Where debating everything under the sun is only the beginning

Quote from: lwiczek

Portable mode means there is no track of foobar in the system, that is the whole point of it 

Opera, SciTE, foobar2000 0.8.x, 0.9.x, FileZilla and lots of other software I use is portable, by which I mean I can copy the folder, dump it somewhere, run it and bam, it works with my settings. Whether or not I then make some file associations to that program or not is an entirely different matter. Software like SciTE doesn't offer a way to set it as the default at all and I'm fine with that, but I've always rather conveniently used foobar2000's "set as default for this and that" feature to do so on systems where I may wish to do so. None of my old foobar2000s will do anything to any system unless I very explicitly tell them to using the dialog that this new "portable mode" now disabled.

Quote from: lwiczek

Go to Preferences -> General and set location of configuration files to application instalation folder, here, problem solved ;]

Only if that actually makes it portable and it doesn't default to the default settings if I copy it onto a USB stick, another computer or whatever because it can't find the explicitly defined folder. Hence why I chose portable in the installer to begin with.

Quote from: lwiczek

About using D&S/Users folder - I love the idea, especially whet there are several users of the system!

I like the way it works in Linux. In Windows, not so much.

Please allow making Opera the default browser even when it is stand-alone installed on any USB drive!
Moreover, it'd be great to have the option making it the default browser not only within the computer currently used, but also for all subsequent ones we may connect the USB drive to

E.g. I have my "master" Opera (just upgraded to version 12.02 Build 1578, Win32) on an USB external HD. Right now, I cannot make it the default browser, which'd really useful. Moreover, it'd be great that, once set as the default browser, this setting can be optionally kept (and not automatically erased, as it just happened when upgrading to 12.02, which erased Opera default-handling of web files and protocols that I previously set) and so applied to any computer we connect this USB-stand-alone Opera to.

But what happens if you plug your USB drive with Opera installed into someone's computer and it sets Opera as the default browser, But then you remove the USB drive so that Opera is no longer around ?. Could make some people very unhappy by changing their default settings on their machine.

See <http://my.opera.com/operawiki/forums/topic.dml?id=1299672>.

+1, however as burnout426 implied it's still possible with the /singleuser install option. I believe his last post in that topic should result in the equivalent of the USB install option except that it won't gray out the possibility of making Opera the default browser.

Quote from: LinuxMint7

But what happens if you plug your USB drive with Opera installed into someone's computer and it sets Opera as the default browser, But then you remove the USB drive so that Opera is no longer around ?. Could make some people very unhappy by changing their default settings on their machine.

That's no reason to gray out the option to make it the default since one could do the exact same thing with any browser installed on someone else's computer. I'm really not seeing the point of your objection. Either you're an ass and you change someone else's defaults, or you're not.

Quote from: Frenzie

That's no reason to gray out the option to make it the default since one could do the exact same thing with any browser installed on someone else's computer. I'm really not seeing the point of your objection. Either you're an ass and you change someone else's defaults, or you're not.

People can get confused so easily, Especially new or inexperienced users, Some people wouldn't even know what default or even browser meant if faced with the "X is not currently set as your default browser, Would you like to make it your default browser" dialogue, Or even panic that something has gone wrong with their computer etc. Even more so nowadays, As computers are owned and accessed by so many more people than they used to be. I know what people can be like, As i have repaired, Configured and installed computers for people for over 25 years.

Oh, And just out of curiosity, How many browsers do you know that are officially portable, That can be run from a USB stick, And can be set as the default browser ?.

Quote from: LinuxMint7

Some people wouldn't even know what default or even browser meant if faced with the "X is not currently set as your default browser, Would you like to make it your default browser" dialogue

That dialog should be removed from all browsers yesterday as far as I'm concerned. The OP and I are talking about the grayed-out setting in advanced preferences.

Quote from: LinuxMint7

How many browsers do you know that are officially portable, That can be run from a USB stick, And can be set as the default browser ?.

Are any of them even portable?

That simply doesn't make any sense. The whole point of an usb-installation is that it doesn't leave traces on the host.

Quote from: serious

That simply doesn't make any sense. The whole point of an usb-installation is that it doesn't leave traces on the host.

Why make a USB installation a handicapped single-profile installation? The word USB may well be the fastest way to explain the concept of a self-contained, portable installation, but what doesn't make any sense is to make it suboptimal for anything but USB use. It's not like we're talking about adding any new features here, merely about removing a misfeature that shouldn't have been added at all.

