First of all, what is a portable application? I consider it a software that can be run without any sort of installation or configuration.
Portable applications are easy to install, simply an extraction of files or a “silent install”. The industry has really no standard for it yet but I think it is going to be the future.
Now that we have many software engineers, and softwares have gotten so out of hand that the manual printed out could be several times a Bible, I think it’s time to give people a break and make things easier, at least at the installation step. Linux fails to grab the vast because you need to configure, compile then install the softwares which is a joy for some people but a curse for the most. In contrast, portable applications will make the installation process easy. Furthermore, portable applications can be put in any directory and is not registry dependent, so wherever we put it, it’ll run. When the system crashes or whatever happens. Your secret will be safe with it. Or rather, your data. On this aspect, I find portable Mozilla Thunderbird extra satisfying. If you get your system re-installed, you don’t lose any of your mails and the settings etc are just forever there.
Apple makes it kind of possible with its drag and drop sort of installation. Windows tries to prevent it. Linux has shown some interest in it but only at a much technologically deeper level making their systems instead of applications portable. But the computer user community is just crying for it. You can put your email client in a USB drive and go with your emails everywhere. You can use your favorite editor (or any sort of software X) and use it anywhere. Even, you’ll have your most friendly interface (actually, system) whever you go. With these applications, you should just be able to put them on your cell phone and run them.
How can they not be the future!
But as I said, some people don’t know it and there’s no stand etc. So I am writing this article to make people be aware and hopefully, people will start to contribute to it.
Some of the complications involved is that it seems hard to sell softwares this way because people can just make copies and run it. But I am sure a larger audience in trade of lower profit each will work out, if you customize it enough or provide customer survice.
Another thing is silent installation which is desirable too. This is a real installation but you just see nothing of it. The software takes care of everything. It is not as appealing as a portable software to me but they will be useful in some ways too.
Consider this general knowledge of the late 21st century. Don’t be stunned when people say to you, ‘oh, you can get that software portable, why are you still installing it only on your computer instead of your flash drive’.
A few examples here:
A collection of various portable applications:
http://www.portablefreeware.com/
This is a site where some maturity is actually shown. They actually have their own standard but they kind of add their startup logo etc. But still, I give credit for it because I use some of their softwares too.
U3 actually makes a business out of it, even with such limited possibilities. So there’s definitely demand.
Some other people talking about portable applications that I found: (basically the same, just different wording and not as comprehensive an introduction as mine 
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