ZuluPad V. 0.3.8b
Posted on 18th August 2006 - 3.3 MB (uncompressed) - Suggested by Yucca
Website (http://www.gersic.com/zulupad/) - Screenshot (http://www.gersic.com/zulupad/images/zulupad.jpg)- Download (http://www.gersic.com/zulupad/download.html)
Category: Productivity / ??? <This is far more than a text editor or notepad, so I'd recommend a new subcategory of "Wiki.">
Synopsis: As described on the program's web site, "ZuluPad is a notepad on crack. It's a place to jot down class notes, appointments, to-do lists, favorite websites, pretty much anything you can think of. The great thing about ZuluPad is that it combines the best parts of a notepad with the best parts of a wiki . . . . The basic idea has been called a personal wiki or a desktop wiki."
Writes settings to: Application folder (ZuluPad.ini)
How to extract: Download version .3.8b (the b indicates the portable version) and extract to a folder of your choice. Launch the program by double-clicking on ZuluPad.exe.
License: Freeware
System Requirements: Windows <This works great on XP/NT, but I can't say whether it would work on earlier versions of Windows.>
The author of this program revised the code to eliminate registry writes and use an .ini file instead at my request. The .ini file is currently written in the Windows User Applications directory for the current user, but I have also requested that the author consider writing the .ini file to the program directory itself.
ZuluPad is a great personal wiki that I use for a lot of tasks like information management, decision-making, note-taking, and textual analysis. If you like the program, I hope you'll consider contributing to the author, who is very responsive to requests and suggestions.
Enjoy!
Yucca
P.S. -- I'm not connected to the author in any way. My positive comments are just because I really like ZuluPad's new portable version!
ZuluPad - Portable Wiki
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Andrew Lee
- Posts: 3063
- Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2006 9:19 am
- Contact:
Really nice app. I like it!
But currently it seems impossible to make it use the INI file in the EXE folder i.e. it always writes to the User Profile folder, which is no good for an editor-type app.
I will continue to monitor it and add it to the database once the author adds support for local INI file.
But currently it seems impossible to make it use the INI file in the EXE folder i.e. it always writes to the User Profile folder, which is no good for an editor-type app.
I will continue to monitor it and add it to the database once the author adds support for local INI file.
Andrew,
First, there is a new version posted today for 0.3.8c, which the author says was created to remove all registry entries. I thought .3.8b had done that, but he must have found some stragglers.
Second, I don't really understand your concern. The only file that currently is written outside the EXE folder is ZuluPad.ini, which is written to the Current User Profile Folder. That ini file only contains settings information and the location of the last file accessed. If the ini file is missing, it is just recreated with all defaults, so this does not limit portability from one machine to another.
Here are the contents of the ZuluPad.ini file on my computer:
[General]
Tray=0
AutoSaveClose=0
AutoSaveMinimize=1
AlwaysOnTop=1
HyperlinkURL=0
StartMinimized=1
LastFile=F:\\ZuluPad\\docs\\blank.zulu
As you'll see, I created an empty zulu file called blank.zulu and always access it before closing the program. That way, there is really no record in the ini file of what file I really used. Of course Windows records recently used files -- not the fault of the application -- but I have a cleaner that removes all those entries when I shutdown my computer anyway. (BTW, you have said in previous posts that you are not concerned with programs being "invisible" -- my word, not yours, because I can't remember the exact term you used, but I think that was the idea.)
If the program would not run without an existing ZuluPad.ini file, I would understand your concern. But as it is, this is totally portable (except for not holding 6 check-box settings across machines) and does not write to the registry.
This is really a great program, and it's a shame it is not in the database. In my opinion, it is certainly more portable than many programs in the database that actually write to the registry and therefore cannot be run on computers that restrict access to the registry.
I'm not trying to be argumentative and I respect your right to make the final decision on programs that are put in the database, but I'd like to better understand your criteria since I occassionally recommend programs here. I've read your FAQ and am a regular on this forum, but there seem to be exceptions made for some programs and not for others and I'm not clear about what qualifies for exceptions. I certainly thought ZuluPad would qualify, since I'm using it portably every day.
Yucca
First, there is a new version posted today for 0.3.8c, which the author says was created to remove all registry entries. I thought .3.8b had done that, but he must have found some stragglers.
