PortableApps

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lovemyfoxy
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PortableApps

Post by lovemyfoxy »

I was discussing the WebExtensions changes with someone at another forum, and he says he uses Firefox Portable from here:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/portab ... op3_dlp_t5

Can you use that on a desktop, and how does it compare with the regular track of FF?
2 Desktops--Win 7 Ult.SP1 x64/6GB RAM /Firefox 52.9ESR/Waterfox64 2022.11/Thunderbird 52.9ESR/BitWarden PW Manager/Verizon FIOS wired network
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DanRaisch
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Re: PortableApps

Post by DanRaisch »

You can use it on a desktop, either running from a removable medium or from the hard drive. It is the standard release version of Firefox, only the installer is different. Rather than set up a profile separate from the program, the Portable version creates the profile/data files in a sub-directory of the program directory.
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lovemyfoxy
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Re: PortableApps

Post by lovemyfoxy »

So it's self-contained on the flash drive. Is it also ditching XUL?
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Brummelchen
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Re: PortableApps

Post by Brummelchen »

your link is to download the portable apps platform which is designed to run apps from portableapps.com on a stick - its a starter as you also can see when extracting. this is NOT a portable programm like a portable app from that site.

official portable firefox from here:
https://portableapps.com/apps/internet/firefox_portable

(me uses a different starter which is smaller)

in general the portable apps construction is a variable method for portables, but is lacking details in special behavior. to understand the design of apps from portableapps.com to have to learn its structure based on the used scripting language and ini-files. it is still under development.

concerning portable firefox from papps.com - once you have found the folder for firefox and profile you can fill it with any firefox build and profile data you want to. you can copy that structure to use several firefox same time and each has its own profile (tied).

very important - an error which some people always make - they start firefox.exe instead the launcher and wonder why firefox uses the regular profile.

*** anytime use the launcher ***

the launcher uses these command line parameters
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/doc ... ne_Options
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Command_line_arguments

to mention:
-profile "<path>"
-no-remote
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Frank Lion
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Re: PortableApps

Post by Frank Lion »

LoveMyFoxy wrote:So it's self-contained on the flash drive. Is it also ditching XUL?
Yep to both.

Firefox itself only does one registry setting (I think) and that is to make it the default browser, so it's pretty self-contained anyway.

The portable app version takes that and jiggles the code around so that its profile points to, er, itself, rather than the usual profile location. Bit more jiggling and optimisation to reduce read/writes (these are often run on flashdrives, where that would slow things down) et voilà you have a self-contained version of Firefox.

There's a bit more to it than that, but that's pretty much it.
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DanRaisch
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Re: PortableApps

Post by DanRaisch »

LoveMyFoxy wrote:Is it also ditching XUL?
Because it is based on a current version of Firefox, the Portable version will lose XUL when it goes to version 57 and beyond.
Brummelchen
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Re: PortableApps

Post by Brummelchen »

beyond or above? ;)
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Frank Lion
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Re: PortableApps

Post by Frank Lion »

Brummelchen wrote:beyond or above? ;)
In English it would be beyond, in this context.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke (attrib.)
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Brummelchen
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Re: PortableApps

Post by Brummelchen »

thx, learned something new.
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lovemyfoxy
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Re: PortableApps

Post by lovemyfoxy »

Thanks, guys.
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