The latest articles on Forem by r57zone (@r57zone). https://forem.com/r57zone https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3878900%2F236c5e1d-5199-4e0c-8d0d-5a4854d9647f.png https://forem.com/r57zone en r57zone Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:31:54 +0000 https://forem.com/r57zone/lite-catalog-windows-app-catalog-with-silent-install-and-old-versions-28kf https://forem.com/r57zone/lite-catalog-windows-app-catalog-with-silent-install-and-old-versions-28kf <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fmbfw2sztepqtu8ivm4or.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fmbfw2sztepqtu8ivm4or.png" alt=" " width="586" height="518"></a><br> I got tired of hunting for decent free Windows software across random download sites, <br> so I built Lite Catalog - a local catalog of open-source and free applications with <br> built-in download and installation support.</p> <h2> What it does </h2> <p>You open the app, pick software from categories, hit install. That's it.</p> <p>No package manager overhead, no accounts, no cloud, everything runs locally.</p> <h2> What makes it different </h2> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fpg110icuvsbmrmjlgmlh.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fpg110icuvsbmrmjlgmlh.png" alt=" " width="586" height="579"></a><br> <strong>Checksum verification</strong> - most files are verified with SHA-1 before anything runs, <br> so you know what you're installing is legit.</p> <p><strong>Silent installation</strong> — runs in background with no dialog windows popping up.</p> <p><strong>Portable apps support</strong> - zip/7z/rar archives are extracted automatically to <br> <code>C:\Programs\</code> with desktop shortcuts created out of the box.</p> <p><strong>Legacy Windows support</strong> - older versions of apps available for XP, Vista, 7, 8, <br> and 8.1. Most tools don't bother with this.</p> <p><strong>Screenshots and descriptions</strong> - not just a bare list of names.</p> <h2> Categories </h2> <p>Browsers, messengers, VPNs, office suites, media players, dev tools, system <br> utilities, and more.<br> <a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F91evhccc6u7fyoznj4l7.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F91evhccc6u7fyoznj4l7.png" alt=" " width="586" height="518"></a></p> <h2> Contributing </h2> <p>Each app is described in a plain INI file inside <code>Apps\&lt;Category&gt;\</code>. Easy to add <br> new apps via PR or suggest them through Issues.</p> <p>GitHub: <a href="https://github.com/litecatalog/LiteCatalog" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://github.com/litecatalog/LiteCatalog</a></p> <p>Happy to hear feedback or suggestions.</p> windows opensource productivity tools