Google Chrome portable

What is this?

Google Chrome portable places the Google Chrome with its configuration files in a folder to utilize it without installing it in the puppy space(pupsave).

The Google Chrome portable holds the Google Chrome as a sfs, its settings in a ext3 image file, google-chrome-config.3fs, so that the file system free. It loads the the Google Chrome sfs and the google-chrome-config.3fs to launch the Google Chrome as if launching a miniature Puppy. But amazingly, it takes no time. They are unmounted at the browsing finished so that the loop back devices to be free.

The Google Chrome portable also holds the cache and downloads in the same 'google-chrome-portable' folder, so that they are free from the 'Puppy space' and not limited by the pupsave size.

Works with Precise-571JP. Other Precise Puppy need to update some libraries from the Ubuntu Precise update: security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/n/nss/

Does not work on older Puppies.

How to use?

I. Installation

  1. Extract google-chrome-portable-*.tar.gz at soewhere under /mnt/home, or under some mounted point like /mnt/sdb1. No mater the file system of the partion, ext?, ntfs or vfat. You can remove the archive *.tar.gz after extracting. A folder google-chrome-portable-* is made. You can move this folder anywhere else under /mnt, '/mnt/home/apps/google-chrome-portable' for example.

    The google-chrome-portable-* folder works as a ROX application. It is seen as app icon icon with a gear. Unfortunately it does not work as a ROX applicition on NTFS file system. The icon shows normal folder folder icon in this case.

  2. Click google-chrome-portable-* folder if the icon shows a gear app icon. Or, open the folder and click the executable shell script icon google-chrome-portable. A GUI opens.

  3. Click 'Download from Google Chrome web page' button. Download the package 32bit .deb from the Google Chrome page to 'Downloads filder in the google-chrome-portable-* folder. Close the browser after the download completed. The GUI will came back.

  4. Drug the downloaded package, google-chrome-stable_current_i386.deb to the GUI entry if it is not shown.
    Click 'OK' then the google-chrome-portable works as an installer and the Google Chrome automatically installed.

  5. Importing old bookmarks
    You can import previous bookmarks if you were using Google Chrome or Chromium before. The Google Chrome 'Bookmarks' file is found at "/Documents and Settings/*/Local Settings/Application Data/Google/Chrome/User Data/Default" folder on the Windows system drive. If you were using Chromium on Puppy, the 'Bookmarks' file may be found in "/root/.config/chromium/Default" folder.
    Drug and drop the folder on the entry box when the GUI asks 'Where is the old bookmarks?'.

II. Launching Google Chrome

After the installation finishes, the google-chrome-portable works as a launcher.

If you register on the Puppy menu, the Google Chrome appears on the Puppy menu. You can register the google chrome as the default browser.

You can click the google-chrome-portable folder or the executable to launch the Google Chrome, no matter registererd or not. If the google-chrome-portable folder is under /mnt/home, you can make a desktop icon dragging the google-chrome-portable folder on the desktop.

The google-chrome-portable is registered on the Puppy Package Manager. You can uninstall it from the PPM and then the Google Chrome is removed from the Puppy menu, but the Google Chrome in the google-chrome-portable folder is still there.

You can remove the google-chrome-portable folder with the installed Google Chrome. But the menu entry is stil in the Puppy menu. You need to uninstall the google chhhhhrome portable using PPM to remove it from the Puppy mmenu.

III. The configuration files

The configuration files of theGoogle Chrome is in the file google-chrome-config.3fs in the google-chrome-portable folder. Move the whole google-chrome-portable folder if you want to move or backup. All the bookmarks and cookies are within it.

All the bookmarks and cookies are lost if you remove the google-chrome-portable folder. (backing up the google-chrome-config.3fs file is a good idea.)

Old settings may be in /root/.config/google-chrome if you are using the Google Chrome before. They are not automatically copied, but you can manually copy the file into the google-chrome-config directory which appears when you click the file google-cgoogle-chrome-config.3fs.

IV. Updating Google Chrome

  1. Right-click the google-chrome-portable folder and select 'Build'. Or, open the folder and click the executable shell script icon 'Build'. Download 32bit .deb package from Google Chrome web page.

  2. Close the browser, the the GUI comes back. Ensure the google-chrome-stable_current_i386.deb is desplayed on the entry adn click 'OK'.

Or, you can download the 32bit .deb package from Google Chrome web page using any browser, and drag and drop it on the google-chrome-portable folder.

V.Download locations

The Google Chrome downloads internet files to '/root/Downloads' as the default. Because this is in the Puppy space(pupsave), downloading large files may crashes Puppy.

google-chrome-portable changes the 'HOME' environment variable, so that the download files to the 'Downloas' folder in the google-chrome-portable folder.

The folder can be different if you moved the downlooad location in the Google Chrome settings. Recommendation is set it as the default.
Changing the download locations is at Chrome menu on the browser toolbar > Settings > Show advanced settings. See the Google Chrome Help

2014-01-28 google-chrome-portable 0.5
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