I'm not switching to Chrome just yet, so in the mean time I'll wait for the portable apps version.

hxp

I downloaded the program within seconds, I'll try to get a mirror up if that's okay?

arienh4

@YatimaMeiji: Zeitgeist = Traffic = Adverts = Money (you know, that stuff that makes the world go round)

Just try not to click on too many links with "Chrome" in the title and you should be fine :)

dix-huit

Yes! Thank you for this. The download is super slow though :)

rurik4464

@shatteredmindofbob: I have to agree. Whats with all the Chrome coverage? Just because its new and from Google? I still have yet to be shown why one should move from Firefox to Chrome? Sure Google wants to have an environment where they don't have to worry about browser incompatibilities when deploying "greater and better" features for their programs, but then do we really want our digital lives in their hands?

We rag on Microsoft for being the big evil corporation, and so do I, but at least my stuff is on my hard drives.

YatimaMeiji

Sidebar re: Portable Apps. I just picked up a new USB stick and I wanted to d/l the Portable Apps and they seem to be having server issues. Just the core application itself is showing an estimated d/l time of over six hours. I tried to d/l using Chrome and IE 6 and no matter which link or mirror used, the d/l is slooooooooooooooooooooooow.

Nuclear Moose

It seems Chrome is the new iPhone...

shatteredmindofbob

Making Portable Chrome is only one part of autoit:

Run("Chrome/chrome.exe --user-data-dir=Profil")

;)

Greetings
Carsten Knobloch (aka caschy)

caschy

Caschy has always been great at fixing portable versions of Flock...I can actually run my installed version and the portable version at the same time even. ^__^ Anyone interested in a portable version of Flock to play around with should definitely visit his blog. ^__^

I know that he does portable versions of Firefox too, so I am not surprised to see him get a portable version of Chrome going. ^__^

I do have to say that when I want a portable version of Firefox, I always go to Portable Apps for it...it is wonderful that they always seem to be adding more portable goodness there all the time. ^__^

Portable goodness = happiness. ^__^

Asian Angel

@YatimaMeiji: Maybe there is a lot of coverage because there is a lot to cover?

Phoshi

@YatimaMeiji: New, and shiny, and provided a bit more functionality. The perfect FF replacement.

And as for Microsoft being the big bad corporation and Google not so much? Google doesn't charge me for the privilege. Yet.

On the article. I tried portable chrome and couldn't get it to work. ;.;

Return To Null

I'm glad that this portable version works on my PC.

Before I could not install it due to an error code = 0x80040011 or something similar. Now I can run the program! Sweet!

rdn98

See to it that when downloading files you have set the location to your portable's. In Options-Minor tweaks- Download location: (the default is c:\users\caschy)

Junkan

@Phoshi: A jerry rigged thumb drive version of chrome is not worthy of coverage imo

Ill give chrome a few updates before I seriously
consider using it. Firefox 3 is damn good.

efeghali

I for one am a bit tired of hearing about Chrome. The only reason this mediocre browser is getting attention is because of it's owners.

V1nd1c74

Nice! Too bad that in school i can only use IE7. I just don't get why portable Firefox can't go online. Proxy?

GuiAlfaro

@efeghali: Why not? People were asking for it in the last thread, so this is just lh doing what the people want :)

Phoshi

@Nuclear Moose: The actual PortableApps files are hosted on (and therefore downloaded from) SourceForge - if there are any speed issues, it stems from SourceForge, and not PortableApps.

USBman

sorry, 'set the home path' is a error. ignore that.

v.dog

@Return To Null: Actually I've found it a little underwhelming. Sure it's novel and all, but once that wears off, what do you have?
-A lack of options; I can't disable javascript (or even just tell if it's overwriting the status bar), set a new tab to open my home page, set the home path, or even the install path (until now)

-pages that aren't there straight away when you click on a tab (if it's idle, the process drops to a low state, and there's a pause while it cones back). Mind you, do need lot of tabs open get see it.

-And I know it's early days, but I miss my addons.

