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How to Write a Portable USB Application

Portable applications allow users to work on important files on any PC in any location. The software installs on a USB drive they can carry in their pockets. You can develop your own applications for personal use or public distribution.

Things You'll Need

  • Application development software
  • Launcher and Installer code or software
  • Application compression code or software
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Instructions

    • 1

      Develop your application idea. Make sure it's suited to portable use. If you intend to market your application, research to see if there is a demand for the application and what applications already exist.

    • 2

      Analyze application to determine what you will need to do to make it portable. This includes where settings are stored, possible command line parameters. Decide what features are essential and which can you ignore to squeeze the application size. Determine if the application code will be open source or proprietary.

    • 3

      Write the application code. Explore code from open source applications online for examples of usable code and routines. You'll need to program the core features and create an application launcher and installer.

    • 4

      License your software. Make sure you know the advantages and disadvantages of commercial and open source licenses. Open source licenses allow you to borrow other developers open source code and allow users to modify the application to suit their needs.

    • 5

      Compress your application. This not only reduces file size, it increases launch speed.

    • 6

      Host your application for public beta testing. Start a beta tester developer forum on your local server or with an open source development site.

Tips & Warnings

  • If you aren't an experienced software developer, start with a small prototype application to master the basics. Perhaps begin with an application shell that opens, takes user input and saves a file. Add features one at a time.

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Comments

  • Nasos Smyrnios Feb 05, 2011
    My God ! I agreed with cheesepipe ... I tried to explain why this "How To" written and the only way was : It hasn't been written for humans ! It's target obviously is an unknown to the public yet artifficial inteligent entity which is looking via internet for help ... That's the whole idea.
  • cheesepipe Dec 29, 2010
    This has to be absolutely the worst "How To" ever written. Title: How to do X. Step 2: Figure out how to do X. This page explains absolutely nothing.
  • cheesepipe Dec 29, 2010
    This has to be absolutely the worst "How To" ever written. Title: How to do X. Step 2: Figure out how to do X. This page explains absolutely nothing.

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