PortableApps has issued a new beta version of its Platform 2.0 release, downloadable here. If you’re unfamiliar with PortableApps, I covered it previously here, and it swept the SoureForge Community Choice Awards for open source software last night, winning four awards, including Best Project, and Most Likely to Change the Way You Do Everything. It’s a suite of truly excellent, pre-selected, open source applications that you can stick on a USB flash drive. That enables you to have your applications--with your pre-set preferences--available to run on any computer, anytime.

It’s especially popular as a way to store many useful applications on a pocketable drive, but many netbook owners who don't want to run bloated applications use the small-footprint apps in the PortableApps suite. The open source applications that you get are top-notch, and the new upgrade to the suite includes many meaningful enhancements.

Do you carry a USB thumb drive with you? If you don't, you should. These have fallen radically in price, and can be useful in numerous ways. For about $150 you can get 64GB drive that fits in your pocket, and keep it loaded with countless free, open source applications, or versions of Linux that you can run on any computer any time. With a 64GB drive, you can also easily back up files to your thumb drive, and conveniently transfer files back-and-forth between computers.

PortableApps has released an overhauled version 1.5 of its PortableApps.com Suite. Like previous versions we've covered, it's an especially good way to get a bushel of choice open source applications onto a USB thumb drive or portable computer in one download. Then you can use them on any computer, anywhere. The new version 1.5 of the suite has a new, much better-looking theme, and good security features. You can also launch applications as an administrator, and keep application icons out of menus--great if you carry your open source applications in your pocket. MacLibre offers a similar download for Mac users, and PenDriveLinux is an equivalent for the Linux crowd. Check out more on the new PortableApps version here.