There are many options for a Windows user when it comes to free software that can be run from a portable drive such as an usb stick. Two of the best choices are already explained in the previous post. But, what are the options for a Mac user? Are there any portable applications he may use on his flash drive?

We scanned the internet and we found it. It’s called FreeSmug (http://www.freesmug.org/portableapps/) and offers a wide range of portable software, most of them open source.

Here’s the list:
Portable Firefox OS X
Portable Thunderbird OS X
Portable Adium
Portable AbiWord OS X
Portable Nvu OS X
Portable Sunbird OS X
Portable Cyberduck
Portable Check Off
Portable Gimp.app
Portable Newspeak
Portable Inkscape OS X
Portable VLC OS X
Portable Audacity OS X
Portable OpenOffice.org OS X
Portable RSSOwl
Portable Feed
Portable X-Chat Aqua
Portable Camino
Portable Vienna
Portable Celtx

Portable Safari
Portable Mail
Portable iCal
Portable Address Book
Portable iChat
SyncPAppX

The other option suitable for Mac Users is the well known PortableApps.com which offers a USB version of OS X that can be installed and run on a usb stick device. The documentation and all the FAQ’s can be found on the owner’s site, www.portableapps.com.

Many users are accustomed with working with their fav programs, they wish to take them wherever they go, to backup and preserve the settings etc.

One of the best options in this case is to buy a USB stick that already has portable applications installed on it, and among this kind of devices we recommend Sandisk Cruzer Micro (2, 4, 8 GB) that comes with a default U3 smart application which include some of the best portable softwares and the means to install other.

SanDisk Cruzer® Micro USB Flash Drive

Cruzer® Micro now ships with U3 smart™ technology. Co-Invented by SanDisk, U3 technology gives you the ability to carry your files AND your software on a secure USB drive. You can have your wallpaper, preferences, favorites, profiles, and more – everything you need for a familiar computing experience on any PC, wherever you go.
Includes Skype™ exclusively on all Cruzer Micro and Cruzer Titanium USB flash drives. Make voice and video calls from PC to PC anywhere in the world. (description taken from the producer’s site)

The prices are extremely attractive, starting from only 30-35 $ and the software repository is efficiently implemented. Downloads and installs are done automatically, the tools can be accessed through a startup application that for windows users can be found on the system tray and acts exactly as the Start button.

Another option for Windows user may be the well known PortableApps.com, an open source suite that offers freeware software that can be installed on your usb stick. The tool is similar to U3 smart from Sandisk but can be installed on any other flash drive. The software repository is very big and you can find here all the applications you can use for any activities you may have, at home, at the office or anywhere else. Starting with Mozilla Firefox, Nvu, or OppenOffice.org, PortableApps is one of the best choices you can make regarding portable softwares.

You can download the entire suite or one application at a time, PortableApps acts exactly like U3 and the graphic interface is even more similar to Windows Start buton.

PART ONE: Cube based FPS (first person shooter)

This is the first post that will open our new MONDAY Specials section, a section in which, every monday we will review some of the best softwares and games that can be bought or downloaded from the Internet. This week we will list ten of the best freeware games created upon the open source CUBE engine and distributed freely for FPS fans from all over the world.

CUBE engine: Some gamers have played them, some didn’t. There are a few freeware games build on this open-source engine. Cube, AssaultCube or Sauerbraten are three of the best games based on these sources (cube and cube2), classic multiplayer FPS’s with both multi and single player capabilities.

1.CUBE. This is the first game developed and released freely, based on this engine, a Quake like FPS that runs on a variety of operating systems including MS Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X and even Pocket PC with 3D acceleration. There are 37 SP (SinglePlayer) maps and 65 DM (DeathMatch) maps, for a total of 102 maps all together.

Download

Official Site

2.Assault Cube:This is another game based on Cube engine, a complete modification of the base game, similar to classics such as Unreal and Quake and with a gameplay that will certainly be appreciated by Counter Strike fans. In comparison to other games, AssaultCube is slower than Quakebut faster than CS. The two fictional teams in the game are the Cubers Liberations Army (CLA) and the Rabid Viper Special Forces (RVSF).

Download

Official Site

3.SAUERBRATEN:This is one of the best games in the series, based upon the next generation of Cube engine, Cube2. The game currently has singleplayer and multiplayer modes. Multiplayer functionality is possible with LAN, Local, and Internet play, which gets its server data from a master server. Online offers deathmatch, last man standing, and “capture the flag” gameplay. The Cube 2 engine features numerous improvements to its predecessor, one of these improvements is the real time editing engine, which enables user to edit and create new levels and expand the game.

Download

Official Site