Second, I don't really understand your concern. The only file that currently is written outside the EXE folder is ZuluPad.ini, which is written to the Current User Profile Folder. That ini file only contains settings information and the location of the last file accessed. If the ini file is missing, it is just recreated with all defaults, so this does not limit portability from one machine to another.
Here are the contents of the ZuluPad.ini file on my computer:
[General]
Tray=0
AutoSaveClose=0
AutoSaveMinimize=1
AlwaysOnTop=1
HyperlinkURL=0
StartMinimized=1
LastFile=F:\\ZuluPad\\docs\\blank.zulu
As you'll see, I created an empty zulu file called blank.zulu and always access it before closing the program. That way, there is really no record in the ini file of what file I really used. Of course Windows records recently used files -- not the fault of the application -- but I have a cleaner that removes all those entries when I shutdown my computer anyway. (BTW, you have said in previous posts that you are not concerned with programs being "invisible" -- my word, not yours, because I can't remember the exact term you used, but I think that was the idea.)
If the program would not run without an existing ZuluPad.ini file, I would understand your concern. But as it is, this is totally portable (except for not holding 6 check-box settings across machines) and does not write to the registry.
This is really a great program, and it's a shame it is not in the database. In my opinion, it is certainly more portable than many programs in the database that actually write to the registry and therefore cannot be run on computers that restrict access to the registry.
I'm not trying to be argumentative and I respect your right to make the final decision on programs that are put in the database, but I'd like to better understand your criteria since I occassionally recommend programs here. I've read your FAQ and am a regular on this forum, but there seem to be exceptions made for some programs and not for others and I'm not clear about what qualifies for exceptions. I certainly thought ZuluPad would qualify, since I'm using it portably every day.
Yucca
Yucca, you must understand that Andrew is a fairly busy fellow and doesn't always have a lot of time to devote to this site, and usually there's a few applications waiting for him to review. He's interested in expanding the database as much as possible, so he usually looks out for the following things:
Registry entries
.ini, .cfg, .dat files written to %appdata% or %windir%
Java, .NET runtimes or other dependencies
These are all "flags" to help both Andrew and I see if an application will not function portably, and if we see these things when checking out an application it tends to be a fairly good clue that it won't keep your customizations from machine to machine, which is a big part of our criteria for "portable." You say yourself that the ini file contains settings information, which means if a user wishes to change an aspect of how the program works, he or she must do so each time it is run on a different machine.
The settings you've listed are all fairly important to customization, and restoring from defaults every time would inhibit a user's ability to do so. In this sense, I agree with Andrew. Also, your blank zulu file won't be accessed unless your removeable drive is assigned to F:.
Registry entries
.ini, .cfg, .dat files written to %appdata% or %windir%
Java, .NET runtimes or other dependencies
These are all "flags" to help both Andrew and I see if an application will not function portably, and if we see these things when checking out an application it tends to be a fairly good clue that it won't keep your customizations from machine to machine, which is a big part of our criteria for "portable." You say yourself that the ini file contains settings information, which means if a user wishes to change an aspect of how the program works, he or she must do so each time it is run on a different machine.
The settings you've listed are all fairly important to customization, and restoring from defaults every time would inhibit a user's ability to do so. In this sense, I agree with Andrew. Also, your blank zulu file won't be accessed unless your removeable drive is assigned to F:.
Fluffy:
As you know I've been around this forum quite a while and I appreciate the time demands on Andrew and you. That's why I always include a full template when I recommend a program.
Would you do me a favor? Just download the program for yourself and look at the settings in File/Preferences. For probably 99% of the population the defaults would not change. None of them are really very important, and I would estimate that resetting them would take about 2 seconds -- not an exaggeration -- if one wants to change any of them.
I understand that the settings for many applications are critical, but these are minor settings and are not, in my opinion as a user of this program, "fairly important to customization." They are really pretty insignificant.
I certainly understand that my last-used file would not be found on a different machine -- but on a different machine, the ZuluPad.ini would not exist and the program wouldn't look for it anyway. The program is no less usable just because it does not automatically open up the last-used file -- as many text editor programs don't have that feature anyway. Also, it's easy to use File/Open to load files in ZuluPad, just as in almost every Windows app.
Yucca
Fluffy,The settings you've listed are all fairly important to customization, and restoring from defaults every time would inhibit a user's ability to do so.
As you know I've been around this forum quite a while and I appreciate the time demands on Andrew and you. That's why I always include a full template when I recommend a program.
