DrunkenBlog

RM: Mac Portable Firefox

So your request on your blog for an OS X Portable Firefox. Here you go.

Sam Krupa

This is one of those messages that makes me feel slightly ill. I start talking about how much I'd like something, someone takes the initiative and creates it -- and then tells me about it -- and for all intents and purposes it looks to him as though it's been dropped into a black hole...

You don't want to know when I got this message, but I've already apologized via email and have to give it up to Mr. Krupa -- Kick. Ass. The idea is pretty simple... You're walking around your school or work or cafe and for whatever reason, can't use a reasonable browser and can't go installing a reasonable browser, or you may just have specific settings or sites and don't want to go telegraphing them -- whatever.

You drop Portable Firefox onto a USB Key Drive (I love these things) or iPod Shuffle or something similar, plug it into the computer, do your business and unplug. This worked really well, as long as you were trying to plug your drive into a Windows computer -- Now you can be prepared if you're stuck in front of some old Mac somewhere. The instructions look simple, I'm looking forward to playing with it, and much thanks for taking the time to actually do it.

One of the great things about OSS is that it makes things like this possible, where someone can build on someone else's work instead of reinventing the wheel if they wanted a portable browser that works with Macs, but it doesn't mean it'll automatically just happen. People like myself can pine about the potential and that someone should do it, but cycles don't come for free and someone has to actually step up and choose to spend them instead of watching Weeds or BattleStar Galatica or wherever their downtime cycles go.

Thanks for stepping up.

 Posted by drunkenbatman
    September 30, 2005, at 02:39 PM