Can I get portable applications for Ubuntu?

Solution 1:

PortableLinuxApps.org

PortableLinuxApps provides portable applications for Linux that you can carry around and use on every Linux computer running one of the supported major distributions.

Just Download, Make Executable, and Run!

You just have to download the file ,then make it executable and Run it!

Solution 2:

You could download its .DEB package file, copy it to a USB pendrive or CD, and then install at your friend's house, even if he doesnt have internet. Its as simple as double-clicking the .DEB file. It will open a windows telling you about the program, and, if all dependencies are satisfied, you can click "install". Simple as that.

But, i strongly recommend against doing so. Because:

• If your friend does not have all the packages that VLC depend upon already installed, he WILL need internet anyway to download and install them. And there's no way for you to know that a given system is "VLC-ready" will all the dependencies pre-installed.

• There's no way you could download all the possible-necessary packages for any computer. Linux works in a different way than windows: most packages depend on other system packages and tools that other systems may or may not already have. That's what the internet APT-GET is all about: it checks what a given software needs for THAT machine in particular, and downloads and installs only the necessary missing stuff. So, there's no such thing as "full VLC install".

• Besides, there's a VLC "main" package for each Ubuntu system and architecture. Do your friend have a 64 or 32-bit Ubuntu? Which version? 10.04 Lucid, 10.10 Maverick, 9.10? Is it Ubuntu or Debian (or Mint)? Are you going to download each and every possible combination? That truly makes no sense at all.

So, get online and use Software Center at your friends. Its really worth it.

Welcome to Linux, welcome to a whole new philosophy on downloading, installing, managing and updating software. It works different than Windows. But it works a LOT better.