Traditional computer use requires that programs are installed before they can be used. A more flexible approach is that of portable programs, which work without installation and, typically, become useful if copied onto a USB stick so as to put them in your pocket and be able to use them on any computer.
The most recent way to use a computer is to not download and install any software so the PC becomes only a terminal from which to launch applications that are loaded by the server.
The so-called Cloud Computing is the technology whereby programs are installed on a single server that distributes applications to other connected computers.
If this server is located on the internet, everyone can use the programs loaded on it, without downloading anything.
The advantage of using online programs is the ability to use your favorite software from any PC connected to the internet, without having to install and download them.
In addition, using programs that reside on a remote server allows you to create a sandbox (closed area), avoiding that these interact with the PC in use, leaving traces and histories.
If in the past I had talked about online operating systems and Chrome OS, now we see a site that functions as an " Application server " and, taking advantage of "Cloud Computing", makes available, for free, all the most popular programs and web browsers as well to be used without installing anything .
Turbo.net offers an online service for Windows that allows users to run desktop applications by starting them directly from the web browser, without making downloads or installations .
The "cloud" approach of Turbonet (ex Spoon) allows you to use all browsers (Chrome, Opera, Firefox, Internet Explorer), video conversion programs, software such as Irfanview, 7-Zip, VLC Media Player, Open Office, Google Talk, Paint.net, Picasa, uTorrent or Notepad ++, Winamp, Skype, Word, Excel, Project and many others including various video games.
These programs are not special online versions but exactly the same originals that are known, without any difference.
Each of them, after a short load, opens with its window on Windows and are freely usable because they are free.
The only thing to do before starting is to download and install the Spoon plugin which integrates into the Windows operating system and is compatible with the most popular web browsers, including Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Opera and Safari.
When you start an application you have to wait for the loading ( buffering ) which can be more or less fast depending on the internet connection.
At the end of the buffering, after loading into memory, the use of the program remains absolutely fast as it would if it were installed.
Once a program is opened, even if it is not present on the computer, it can be used as a normal desktop application so, for example, you can load text documents in Notepad ++, in the Word Viewer or in Openoffice, open files that are in pc, download torrent files with UTorrent, and also install addon on Firefox.
The browser sandbox is a recent feature, ideal for web developers and users interested in surfing the internet without installing browsers.
Surfing the web using a browser that is not on the computer also means not leaving traces on the visited sites and entered passwords.
If you register with Spoon, creating an account, you can save your personalized settings on the programs and browsers used so that you can find them at any time, whatever PC you use.
Turbonet is excellent and free for normal users who use it at home and for schools .
For offices and companies, however, it is possible to buy the spoon application in order to bring the entire package of programs to your server.
Employees of a company like this will not have to install any software because they can use those distributed by the server.
As an alternative to Spoon, a much simpler free program suitable for use on a home PC is Zero Installer which works on Windows, Linux and Mac, as a program emulator without installing anything on the computer and without writing data to the disk.
The program can also be downloaded in a portable version, so as to virtually keep your favorite programs without taking up space on a USB stick.
Zero Installer has a list of available applications that can be run on any PC without installation.
The roolApp site is also excellent with programs and apps to be opened via a web browser, of which I have already spoken.
Other sites to run programs via the web are Cameyo and Appetize.io which brings mobile apps to each PC via a web version.
