Wireshark-dev: [Wireshark-dev] PortableApps Wireshark feedback
From: "Maynard, Chris" <Christopher.Maynard@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 00:32:57 -0500
FYI: I was finally able to build & test a PortableApps version of Wireshark.  The SVN version I used was 23398.  Initially when I built it and tried to run it off a USB flash drive, it failed due to some "unspecified error".  I had tried to save some time by not running a distclean first, but in the end, it cost me more time because after I recompiled it following a distclean, I created an installer that actually worked.
 
I tested it on only 1 Windows PC thus far, but it worked great.  No issues to speak of, although I only tested a few basic things, such as: a simple capture, apply some display filters, change some column preferences, save the file to the flash drive, close the PortableApps Wireshark and re-launch it to be sure the settings were retained, close the PortableApps Wireshark and open the PC's installed version of Wireshark to be sure its settings were not affected, and perhaps a few other misc. tests.  Anyway, as I said, no issues to report, at least as far as those the tests are concerned.  The only negative comment I have has to do with the time it took to actually install the PortableApps Wireshark on the flash disk I borrowed.  I didn't time it, but it took at least an hour.  Nothing to do with Wireshark though, just a really slow drive to write to I guess.  Reading was ok though and launching Wireshark from the USB drive was a little slower, as expected, but nothing too painful.
 
Anyway, excellent stuff!  I have a U3 flash disk, but we have a lot of non-U3 drives floating around, so this will come in handy for many people I would imagine.
 
Oh, one last thing - I read an article, linked from the www.portableapps.com  website that indicated that you could run a PortableApps application on Linux if you have wine installed.  I did not try that ... yet.  Unfortunately, I probably won't be able to try it until next week at the earliest.  Unless someone can tell me a reason why they know it wouldn't work and that I need not bother trying it out?
 
- Chris
P.S. Here's the article: http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=business6_aug14_2007
 

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