Skype on a USB drive

September 23, 2005 11:09 AM

Skype can now be stored on a flashdrive and taken from PC to PC. And this tiny BotTorrent client (82Kb) can also be carried around on a flashdrive.
posted by bobbyelliott (17 comments total)

PortableFirefox and Opera on a stick.
posted by shoepal at 11:21 AM on September 23, 2005

Also Portable Firefox and DamnSmallLinux + QEmu, which allows you to run Linux within Windows, anywhere.
posted by Plutor at 11:21 AM on September 23, 2005

Damnit, shoepal.
posted by Plutor at 11:21 AM on September 23, 2005

I guess I don't really get the idea of running things from a tiny drive. Is this for vagrants?
posted by kyle at 11:28 AM on September 23, 2005

AdFilter
posted by yonation at 11:31 AM on September 23, 2005

Yes, it is for vagrants people who often find themselves at a computer that is not their own. IT consultants, for example. This would have been really useful while I was in school also, so I could have had my apps around even when I was in a computer lab.
posted by Plutor at 11:35 AM on September 23, 2005

Damn my slow human fingers!
posted by Plutor at 11:35 AM on September 23, 2005

kyle, let's say your PC is locked down and you don't have admin privileges. Or you have apps (like Firefox) set up with all of your extensions and such. Or you have a PC software toolkit to revive busted machines. That's why it's a good idea.
posted by rzklkng at 11:37 AM on September 23, 2005

I just want torrent on a live cd. so i can go about willy nill rebooting institutional machines and then mount their ntfs drives and download to them anonymously, then snag that shize with my usb key.
posted by sourbrew at 11:42 AM on September 23, 2005

Plutor, as an it consultant i would do that with firefox, and a vast assortment of other stuff..... never leave home without your root kit
posted by sourbrew at 11:42 AM on September 23, 2005

I could have had my apps around even when I was in a computer lab.

Unless you have particularly paranoid admins (you know who you are!) who disable execution rights for removable media. It takes only three clicks or so in Windows Group Policy Editor, and you propagate it easily with AD, so I expect more places to reflexively lock down machines even more once they figure an increasing number of people are running Not Officially Sanctioned Programs.

I know there must be something similar for OSX because a G5 lab near me won't execute anything from a thumb drive.
posted by meehawl at 11:55 AM on September 23, 2005

I realize this will have long-term, possibly negative effects on social structure but right now it seems great to me.

Forward rhizome, ya'll!
posted by sonofsamiam at 11:56 AM on September 23, 2005

The drives aren't even really that tiny anymore. 256 MB is pretty cheap, and that holds a lot of stuff.
posted by smackfu at 1:10 PM on September 23, 2005

Don't you people have laptops?
posted by kyle at 1:49 PM on September 23, 2005

Is this for vagrants?

Close. Students.
posted by srboisvert at 2:12 PM on September 23, 2005

The iPod is USB. Why doesn't Apple create a PC version of OSX for it? They already have a relationship with HP, so going outside of the Apple-world is not unheard of. It would be a great distribution device and an alternative that I would consider.
posted by rxreed at 2:12 PM on September 23, 2005

I wish I was one of you hip tecno nomads.
posted by cillit bang at 2:24 PM on September 23, 2005