One of the tasks that I do over and over again is to install the programs that I came to rely on on those computer systems. For that I open the program’s website, download it and install it afterwards. This takes some time, considering that it is not usually just one application that needs to be made available, but many.

Soft2Base is similar to previously reviewed applications like AllMyApps, Essential Software Installer or Ninite, by offering to download and/or install selected applications at once.

The program displays a set of configuration options on startup. Here it is possible to select the application language, program interface language and download / installation options. It is for instance possible to configure the program to perform silent installs, install only newer applications or download the programs only without installation.

The next screen displays the supported programs sorted in categories. A pulldown menu on top offers templates, like complete, minimum or custom, that auto select applications in the listing.

Many popular applications are available, from iTunes and VideoLan in the multimedia category, over Open Office and Notepad in the Desk category to Firefox, Flash Player, Avast, 7-Zip or CCleaner.

The selection is good, but several applications that I’d personally install are missing. The incredible burning software ImgBurn is missing, as are Google Chrome, Opera and True Crypt among others.

Still, the available applications can be put to use, and all it takes to download and install them on the system is to select them and proceed by clicking on the Install button. I have checked the versions of some applications and they were always the latest available versions.

An installation log can be displayed at the very end of the process.

Soft2Base Download and Compatibility

Soft2Base is available for download at the developer website. The portable software is compatible with most Windows operating systems, including Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Users of the service were able to pick programs from the list. Volery would create a custom installer which when executed would download and install one program after the other on the operating system.

The service to create custom software installations is now out of beta and has been renamed to Ninite. But that’s not the only change introduced. The service is now publicly available for everyone with no registration required to create a custom software installer for personal use.

Even better is the increase in software programs. The developers have tripled the amount of programs supported by the service.

The applications are now also divided into categories to make it easier for users to pick the programs that they want to include in the custom installer. Many of the software programs that we use and recommend at Ghacks are now offered for download including Thunderbird, Aimp2, Paint.net, uTorrent, ImgBurn, 7-zip or WinSCP.

The software will be installed silently in the background with toolbars and other add-ons that are considered “junk” not installed with the programs.

Ninite offers a comfortable way of installing software in bulk. This is an excellent option after the installation of a Windows operating system or the purchase of a computer. Interested users can visit the Ninite website to create their own custom software installers.

The customization is as easy as it can get. All the user needs to do is to pick the programs that should be included in the installer. This installer can then be downloaded to the local computer system. The installer itself has always the same size of 159 Kilobytes. It currently contains the names of all programs that get installed. The developers should probably rethink that naming convention as long names can cause all kind of difficulties on some systems (next to looking confusing and slightly spammy).

The installer will then start downloading the programs which means that an Internet connection is required. The programs are then installed one by one on the local computer system. The benefit of this approach is that users can customize programs that they want to install. Silent installs are used and all the usual add-ons like toolbars or other questionable content is not installed in the process.

The service is currently in private beta which means that only beta participants can try it out. The amount of applications that are currently offered are limited but the developer’s promise to add additional programs to the service in the near future. Users who want to try the service can try a temporary account by signing up for the service at this url (99 invites remaining). It should be noted that the accounts and the installers will stop working in a week’s time.

It would have been nicer if beta users were allowed to continue using the service. This severely limits the service right now.

Update:

Got a reply from Volery about some of the issues that I addressed:

You’re right about the one week period being too limited. Although the site won’t be updated to say it until later, we’re going to allow all beta accounts and installers to work through our whole beta period. This change applies to all existing and new beta accounts.

For the long filenames issue we currently limit the name to 128 characters. We may need to lower this further if users run into trouble.

Good news is that the beta accounts and installers will now work longer than the initial seven day period.