Would you do me a favor? Just download the program for yourself and look at the settings in File/Preferences. For probably 99% of the population the defaults would not change. None of them are really very important, and I would estimate that resetting them would take about 2 seconds -- not an exaggeration -- if one wants to change any of them.
I understand that the settings for many applications are critical, but these are minor settings and are not, in my opinion as a user of this program, "fairly important to customization." They are really pretty insignificant.
I certainly understand that my last-used file would not be found on a different machine -- but on a different machine, the ZuluPad.ini would not exist and the program wouldn't look for it anyway. The program is no less usable just because it does not automatically open up the last-used file -- as many text editor programs don't have that feature anyway. Also, it's easy to use File/Open to load files in ZuluPad, just as in almost every Windows app.
Yucca
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Andrew Lee
- Posts: 3063
- Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2006 9:19 am
- Contact:
Really appreciate your feedback. We can argue until the cows come home on this issue 
i.e. whether the defaults will satisfy most users, and whether it is annoying to change the defaults on every machine that you want to run it on.
However, it is very difficult to make an objective judgement about this. How many options are too many? 10, 20, 50? There are 6 UI-related settings under "Preferences" now. What if the author add another 6 in the next release? At what point do we say "No"?
In fact, one could argue that most users won't even bother to change settings for a complex app like a word processor! That is rather true in a sense, from my observations at work. Where does that lead us?
I really like ZuluPad, but I don't think it is too difficult for the author to make a small change and use ZuluPad.ini in the EXE folder if one is found, since he has already made the move from registry to INI file. It is probably a one or two liner thing.
Is it possible for you to add this comment to the thread that you posted on ZuluPad's forum so that the author can take it into consideration for his future release? Thanks!
i.e. whether the defaults will satisfy most users, and whether it is annoying to change the defaults on every machine that you want to run it on.However, it is very difficult to make an objective judgement about this. How many options are too many? 10, 20, 50? There are 6 UI-related settings under "Preferences" now. What if the author add another 6 in the next release? At what point do we say "No"?
In fact, one could argue that most users won't even bother to change settings for a complex app like a word processor! That is rather true in a sense, from my observations at work. Where does that lead us?
I really like ZuluPad, but I don't think it is too difficult for the author to make a small change and use ZuluPad.ini in the EXE folder if one is found, since he has already made the move from registry to INI file. It is probably a one or two liner thing.
Is it possible for you to add this comment to the thread that you posted on ZuluPad's forum so that the author can take it into consideration for his future release? Thanks!
I have already posted a feature request on the ZuluPad forum to move the .ini file to the program directory and to modify the program to not automatically open the last used file. I really don't know how difficult that would be, but the author was very responsive when I requested he move the registry entries to an ini file. In fact, he did it in about 15 minutes!Andrew Lee wrote:I really like ZuluPad, but I don't think it is too difficult for the author to make a small change and use ZuluPad.ini in the EXE folder if one is found, since he has already made the move from registry to INI file. It is probably a one or two liner thing.
Is it possible for you to add this comment to the thread that you posted on ZuluPad's forum so that the author can take it into consideration for his future release? Thanks!
Andrew, I must say I'm frustrated that you seem to apply the "rules" somewhat arbitrarily. On the QIP entry added to your database just this afternoon, you say:
I can't for the life of me understand why the registry entries for QIP qualify as portable and the insignificant settings for ZuluPad that are written in an ini file -- not the registry -- do not. In fact, QIP would not be usable on a machine that restricts writing to the registry while ZuluPad would be usable.Writes settings to: Application folder. However, two AIM-related settings ("Inline pictures" and "Play animation") are stored in the Windows registry.
Since there is no personal wiki available in your database, I would think this program might warrant special consideration. ZuluPad really fills a hole in the portable programs that are available.
I agree that there is no point in arguing this further, as this is just a judgment call and the final call is yours at any rate. However, if you're going to allow exceptions to your own criteria, it seems to me that the basis for those exceptions should be clearer than are right now.
Thanks for listening. I won't belabor the point further. Any portable apps users who are interested in ZuluPad hopefully will have seen this thread and can just go to the Zulupad web site at http://www.gersic.com/zulupad/ and get the program there directly to see if it meets their needs for a portable, personal wiki.
