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Thinking Tools on a USB key?
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Posted by Gary N
Mar 31, 2007 at 07:45 PM
I need some thinking-tools that can be run from a USB key. I’m a government lawyer with a need to gather and store documents and then draw on them for complex legal briefs and memoranda. Unfortunately, I can’t add software to my office computer, and it has little besides the MS Office suite—without OneNote—on it. So I’m looking for applications like those discussed here that can be run from a USB key. There must be others here in the same boat, or who just want the portability of an application that can go from home to office on a key chain.
So far, my list includes:
Ultra Recall
EverNote
Essential PIM
What else is there? I have heard about some efforts to make USB keys work for more applications that ordinarily would not be portable. There is U3 technology, for instance, though I don’t quite know what it is. And over at the Zoot forum, someone wrote triumphantly that he made Zoot work from a USB key by using “MojoPac, a new USB portable platform.” Unfortunately, it appears that MojoPac works only if you have administrator’s rights on the underlying PC, so that’s no help. At EverNote, I read that “EverNote is shipped pre-loaded on all Lexar® USB flash drives that come with the PowerToGo™ portable software platform.” So I looked up this PowerToGo software, but I can’t tell whether it works for much more than a few select programs they have listed at their site. A site called http://www.everythingusb.com had a review of some of these technologies, but I didn’t see one that thrilled them.
So I summon the braintrust here. Anything I left out? Any other ideas?
Gary
Posted by Stephen Zeoli
Mar 31, 2007 at 08:10 PM
A few other PIM/outliner related programs that run from a USB drive, though I don’t think any of them has the functionality you’re looking for:
ConnectedText (http://www.connectedtext.com) - Powerful wiki
Notebook (http://notebook.wjduquette.com) - Lightweight, but very useful wiki. It is just a single executable file, which can be run from anywhere. I use this to carry basic information around with me.
The Journal (http://www.davidrm.com)
Brainstorm (http://www.brainstormsw.com)
Notebox Disogranizer (http://www.geocities.com/goosnargh37/)
As I said, I don’t think any of these provide the document management you seem to be looking for, but I wanted to provide a thorough list.
Steve Z.
Posted by Cassius
Mar 31, 2007 at 08:44 PM
Gary,
Visit the site http://www.treepad.com.
TreePad Business can run on a USB drive. I quote (from http://www.treepad.com/treepadbiz/)
“Portability
“TreePad Business Edition can also run directly from external disk (such as: USB disk, pen drive, thumb drive, flash drive, memory stick, etc.) without the need for any installation. Just copy the TreePad Business Edition program files folder from your harddisk to the external disk and plug this disk into another computer. That’s all!”
-c
Posted by Graham Rhind
Apr 1, 2007 at 07:09 AM
Whizfolders will run from a USB stick, but the developer doesn’t publicise how to do this because that information could potentially be misused. If you’re a registered user, he’ll probably tell you.
Graham
Posted by Wojciech
Apr 1, 2007 at 04:43 PM
Hi!
There are two sites with portable software collections. Maybe you can find something that suits your needs.
http://www.portablefreeware.com/
W.