Supporting tables in web design
Jan 12 11:23:28
Test site availability from around the globe
Nov 7 0:53:22
Clamshell - an OpenID server
Jun 20 5:33:06
Writing Strategic Initiatives
Mar 6 3:08:15
Writing a strategy document
Mar 6 3:00:53
Ever since I've used a computer, I've had Administrator rights on the computers I've worked on. Even at work, I've had full rights because my jobs involving computer support of some kind or another have required it!
Now, I'm in User Land. And (gasp) a locked down environment. What, no command line? No access to network properties? No rights to install programs? Worse still, no access to scripting languages?
Hmm.
First problem: can't install anything into C:\Program Files. Okay, let's create a folder called C:\Resources. Downloaded files go into C:\Resources\Programs. Apps ready to run go into C:\Resources\Go.
Next, over the last few months I've assembled a toolkit of no-install programs that allow me to more or less establish my 'usual' environment without treading on SysAdmin's turf:
SeaMonkey | ZIP package of my fave browser (go to PortableApps if you prefer Firefox & Thunderbird). |
Flash plug-in | Official XPI version of Flash |
Notepad++ | Regrettably, this has to replace trusty NoteTab Light. Admittedly, this package appears to be much more powerful anyway! |
7-Zip | Portable version of 7-Zip |
FreeMind | FreeMind should install without modification. Just don't add a Start Menu icon. |
Eclipse | Eclipse downloads are all ZIP packages anyway, so this shouldn't be a problem. |
JDK | Can't do this on a non-admin computer, unfortunately. You'll have to install a JDK on a computer that has admin rights, then burn the resulting directory to a CD/DVD and then just copy this folder structure to C:\Resources\Go\jdk160 |
IndigoPerl | This works, but you'll need to write a couple of custom batch scripts for ease of use. perl-shell.bat
apache-start.bat
|
MySQL | MySQL has a ZIP download, but it still wants to run as a service. Some more batch files required: mysql-start.bat
mysql-stop.bat
Oh, also make sure you grab EMS SQL Manager 2007 Lite for a install-free GUI to manage MySQL. Just copy the .exe to the MySql \bin directory. |