Best,
Yucca
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Andrew Lee
- Posts: 3063
- Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2006 9:19 am
- Contact:
Why I added QIP: Profile information and settings are stored in the application folder. And we are not talking about 5 or 6 settings, but many many more. So we can safely say the intent of the author was for it to be portable.Andrew, I must say I'm frustrated that you seem to apply the "rules" somewhat arbitrarily. On the QIP entry added to your database just this afternoon, you say...
As for the two registry entries, I can't even find corresponding UI controls to change them! But I noted it in the database entry anyway so that users who are _really_ particular about the registry can stay clear.
On the point about applying the rules arbitrarily, guilty as charged.
Actually I make up new rules along the way. ZuluPad is quite clear-cut though. I don't remember ever adding a viewer/editor type app that writes to the registry or user profile folder.Some of the arbitrary rules that I remember having made up:
- Programs that asks for donation via a popup, even though it does it only every couple of months, are nagware.
- Programs that display an ad at the start of the run are nagware, but programs that display an ad at the end of the run are not.
- I used to reject VB apps, but I have started accepting them as long as there is no installer magic involved. However, I am really afraid someone will start arguing that one can do similar things with Java apps by including a private runtime with each app (man, that's at least an extra 20MB diskspace for each private runtime). Wait, doesn't Python or Tcl apps do the same? Arrggghh!!!
I suspect this doesn't make me very popular. At one stage, I was quite tempted to heed a suggestion to list every software that can be run without installation but note where it writes its settings to. There was also a similar suggestion to introduce a "portabiliy rating" so that apps that writes to the app folder has "high portability", but apps that writes to the registry or user profile folder has "low portability". But I was concerned that the database will end up with 90% of all Windows software ever written!
As you can see, I don't deny there are lots of gray areas. If you guys have any concrete ideas to improve the process, I will be happy to discuss.
Re: ZuluPad, a portable wiki
Really old topic update: ZuluPad is still around (currently v0.42a), still has a free version and still isn't fully portable (previous findings apply; related topic at http://www.portablefreeware.com/forums/ ... .php?t=428). Moreover, it available for both Windows and MacOS, and is now OSS (source code is at http://sourceforge.net/projects/zulupad/).
Contrary to what's been hinted at ZuluPad's user forum (see above), the freeware version is neither portable, nor self-contained, so I made a 'quick'n'dirty' yaP config file for making the freeware ZuluPad portable: http://pastebin.com/LmnvLT92.
@Mod: can we change the subject of the first post to make this the official TPFC topic? Thanks.
Contrary to what's been hinted at ZuluPad's user forum (see above), the freeware version is neither portable, nor self-contained, so I made a 'quick'n'dirty' yaP config file for making the freeware ZuluPad portable: http://pastebin.com/LmnvLT92.
@Mod: can we change the subject of the first post to make this the official TPFC topic? Thanks.
- Attachments
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Re: ZuluPad V. 0.3.8b - Portable Wiki
Thanks, added to yaP site
Re: ZuluPad V. 0.3.8b - Portable Wiki
Please double-check, I feel somewhat unsure about this one... 
Re: ZuluPad V. 0.3.8b - Portable Wiki
I did (WinXP) and no traces left behind. I will check later on Win7 too.
Update: seems OK on Win7 too
Update: seems OK on Win7 too
Re: ZuluPad, a portable wiki
Took me too long but all set now.Midas wrote:@Mod: can we change the subject of the first post to make this the official TPFC topic? Thanks.
Re: ZuluPad - Portable Wiki
Just happened to (really) read the following announcement at Zulupad's homepage (dated 2010-12-30!? 
):
Other than looks, the main differences between the two versions can be seen in their respective preferences dialogs...
And a ZuluPad Pro reader only version is available from Archive.org: http://web.archive.org/web/200907022313 ... Reader.zip.
Lastly, ZuluPad is FOSS -- source code for Windows and MacOS is hosted at https://sourceforge.net/projects/zulupad/files/zulupad/.
):- [url]http://www.gersic.com/zulupad/[/url] author wrote:ZuluPad and ZuluPad Pro are now completely free.
Other than looks, the main differences between the two versions can be seen in their respective preferences dialogs...
- PRO ->
And a ZuluPad Pro reader only version is available from Archive.org: http://web.archive.org/web/200907022313 ... Reader.zip.
Lastly, ZuluPad is FOSS -- source code for Windows and MacOS is hosted at https://sourceforge.net/projects/zulupad/files/zulupad/.