I’m at an internet cafe again today and there’s no better place to tell you about my love for FREE and PORTABLE software. If you are an internet cafe buff, you need to be careful about certain things. You should be very aware that you are using a public computer and any personal information that you save on the computer can be exploited. This is where portable software comes in. Anything you save on these portable applications is stored on your USB thumbdrive, external hard drive, or even a memory card. So if you’re in a hurry, you can rush out and won’t have to worry about accidentally leaving private information.
1 – Portable Web Browser
There are a good number of web browsers to choose from. Select your favourite and download the portable version of it! There’s Google Chrome, Opera, Mozilla Firefox, Maxathon, SeaMonkey, etc.
2 – Notepad or Webpage Editor
I don’t really see the difference between notepads and simple webpage editors (although not quite WYSIWYG editors). But these apps are great for taking or saving notes when you are online. Many of us do this: we surf the web and we take down urls, notes, etc. So there’s no better tool to use than notepads or editors…and they might as well be portable. Check out: KompoZer Portable (previously Nvu Portable), AbiWord, PNotes, Stickies, ToDoList, Notepad++, Notepad2, etc.
3 – Chat or Multi-Protocol Chat IM
Let’s face it – most of us are always on IMs. Some prefer IMs that are specific to one account (e.g. Gmail, Hotmail, Facebook, Yahoo, etc.) while others prefer multi-protocol Chat IMs that allow them to chat with friends on all these accounts. Here are some really cool portable apps for IM-junkies: aMSN, KVIrc, Miranda IM, PChat, Pidgin, Skype, etc.
4 – Graphics & Image Editing
I don’t really know anyone who would do graphics or image editing away from their office or personal desk. But I suppose if it exists then there’s a high demand for it. Some recommended portable image software I’ve tried: GIMP, Inkscape, PhotoFiltre, etc.
5 – Miscellaneous
There are other portable freeware that people might need if they’re using public computers. They include: CCleaner portable, FileZilla, PopMan, Mozilla Thunderbird, VLC Media Player, ClamWin, Spybot – Search & Destroy, 7-Zip, etc.
Okay, I would continue this article but it’s really getting hot in this room so I need to take a breather.
