The Portable Freeware Collection Forums

I recently pointed out to my friend how both Reddit and Twitter both have abysmal web interfaces that I really dislike using. In fact, not long after making the decision to stop using both programs on my device, I quit using both services almost entirely. I used to quite like Reddit's web app, so I'm not sure what happened. He pointed out that this is by design: it's far more profitable to have apps running on a phone that gives up way more information than a web interface.

So their mobile-first is really a mobile only approach. The web app is just pasted on as an afterthought.

This is relevant because of a series of failures in app data privacy that I'm not seeing from the desktop side. But closer to home, you may have seen the length and tedious Audacity issue, most recent with this similarly eye-rolling apology. And not their first bad decision.

What I took away from this is the headline here: block first, ask later. It's one of the great things about this site: because portable software is so self-contained, you rarely need an Internet connection for anything. For disabling, I like simplewall and/or FAB (both portable) for this task.

If it doesn't absolutely require an Internet connection (like a web browser or email checker), proactively block it.

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Related:
* Mini-guide - Using freeware securely - viewtopic.php?f=6&t=25443
* Checking freeware connections - viewtopic.php?f=6&t=24948

Despite its name, I find Simplewall hard to use.

I'd rather just use the built-in Windows firewall to block connections for an app.