I must admit, I do like the streamlined interface (I've removed a lot of the clutter in Fx), but Chrome's just not quite there yet.

v.dog

Chrome is hot right now. Remember when iphone 2nd generation came out?

Lifehacker was all over it.

rdn98

awwww i was actually in the process of making this into a portable app, guess i was too slow

kseve

@GuiAlfaro:

Try File > Import > From IE > Internet Option (and anything else you want). I had to do that to get FFPortable on my schools computers.

Digital_Pirate

I can't wait until PortableApps makes a portable Chrome! I really want to try it but I have a Mac at home (so I want to use it at work...hee hee). ;)

voyage2k

Or you could just download the chrome nightlies, as they are self contained and in a zip file.
[build.chromium.org]

Paradox460

I also heard of this Portable version from DI and have downloaded it to try.

As noted in my blog, this version comes without GoogleUpdate.exe and has the option of sending usage statics etc disable. I like that, so I have already uninstalled the official version.

If someone wants to try it out to see whether he/she likes it, just try this Portable version.

wildeny

It takes more than one little parameter (--user-data-dir) to make this truly portable. It leaves files in %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Chromium I would suspect this holds true for the nightly builds, also. Read more at http://portableapps.com/node/15456 & http://portableapps.com/node/15435 ~Lurk~

SawyerGalo

I downloaded the official one from a direct link, when installing the program I unchecked send statistics to Google....GoogleUpdate.exe was not installed.

tonynyc

@shatteredmindofbob: how about chrome FOR the iPhone?

wtfRobbi

wow...I just found that on google and then I refresh and it's the top article.

if only i waited about 5 more seconds.

wtfRobbi

[www.u3applications.net]

For the U3 version.

Xanderificus

I wish people would stop arguing about whether or not Chrome is better than Firefox.

This is the first beta. It was released for testing, and to prove the wild and crazy ideas in the comic were not vaporware.

From a usability standpoint, it obviously doesn't match Firefox yet, but that's a given provided that it wasn't really released for mainstream use.

Urza

I quite like it but regardless of how good it gets I'm too stuck in my ways with Firefox to change. I think Google is onto a winner if they can keep it looking as simple and clean as it is now.

hippytyre

May be a dumb question, but can someone lay out the differences in a portable version as opposed to the full version? Is it entirely size? Loss of functionality? What is the motivation for someone to use a full version if you can just download the portable to your main drive and run that instead?

I read the PortableApps info, and it didn't really answer my questions.

Condalmo

Portable Chrome got me up and running quick. If you are a Web developer you have to keep up with the Browser wars so you can make sure your site(s) look(s) consistent over multiple browsers. I noticed Chrome (slightly) changed the look of one of my sites where it looks the same in IE and FF. Anyone noticing Chrome changing the look of your sites?

jespard

I asked on another post but this seems like the correct one.

How do you compile your own version of Chrome?

Thanks!

SpudDude

Hmmm. It doesn't seem to be working with my proxy settings. ;-(

Speedmaster

@SpudDude:
Download the source, from the google chrome page, hit developer or something like that. Then it gives you a SVN trunk to dl from.

Download that, make @ a terminal, presto, custom chrome.

Paradox460

@Condalmo: Windows applications have been geared toward installation for who knows how long - standard program file location, standard data file locations, settings written to the registry. In some ways, this is a smart and desirable way to set things up (especially now that Vista's security does not allow applications to write to the "Program Files" directory easily, which is slightly more secure). Portable applications have to be written (or can be given "wrappers", like those PortableApps offerings that aren't already portable) to change the behavior from the above standard and cause them to save all settings and data to a subfolder (or a location specified with relative paths).

Portable versions of applications usually have no size or performance difference from the installed versions (though some applications warn that saving settings to a file instead of the registry is slower). So the biggest difference is the ease of installation (including shortcuts placed in Start Menu, Quick Launch, and/or Desktop), which isn't much of a difference to most Lifehacker readers.

joelena

Portable on a Thumb Drive is great, what I really look for is started from a Read Only Media, such as CD, DVD.

For applications that are educational, this is enough. No settings are needed to access Web apps and or CD based Computer Based Training material.

PlanBForOpenOffice