Portable Apps is a remarkable portable application suite which runs off your USB flash drive.  You can carry around all of your favorite open source applications with this utility. 

Everything runs off the USB drive so there is never anything to install.  If you place of employment requires Windows everything… just take along Portable Apps and your back in the open source comfort zone.  Portable Apps is put together extremely well and is very visually pleasing.  Most applications start with a splash screen such as this one with Open Office Writer.

Provided your USB drive is large enough you can carry around and save everything you create and do with Portable Apps.  Everything is saved to your USB drive.  In fact the folder system of Portable Apps is just like Windows Explorer (the screenshot below is the folder system inside Portable Apps running on my flash drive).  You will be quite comfortable in this environment. 

There is even a very handy backup utility included in the Suite.

So far I am extremely impressed with Portable Apps.  New and updated open source applications are constantly being updated on the Portable Apps web site.  Adding a new application is achieved simply through the main menu.  The portable versions of of popular open source applications like Open Office may lack some functionality of the full installation but you will definitely be able to get by on what is available.  For programmers wanting to help out with the project fine out more here!