad Lite– a personal database/PIM application.
There are plenty more I haven’t used, but that sounded intriguing. For instance, YamiPod, an iPod manager that handles .aac and .mp3 files without having to install iTunes. That could be very useful, especially to those folks who are using more than one OS in any given day, or when you’re traveling and want to load up your iPod at a relative’s house.
Handy Programs to put on a USB Stick – [SnapFiles via Furl]
