Disposable Softwares
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Call this a shameless self-advertisement for all you want. But if you are interested, read on.
Inspired by the variety of software anty has posted in threads here and herself, I have compiled a small list of softwares that are "disposable". Basically, they are softwares, running on the Windows platform, which don't write permanent data into the Windows registry and they leave nothing after deletion - so "clean" as if your computer has been brought back in time to its pre-installation state.
In my personal opinion, people in general tend to avoid trying out new softwares, because when the softwares in question do not meet their needs and should really be going into the trash bin, they become real suckers of the computer systems which doesn't come off cleanly after uninstallation instead. And the dirt they leave here and there within gradually slows down the systems in a way or the other.
I believe people should actually "play with" softwares as though they are toys and dump any of them into The Recycle Bin with a mouse drag whenever they don't like it. There should be no fear or worry over whether pieces of redundant data are floating somewhere else on your system, or if components of it are continuing to hog your system resources unproductively after deletion. Removing this obstacle would encourage more users to explore deeper into the world of softwares and be exposed to a wider variety of them instead of choosing just between the popular, proprietary ones. And on the other side, this would allow the lesser-known ones to gain more exposure as well.
The idea behind this list may be similar to the one of PortableApps. True, but in any case, this list would be supplementary rather than to rival against theirs. However, it also strives to keep the filesize of the softwares listed to a minimum to further emphasize their role of being disposable.
Do you hesitate when deleting files hundreds of megabytes in size? And feel regretful someday when you suddenly have a need for it again, especially if you're on a low-speed Internet connection? Fear not, with the disposables, you would probably be spending more time searching for the downloaded copy on your hard drive than to simply get a fresh one from the list. By placing an upper limit on the filesize of the softwares within the list, users will know that downloading or re-downloading any of them is a breeze and have no qualms deleting them whenever they desire to. Any software under 10 MB can be included into the list, though I'm trying to reduce the filesize of each under a diskette if possible.
Currently, there are eight on the list. I'll be expanding it as new, suitable candidates come in. Anyway, in short, try a disposable. If you like it, keep it. Otherwise, just dump it. Nothing else can be simpler than this.
Disposable Softwares
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The download links point to a local copy of the software which may have been edited for compactness. If you prefer to have the original, or are looking for the latest one, please refer to the official site linked respectively.
Plus, if you know of any software that fits in the list but is not in there yet, post a PM or reply here. And also, if any of the ones currently listed is not functional or disposable (eg. dirties the Windows registry), let me know as well. It will be removed if necessary.
I will be away for a while; can't wait to finish my O-levels papers. XD -
Well, not exactly. Any programs that run in Windows will still create a registry entry. It's not that they want to, it's the way the registry works.
As a hint, check out your MRU. MRU stands for Most Recently Used. Programs can remove cleanly from the registry, but ultimately, they won't escape the MRU.
Another place to look is the uninstall part of the registry. Most programs barely remove that part of the registry. Why? So that they could find out if you used before, especially for trial softwares, so that they would not install any more.
For freewares, it's probably the way an installer works. Even without installers, some programs do get stuck into this part of the registry. -
yea, i still have my Photoshop CS2 installer of few hundred megabytes while im on CS3 now
and i realise norton cannot be uninstalled properly, i still see norton antivirus in my application data
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The writing into MRU regs part isn't much of an issue in terms of affecting the system, since the newer prog records will overwrite the older ones over time.Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:Well, not exactly. Any programs that run in Windows will still create a registry entry. It's not that they want to, it's the way the registry works.
As a hint, check out your MRU. MRU stands for Most Recently Used. Programs can remove cleanly from the registry, but ultimately, they won't escape the MRU.
Another place to look is the uninstall part of the registry. Most programs barely remove that part of the registry. Why? So that they could find out if you used before, especially for trial softwares, so that they would not install any more.
For freewares, it's probably the way an installer works. Even without installers, some programs do get stuck into this part of the registry.
About the uninstallation regs, I doubt the programs in the list would touch them since they can be used instantly without going through any sort of installation process.
They do read values from certain registry keys (eg. to check if you have installed this and that beforehand), but I don't see the point of them editing or writing into one. Btw, those that save users' configuration do so through an .ini or a .dat file. -
I use this software from time to time. Some I carry around on my flash drive like browsers, winamp, etc.
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Agree for the MRU part. As for the uninstallation part, I'm pretty sure they get written to the registry as well.Originally posted by LatecomerX:The writing into MRU regs part isn't much of an issue in terms of affecting the system, since the newer prog records will overwrite the older ones over time.
About the uninstallation regs, I doubt the programs in the list would touch them since they can be used instantly without going through any sort of installation process.
They do read values from certain registry keys (eg. to check if you have installed this and that beforehand), but I don't see the point of them editing or writing into one. Btw, those that save users' configuration do so through an .ini or a .dat file.
CPU-Z, for example, does this. CCleaner, without the installer also does this. A search would reveal them. They used INI files to save the configuration, but I guess it's just Windows registry. -
Not sure about CPU-Z; but CCleaner removes the user config in the registry once the INI file option is checked or if a INI config file exists in the same directory.Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:Agree for the MRU part. As for the uninstallation part, I'm pretty sure they get written to the registry as well.
CPU-Z, for example, does this. CCleaner, without the installer also does this. A search would reveal them. They used INI files to save the configuration, but I guess it's just Windows registry.
Ah anyway, if you got any recommendation, do let me know so that I can add them to the list.