If you want a stand-alone, self-contained version that does it's thing than we already have the single-directory-install method (however that is now called) which works exactly as you want.

Not leaving traces is _not_ an anti-feature!

Yes, I said so above. But is there even any documentation for those installer command-line options other than the post that introduced the new installer? I happen to know about that, but in that case I find it most peculiar that you're referring to users who don't follow the Desktop Team blog as those who would profit from this anti-feature. However, I'll readily admit that the real fault lies with windows. If their default filetypes and protocols dialog could at least be resized and perhaps had a search box then applications wouldn't need to add options to easily make them the default.

Quote from: serious

Not leaving traces is _not_ an anti-feature!

Graying out an otherwise available option is an anti-feature. No one said anything about leaving unwanted traces. That too would be an anti-feature.

I suppose I should spell out a possible use case, so here goes:

You perform a USB  installation of Opera, either because

1) You want to use it on a USB stick. Later on you decide to copy your customized copy of Opera over to some computer or other because Opera's awesome and you can do that, only to find you'll have to perform a different kind of install first and have to bother with changing settings, or dig around in the unusable Windows filetypes dialog. This reason is quite related to which Windows applications I like and which I do not. Note that Opera would still fall squarely in the "like" category, but whichever route you take to make Opera the default takes significantly more effort than it should.

or

2) Just because you don't want it to leave any traces. It turns out you like Opera and want to make it the default browser, but you can't do it easily.

Both of these scenarios I have successfully used to convert people to Opera in the past. They've since switched to Firefox because of things like this, breaking the /profile or whatever it's called switch (since fixed in the form of Linux-like -pd I believe), and a variety of other things. I suppose you might be able to counter with someone who accidentally made Opera their default browser, but I'd wonder how that person never did the same thing with Firefox, Chrome, IE or any other browser that offers that option.

making some changes in the registry (file type associations) is exactly leaving traces.

"No one said anything about leaving unwanted traces." You have to go into Settings > Preferences > Advanced > Programs and click the "make Opera the default browser on this computer" button. It's fairly complicated and nigh impossible to do by accident, but not nearly as hard as trying to use the minuscule Windows filetypes dialog.

Whether the Windows filetypes dialog is sufficiently hard to warrant adding a feature like this to a program is debatable, but the answer from makers of just about all programs has been a resounding "yes" for the past two decades. The most important factor here is that Opera simply grayed out what had been working fine since Opera 6 (albeit with a little manual or scripted aid prior to Opera 9).

As I also said, the whole "check if this browser is the default" option is ludicrous as far as I'm concerned. That results in things being clicked by accident.

Quote from: Frenzie

The most important factor here is that Opera simply grayed out what had been working fine since Opera 6 (albeit with a little manual or scripted aid prior to Opera 9).

Then it should be removed instead of being disabled, Then everyone will be happy.

Quote from: LinuxMint7

Then it should be removed instead of being disabled, Then everyone will be happy.

True enough on my account.

Quote from: LinuxMint7

But what happens if you plug your USB drive with Opera installed into someone's computer and it sets Opera as the default browser, But then you remove the USB drive so that Opera is no longer around ?. Could make some people very unhappy by changing their default settings on their machine.

To be default on any connected-computer should be left optional, by either a check box in the settings or even better a pop-up appearing any time I connect the USB-Opera on a computer and asking if you want to make it default or not.

Quote from: serious

That simply doesn't make any sense. The whole point of an usb-installation is that it doesn't leave traces on the host.

Yes, but why don't leave this as an option, in case you don't care not leaving traces?
That's e.g. my case, and USB-installation is so useful because I can have the whole Opera with me, being able to connect it to whichever computer, but the only missing thing is the default browser possibility.

Quote from: burnout426

See <http://my.opera.com/operawiki/forums/topic.dml?id=1299672>.

Quote from: serious

If you want a stand-alone, self-contained version that does it's thing than we already have the single-directory-install method (however that is now called) which works exactly as you want.

Sorry, but I'm confused since unexperienced.

What I need is: an Opera installation entirely (all the profile, emails, settings, ... - everything) included inside a single folder (no other multi-user profile folders, no strings attached in the registry, etc. - hence putable in a USB drive or wherever else I want) which can be made (in the current computer or even better optionally in any future computer) default browser and remembers it.

Can you please tell me how can I currently obtain this step-by-step?

Thank you

Quote from: TommyVee

Can you please tell me how can I currently obtain this step-by-step?

