Re: I want to go geek .. and VPC?

["Robert Holmgren" holmgren@xxxxxxxx]

** Reply to message from Harry Binswanger  on
Thu, 07 Jun 2007 20:15:51 -0400


> I don't follow: Editor wouldn't be downloaded, and that and U2 are the only
> files over about 40k. I'm not counting LJ4.bin.

Of course Editor would be downloaded! What good would these
things be if you're in Timbuktu? Or if your computer won't
boot? The WHOLE POINT is 100% self-contained!

I made one of these things today. Size is 2.7Mb, without a lot
of external files. But it installs, 100% hands-off, on a local
machine, off the Net (just right-click in IE, and "Open" rather
than "Save" the file -- and the next thing you see is *your
familiar customized version* of XyWrite in a window!). It is
very serviceable. I can run it on ANY Win32 machine. When I
Quit, it erases itself and all trace of its existence. Pretty
neat.

I also have a prototype of a Portable Rescue/Recovery
installation *builder* which is highly personalized to each
user's habits. This is being finetuned. It is targeted at
BartPE. As for Patricia's requirement for Ghostscript printing,
she is going to have to add that herself. I believe there is a
Ghostscript plugin for BartPE, but I haven't checked. The POINT
here is, that in an emergency, you're not likely to be printing!
You're likely to be scrambling, heart in throat, to get your
files off that busted hard disk, or fix bad files.

BTW, people are going to have to make their own BartPE disks!
I'm not going to get involved in that. This is just a plugin.

>> to use it fruitfully (today), you need to interface with
>> a LOT of external support files.

> And that's an issue that any Portable installation (which I still
> think is the way to go) needs to take into account.

Why is that an issue with "any" Portable installation? *All* my
ordinary everyday installations are 100% Portable, and they work
just fine. Nothing is sacrificed. Portability simply requires
a different organizational structure, that's all. End result is
the same.

And you don't need U3 to run apps off flash drives! There's a
Firefox plugin for BartPE that works perfectly. There's a Java
engine too. There's a ton of stuff.

-----------------------------
Robert Holmgren
holmgren@xxxxxxxx
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