As a software developer, I’ve always been drawn to self-contained programs.  Self contained programs can run without needing to be “installed.”  I realize there are times when this approach is not feasible, but it seems much more elegant when a program can be truly self-contained.

I’ve started to see several programs call themselves “Portable” lately.  Generally, these programs have been stripped down and modifies so that they can be run from a USB drive without requiring an install.  GVim Portable is the latest of these apps I’ve stumbled upon.  Just a couple weeks ago I also discovered WinMerge, a great graphical file comparison tool also runs without an installation.

Though the goal is portability, the end result is a level of elegance I wish more software developers aspired to.

Filed under: Technology