Thank you

Download the standard Opera installer, Run it, Select 'Options' bottom left of the installer window.

Locate the 'Install for' option and change it to 'Stand-alone installation (USB)'

Point it to a folder or a USB stick via the 'Install path' option and click 'Accept and install'

Now this install is self contained and it's folder can be place/move anywhere.

EDIT: Just remember to download the correct installer for the specific architecture you wish to
run the portable install on (X86, X64, Linux etc).

@LinuxMint7
TommyVee is already aware of that. He needs to use the /singleprofile option as detailed here.

Quote from: Frenzie

@LinuxMint7
TommyVee is already aware of that. He needs to use the /singleprofile option as detailed here.

USB install does that too, As far a i can see.

Quote from: burnout426

* USB /"Standalone installation" (where Opera doesn't touch the registry and doesn't create any shortcuts and doesn't make itself the default and uses a single profile folder) to current user's profile space and launch Opera.

Code: [Select]

"opera_installer.exe" /silent /installfolder "%userprofile%\My Program Files\Opera test install" /copyonly 1 /allusers 0 /singleprofile 1 /setdefaultbrowser 0 /startmenushortcut 0 /desktopshortcut 0 /quicklaunchshortcut 0 /launchopera 1

This one is just an example. You can do this right from the GUI and don't need the command line options.

*cough*

Quote from: TommyVee

which can be made (in the current computer or even better optionally in any future computer) default browser and remembers it.

That's the entire reason he made this topic in the first place.

oh, seems that option was removed (there was a "normal" single-directory install previously) should be put there again

Quote from: serious

oh, seems that option was removed (there was a "normal" single-directory install previously) should be put there again

That could work, but I don't think there's a difference between the two other than that USB disables the possibility of making Opera the default browser through the preferences window. The graying out of that option, no matter how little time it cost, was wasted time that makes life harder for users if you ask me.

Anyway, I just realized no one mentioned the other alternative: I believe that simply extracting the Opera archive (with e.g. 7-zip) is essentially the same thing as a single profile installation. I personally prefer that method over all others.

Anyway, I just realized no one mentioned the other alternative: I believe that simply extracting the Opera archive (with e.g. 7-zip) is essentially the same thing as a single profile installation. I personally prefer that method over all others.

Quote

Moreover, at my job we nicely have USB sockets in computers, but when you stick stuff in, the computer asks for admin password. Doesn't look like a portable app would work in this case, right?

Maybe you can download the (compressed) software over the network and run it then?

Quote

If one is mobile (which I am) and has access to different comps (which I do), I sort of tend to think that a whole portable OS (such as Puppy Linux) would make more sense than individual portable apps.

Loading an entire OS from a removable device would take a long time and potentially decrease the life of the removable medium, if it's flash-based. Creating such an OS takes more skill and time [snip]

Serious question: Why use portable software? I never installed any portable app and have, so I think, had a full life anyway.

What could be the advantages? Mobility? Privacy?

The advantages of Portable Apps

Software shouldn't be designed in a crappy way in the first place.

On Windows apps can be run without any installation process.

"Portable" on Windows shouldn't mean "better installer".

It should mean NO installer, like the zip version of this browser http://offbyone.com/offbyone/ob1_download.htm

I knew about Off By One Web Browser. BTW, it was merely a demo, not something to replace a full featured browser.

There is now a portable version of Microsoft Word 97, which works very well on work computers that have a newer version of Office installed. Surprisingly it still hasn't been taken down on copyright grounds.

I find LibreOffice more usable than any version of MS Office (especially if you use ODT, but also with DOC). Only its track changes functionality is inferior.

Besides inferior track changes, LibreOffice has not full compatibility with .doc.

Also, industry-leading translation programs like Trados and WordFast are specific to MS Office and not cross-platform. These are a few aspects how Linux limits my professional chances, but I survive.

MS Office 2010, or at least Word 2010, actually seems to run perfectly in Wine, although I prefer to run it on Windows 7. (If "prefer" is the right word.)

the free ad sponsored one?

MS Office 2010, or at least Word 2010, actually seems to run perfectly in Wine, although I prefer to run it on Windows 7. (If "prefer" is the right word.)

There is a "compatibility pack" for Office 2000 adding support for DOCX. I briefly tried it, it worked. But I haven't extensively tested it. The compatibility pack took more space on my hard drive than Word and Excel 2000 themselves.

The what now?