# Glossary

Here you can find explanation for various terms used in this manual.

## General

PortableApps.com
  PortableApps.com provides free portable software. PortableApps.com is a trademark of Rare Ideas, LLC. The PortableApps.com Launcher is a product of PortableApps.com.
PortableApps.com Format
  The format in which PortableApps.com releases must be, providing a common arrangement for all PortableApps.com applications so that data can be backed up easily and the PortableApps.com Platform can easily find application details. See PortableApps.com Format™ Specification for details.
PortableApps.com Launcher
  A universal launcher for running portable applications without needing to write code (this is what this documentation is for). It’s configured by an INI file.
INI
  A plain-text data storage technique used primarily in Microsoft Windows for storing configuration. Used extensively by PortableApps.com. See INI files for a discussion of the format along with details of how to use it.
NSIS
  Nullsoft Scriptable Installer System. A programming language generally used for installers but used at PortableApps.com for various products including the PortableApps.com Launcher. Unicode NSIS is a Unicode branch of NSIS and is the preferred build of NSIS for usage at PortableApps.com. NSIS Portable is available as an official release from PortableApps.com, in ANSI and Unicode builds.
Unicode NSIS
  A Unicode branch of NSIS, available from scratchpaper.com; a portable edition is available as NSIS Portable (Unicode). All new PortableApps.com projects use Unicode NSIS instead of ANSI NSIS builds.
Environment variable
  An environment variable is a dynamic system variable. The PortableApps.com Launcher utilises environment variables to aid string replacement. See Environment variable substitions for details on the use in launcher.ini values and `[Environment]` for a section in launcher.ini which can be used to set environment variables.
Splash screen
  An image which appears on the user’s screen while an application is starting, generally to give an indication that something is happening. See Splash screens for more details on their use in PortableApps.com applications.

## Releases

Development Test
  A test release of a portable application, generally of alpha or beta quality. When a portable application is first developed, it bears this label; in appinfo.ini, its `DisplayVersion` should end with `Development Test N`, where N is the Development Test release number. The Development Test release number starts at 1 and should go back down to 1 again if there is a new release of the base application. These releases may be very buggy and may also contain malware and so it is generally a good idea to scan them before testing.
Pre-Release
  A release of a portable application after it has gone through the Development Test stage, just before it becomes an official PortableApps.com release. Generally stable and deemed ready for release after. In appinfo.ini, its `DisplayVersion` should end with `Pre-Release N`, where N is the Pre-Release release number. The Pre-Release release number starts at 1 and should go back down to 1 again if there is a new release of the base application. After final testing, the application will be made an official PortableApps.com release.
Official PortableApps.com release
  Once an application has passed through testing as a Development Test and as a Pre-Release, it is released officialy at PortableApps.com as a supported portable application. It will have its own splash screen (see Splash screens for details). The `DisplayVersion` in appinfo.ini should not have any appendage unless a revision is released.
Revision
  If an official PortableApps.com release is found to have problems or new features must be added for compatibility with the PortableApps.com Platform, or for some other reason, a revision is released. The only difference in the released package is that the `DisplayVersion` in appinfo.ini will have `Revision N` added to it. The revision number starts at 2.