Hi!

Please check this program, i think this can be made portable, and it's great. I'm using it as portable.

Name: NetBeans
Current Version: 6.7.1

NetBeans IDE is open-source and free.

Site: http://www.netbeans.org/

Screenshots: http://www.netbeans.org/images/v6/7/screenshots/ide-start-screen.png

Download: http://www.netbeans.org/downloads/index.html

How to install: Download the Platform OS Independent ZIP file (http://www.netbeans.org/downloads/index.html)(http://www.netbeans.org/downloads/zip.html) and uncompress to a folder in your portable drive. Then you only have to edit this file: \NetBeans\etc\netbeans.config
1º Edit the line: netbeans_default_userdir="Put here the folder where it will save the configuration files"
Note: it have to be outside the NetBeans folder, example: netbeans_default_userdir="/netbeansconfigs"
2º Edit the line (if you want to program in Java): netbeans_jdkhome="Put here the folder where did you installed JDK"
Example: netbeans_jdkhome="/JavaSEDevelopmentKit"
Remember that you have to install the Java Development Kit in this folder if you want to program in Java.
You can download the JDK (https://cds.sun.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/WFS/CDS-CDS_Developer-Site/en_US/-/USD/ViewProductDetail-Start?ProductRef=jdk-6u16-oth-JPR@CDS-CDS_Developer) and install in your portable drive, and put this folder in the netbeans.config as explained before (Example: netbeans_jdkhome="/JavaSEDevelopmentKit").
Then you just have to run the executable file in the bin folder: NetBeans/bin/netbeans.exe

Description from the site: A free, open-source Integrated Development Environment for software developers. You get all the tools you need to create professional desktop, enterprise, web, and mobile applications with the Java language, C/C++, and even dynamic languages such as PHP, JavaScript, Groovy, and Ruby. The NetBeans IDE is easy to install and use straight out of the box and runs on many platforms including Windows, Linux, Mac OS X and Solaris.

The NetBeans IDE 6.7 introduces integration with Project Kenai, a collaborative environment for developers to host open-source projects. The release also builds on the success of the NetBeans 6.5 with native support for Maven, integration of GlassFish and Hudson, and enhancements to Java, PHP, Ruby, Groovy and C/C++. Additional highlights of the 6.7 release include support for JavaScript 1.7 and the Java ME SDK 3.0.

I hope i have explained correctly the way it as to be done to work with it in a portable drive. Maybe it's a little bit confuse, but it's very easy to do it.

Thanks
Nuno Leite
http://www.nunoleite.com

This is a topic I'm very interested in so I was hoping you could address a few possible problems.

One problem I can see with this is that, although Java is getting MORE portable, right now the JDK is something you have to physically install. Portableapps.com is working on making the JRE portable (http://portableapps.com/apps/utilities/java_portable) but that's definitely not the same thing. You can install it to the external drive, sure, but will that work on public terminals with the security turned way up and, even better, avoid making registry changes or settings to the host drive? That's the kind of portable we're aiming for here and I don't think the JDK has that ability.

Also, do you know of a way to make those config files use relative (rather than static) pathways? Meaning when you plug in a USB drive to a public terminal, it will randomly assign a drive letter. If it gives it the "G:\" drive and at home you have it set to the "E:\" drive you're going to have to go in and edit those config files before you can start the program. If you could list it relative to the program (e.g. "..\netbeans") that would work a lot better.

Thanks and keep up the good work.

I did install this (JDK) to my external drive (like the way you have to install so many programs and then copy to a pen to work portable) and i unzipped the Zipped version of NetBeans to my external drive too.

Then, to make sure this works, i have copied the 2 folders to a computer with only Windows installed.


Then, i make the changes to config file like the way i explained to match the new folders. Using relative paths. Example: "/JavaSEDevelopmentKit" (for the JDK) and "/NetBeansConfig" for the folder where the NetBeans will save his configuration files.
netbeans_jdkhome="/JavaSEDevelopmentKit"
netbeans_default_userdir="/NetBeansConfig"
Attention that the configuration files can't be in the same folder where the NetBeans reside. This is a limitation of the NetBeans, don't know why, but that is not a problem, because everything is in a relative path in the portable drive.

So, what i did after this is run the netbeans executable file present in "netbeans/bin" folder.

And it worked immediately. So, no need to have Java Runtime installed or Java Development Kit in that computer. This was done in a newly computer right after the installation of Windows XP. And i only copied the NetBeans and Java Development Kit, no installation done.

I even make a simple class in Java and run it inside NetBeans to make sure it worked.

I can say that i'm using this, like this, for 1 week, is not too long, but it's working with me and i have already used 5 different computers.

Hope this helps.