Portable Installation

Scrivener Wish List
1

I wish for a portable installation as I get with my DAW, Reaper, Reaper can be installed on a flash drive and then taken from computer to computer, plugged in, and then the app is run from the flash drive but is never installed on the computer. This is very convenient when dealing with travel and or remote locations, not to mention alternatives at home and elsewhere.

I have lots of Windows computers at home. I have a computer in every room of my house except for the kitchen (coming soon) and the loo. My office has 4 computers and I have one laptop. Sometimes at work, in my downtime, I like to write. If I could have Scrivener on the flash drive that’s on my car’s key chain, then I’d have no reason to lug my laptop to work, which can be conspicuous to others. It would also allow me to avoid constantly having to move licensing from one PC to the other as I change places, such as work, the back yard swing chair, the office, my kitchen table, the couch, my car, the work office, etc.

Plugging in a flash drive, opening Scrivener, opening the files I have on the flash drive, or opening something I have on my Nextcloud server from home, would make Scrivener the ultimate tool for me to be able to easily take work with me. I don’t go anywhere, other than the loo, without my keys, so Scrivener would be with me all the time. I could work on almost any computer, wherever I am, even in the Hotel’s business center, without having to install to that computer. It’s a win-win for me and Literature & Latte. Easier to use, more accessible, and more convenient. I hope you will consider this and perhaps someone could test out how this works with Reaper at http://reaper.fm/download.php …

Thanks for reading and have a fantastically fulfilling 2021.

Tommy

2

Firstly, you are able to install on all computers in your household under the terms of the Scrivener licence.

Secondly, any company with even the most basic of security policies will not allow use of USB drives with other than just company data, and certainly not sticks with non-approved applications installed. In the company I work for it is a dismissal offence. Not to mention, if I were caught using a personal program to for non-company work, another dismissal offence. While I work from home, the company can monitor activity on company equipment.

Any hotel business centre that allowed a customer to run apps off a usb drive would be opening themselves to potential litigation on licensing not to mention malware etc. I’m certain any half reputable hotel would say no to that one. Any that would say yes is one I sure as hell wouldn’t stay at as I would not be prepared to have any of my gear even sniffing at their WiFi.

3

You’d be surprised how lax even massive companies can be!

When I was a student in the mid-2000s, in a writing program no less, I made excellent use of portable software. I’m fairly sure I used portableapps.com to run instant messenger at the computer lab. :laughing: My memory is that there used to be a way to use Scrivener 1 that way and that I used this feature to compile and print before workshops. I could be very wrong about the Scrivener part, but I definitely kept a USB stick in my backpack at all times with a few necessary apps. I gradually lost the need for this as cloud storage, lighter laptops, smart phones, and graduating came about.

The good news is that portableapps.com is still alive and well. The bad news is that Scrivener is not anywhere on their lists that I can find.

I don’t know anything about what’s involved in making potable apps possible. I had a Windows license back in the day, but I don’t know if the current licensing system would allow a portable install and validation. I don’t condone anything that would undermine L&L’s business model, obviously. That said, I absolutely see the usefulness in this functionality even if I myself have no present need for it, and it would very much be a Nice To Have.

Think of students! :open_mouth: :smiley: