You may not realize it, but your USB flash drive is really much more than a high-capacity floppy disk. Why? Because you can run applications from it! A great way to get started is the Portable Apps Suite which comes with a great set of programs and a cool menu for your flash drive. There are, however, lots of applications available that can be run portably. These are the cream of the crop.

1. Firefox. This one is absolutely essential. Take all your bookmarks and extensions everywhere you go! The site has information about getting plugins (Flash, Shockwave, etc.) up and running on your portable browser.
2. Notepad++. A cool text editor for coders.
3. GIMP. Powerful photo-editing.
4. Filezilla. The best FTP client around.
5. Pidgin. If you’re into IM.
6. VLC. Multi-format audio/video player.
7. OpenOffice. Take an entire office suite with you! Yes, it will open MS documents.
8. 7zip. Supports almost every file compression format.
9. HydraIRC. Fully-featured IRC client. Be sure to download the zip distribution rather than the executable installer.
10. KeePass. Store all your passwords in a portable password safe.

There are tons more portable applications. If you have a need not met by the programs above, it doesn’t mean the program isn’t out there. Wikipedia has a large list of portable software. The Portable Freeware Collection also keeps a very up-to-date list. Gamers shouldn’t feel left out either. Add your own programs or resources in the comments!