KDE for Windows, Portable Edition

Sun Jul 5 01:59:00 CEST 2009

Hi Chris,

Having read your email and having being a user of most of the PortableApps kits on Windows. Also being a Lecturer. Many of my students have been enjoying PortableApps as it removes many of the headaches that needs administrative priveledges on many Windows like Win2000, XP and Vista. Experiences show that KDE should be setup and configured like the OpenOffice Portable Edition. Why? KDE environment is a platform in its own right for running many applications that are based on it. Just like OpenOffice has Writer, Calc, Draw, etc.., and also package Java jre along, KDE environment is also a framework and runtime kit, so if we can follow and learn from the experience of that of an already working environment like OpenOffice Portable Edition will make it a song worth singing.

Combating Security issues and continous (almost everyday) updates of Windows O/S has turn most Windows families into hostile environments that are breaking many previous installed/working applications and rendering them useless. This is major headache and many people, organisations are fighting how to turn off Windows Automatic Updates --> We need to be aware of this. Everything that belongs to KDE for Windows Portable Edition should in it's own very folder and no other folder like temp, documents and setting...., etc... Also it will be good to avoid long folder names as Windows applications break down if folder names/level is getting between 120 to 180 or more. More also every Windows layout have different profile for their users since Microsoft is still finding or still running around an established layout/profile.

Portable means Portable which is the essence of  why we need the Portable edition of KDE for Windows. The size of KDE could grow from 300MB to 3GB or more but must be portable and run from USB PenDrive/Flash Drive, CDROM, DVD, Portable USB HDD, etc.. Having a KDE for Windows Portable Edition will be a dream come true for me and my students and many other users out there. Keep it up and make it happen.  Cheers!!! 

God blesses!!!

Best regards,
Sanyaade
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Chris Morgan 
  To: kde-windows at kde.org 
  Sent: Saturday, July 04, 2009 7:06 AM
  Subject: KDE for Windows, Portable Edition

  Hi!  I'm a developer from PortableApps.com, and I've taken an interest in KDE for Windows, and specifically in making it portable.

  I've had some ideas, some of which I've discussed in #kde-windows, and others which I have just pondered.  To start with, I'll briefly overview the important details of the PortableApps.com Format.  Everything belongs in what by default is X:\PortableApps\KDEPortable (but it can be anything).  Another way some things can be done is shared libraries in e.g. X:\PortabelApps\CommonFiles\KDE, (e.g. Java), however I don't think this is the best way of doing it with KDE (feel free to correct me, I don't know terribly much about the framework). Inside the KDEPortable directory, you'd have App\KDE, being what would normally be C:\Program Files\KDE.  Data gets stored in KDEPortable\Data.  I was told in #kde-windows that changing the environment variable KDEHOME should redirect all data, which is very convenient (otherwise it'd be very difficult to do it all).

  It seems to me that the easiest way of doing it would be the following:
    1.. Have a modified version of the package manager/installer, which overrides the installation directory to App\KDE, and cleans up the installation files so that nothing is left behind on the host machine (putting them on the USB drive would be too slow, but you can't just leave them behind in TEMP).  Also, rather than registering executables in the start menu, put them into some format which the KDE Portable launcher can find. 
    2.. KDE Portable launcher: due to the lack of the start menu, we'd need a KDE app launcher.  This could be responsible for changing KDEHOME, or an ordinary NSIS launcher could do it.  I could do this in AutoHotkey easily enough, but I reckon that a C++/Qt one would be better for consistency; I think it'd be better overall if you did it all, with me for advice on the PortableApps.com side of things.  I think a ListView/QListView-based system would be best and easiest, but you're the experts. 
  Naming: would you prefer it to be called KDE for Windows, Portable Edition, KDE Portable, KDE for Windows Portable, or something else?  I'm guessing KDE for Windows, Portable Edition.  FYI, Mozilla apps we've got Portable Editions of because of Mozilla licensing restrictions, everything else is just Portable.  But if the whole product name is KDE for Windows, adding Portable Edition may be better than just Portable.

  I hope I've made sense, and you can understand what I'm wanting and suggesting.  What do you think?

  Thanks,

  Chris Morgan <chris.morganiser at gmail.com>

  I don't need a quote in my signature.  It's hard enough surviving as it is without having to find a meaningful quote.  Will you forgive me?  Or don't you read this bit?

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