For MS Windows, PortableApps.com offers a system of a free Open Source Platform with bundled application suites and an application directory sorted into the respective categories.

For Linux, recent projects are aiming at satifying the needs of the netbook community, since there are not yet so many applications available in portable form and without the requirement of installation on the system:

Portools.com

has just released new pafl (= Portable Apps for Linux)
in form of Perl Scripts:
AbiWord, OpenOffice, KeePassX , Audacity, Gimp.

Before, the project had aimed to build application systems like above Portable Apps for Windows but offering Shell Script executables, and it comprised the following as PortableApps for Linux:
The OpenOffice.org suite, XTerm, IceDove, IceWeasel and IceOwl .

Runz

is a different project, consisting of a special framework needed to open and to run the converted apps where the executables appear packed as single "*.runz" files.

Highlights: GoogleEarth, RealPlayer, XnView and FoxitReader - besides Skype, Firefox, GoogleChrome, Opera, FileZilla, etc.,

Native Apps

In addition, I have found and tested some very useful programs able to run in Linux as portables and without installation directly from my SD, including the MOZILLA products:

I just downloaded the corresponding "*.tar.gz" or "tar.bz2" files and extracted them. As such, the following applications are running as "Shell or Python Scripts" right out of the box. Imagine, these following eleven apps together are accounting for almost 350 MB - alltogether for even 2 GB - but do not need to fill up my internal SSD !

- Chrome (Browser - Version 7 for Linux i386)
- Opera (Browser - Version 10.10 for Linux i386)
- SeaMonkey Internet Suite (Browser, Email, AddressBook, Web-Design - Version 2.o.4, Linux GTK2)
- KompoZer (Web-Design - Version 0.8b3, Linux i686)
- Firefox (Browser - Version 3.6.3, for Linux i386)
- Flock (Social Web Browser - Version 2.03, Linux)
- Sunbird (Calendar - Version 1.0b1, Linux i686)
- Thunderbird (Email - Version 3.04, Linux i686)
- Songbird (Music Player - Version 1.4.3, Linux i686)
- Filezilla (FTP Client - Version 3.3.3, Linux i586)
- TVBrowser (TV Program Guide - Version 2.7.5 )
- Tucan Downloader (Download Helper - Version 0.3.9)

Downloads :

Other Apps & Utilities

The portable "DING = DIctionary Nice Grep"

It is fully adjustable, easy to use and available for almost all platforms, even for mobile phones. It comes with an Ge-En-Ge.txt file, additional languages, theraurus, etc. can be added and configured manually.

I am here offering to share my self-configured portable dictionary, having added Spanish and a Thesaurus for German. Again, you just download and extract the file to any folder and run from there the contained "ding" Shell Script.

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Comix Image & Comic Book Viewer

In addition, COMIX provides a very useful integrated function:
"Cleanup outdated Thumbnails" - great for recovering netbook diskspace !

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