What File Manager should be used?

[curaga]

I'm not too old, and I prefer full cli. I've never used mc, and the GUI file managers mostly get in the way.

Sure there are some tasks where a FM would be good, like browsing pics, but for that I nowadays use feh.

[AbNoRMiS]

i'm not yet old but already not so young though unfortunately can say is closer to first
because if you are not recalled then i would not remembered that i began in naked dos
when only first versions of norton commander were released
but this does not prevent me use each of three four installed file managers
for those purposes for which each one suits best
certainly based on same reasons i also use command line

[althalus]

What file manager? I never use one. Old style command line tools is all I ever use.
I wonder, if perhaps, it is a generation thing. I am so old that I did not have the luxury of a file manager in my younger days. So now I only see them as an obstacle, too many items on the screen I find distracting!  Perhaps the youngest of our group perfer a GUI file manager, whereas the "in between'ers" perfer mc.

If it's a generation thing then I must be out of touch with mine (unless 25 is old now? That would be scary)... I interact with linux (mostly ubuntu) servers every day, and have never felt the need for a better UI than the command line. I installed cygwin on my windows dekstop just so I could have a linux-ish command line to interact with my files!

[Rich]

I wonder, if perhaps, it is a generation thing.

That may be part of it, but I think a users needs, habits, typing skills, and willingness/ability to adopt different
ways of doing things also play a part here. I don't use mc to copy or move files, I do that from the command line.
I often want to view a C file or script to lookup some syntax. With mc, I can quickly navigate to the directory and
file using the mouse with my right hand, and open it for viewing by hitting F3 with my left. Much faster than I
ever could using the command line, even with tab completion. I've also used it to examine binary files, like
Tinycores  ControlPanel, when I wanted to see which executable was being called by one of the buttons.
I also use mc when I wish to examine the contents of a  .tar  or  .tar.bz2  file I've downloaded. Just click on
the file to highlight it, hit enter, and you can navigate through the file system and view the files at will.

[Lee]

If it's a generation thing then I must be out of touch with mine (unless 25 is old now? That would be scary)... I interact with linux (mostly ubuntu) servers every day, and have never felt the need for a better UI than the command line. I installed cygwin on my windows dekstop just so I could have a linux-ish command line to interact with my files!

Bad news... you're old.    I'm 50 and I've done the same command line and Cygwin thing, though I'm lazy enough that I  still use a file manager much of the time (even though it sometimes gets in the way).  Emelfm2 is a good program, even with a few UI quirks and outright bugs.  At work, I refer to Cygwin as a "scripting engine" instead of a "linux-ish command line" because the company has been working -so- hard to get off of that nasty old Unix platform and onto Windows.  Truth be told, I would have kept Cygwin on my PC but off of the servers if it weren't for the scripting capabilities.

[Yleisajattelija]

I use to be original "command line" person on PC world.  I agree with roberts that simple basic system commands should be enough.

But on unix, of course, nothing really works.

a) Different shells. Never know whats commands are implemented on this shell, and command are always just slightly different, so never know what happens with this time/-switch
b) Onestly, does someone always type "find / -iname what-was-to-find" ? Just too meny keys to push!
c) Switch/parameter corruption. With every command you have 100577000 swithes available, 3 really needed and other will crash the system when used.
d) Extrabad documentation. And those man-pages are more criminal action than help!

Emelfm has good idas, too complex configuration and search is missing (why there is no search?).

Currently I'm using emlfm and mc for search.

[bmarkus]

Yleisajattelija@

It is clear, LINUX is not for you. If you are unhappy with it, do not use.

[ananix]

I use to be original "command line" person on PC world.  I agree with roberts that simple basic system commands should be enough.

But on unix, of course, nothing really works.

a) Different shells. Never know whats commands are implemented on this shell, and command are always just slightly different, so never know what happens with this time/-switch
b) Onestly, does someone always type "find / -iname what-was-to-find" ? Just too meny keys to push!
c) Switch/parameter corruption. With every command you have 100577000 swithes available, 3 really needed and other will crash the system when used.
d) Extrabad documentation. And those man-pages are more criminal action than help!

Emelfm has good idas, too complex configuration and search is missing (why there is no search?).

Currently I'm using emlfm and mc for search.

  Odd you say nothing really works, in unix i have never had an idea or job i could not get to work, all other OS limits my ideas by what i can get from the OS without turning to real programming.
  I wonder if you have ever truly used a real unix, the filosofi and nature of it is oposit of what you declare. I beleave that the core unix utils in linux totaly live up to the same filosofies the old unix's is build upon. Must time only diff is the license following them. One time 10 years ago i did although find a bug in sort.
  That you maybe use third party program not following the unix filosofi says more about your skills than unix.
  That you failed to read technical documentation provided in unix again says more about your skill than unix. Most unix's have tons of examples in their manpages almost for every posible use. This is in linux a bit different but its deffently getting better and in linux's favour compared to unix you can most often find the rest on the net.
  I find the major diff in shells is only on how they where inteded to be used all the commands are the same. Some shells is for programming but these most often are called from the script and never issued the user on login. Maybe you mistake shell commands with system programs but here apropos is your friend if you really jump around true64, reliant, linux (varies per distro), sco and so on. When you sort it out you can make a symbolic link script or use aliases to name the commands in the way you seem fit. On terminal systems must operaters have their prefered macroes anyway.
Only on FreeBSD have i ever had a system crash do to a system program flag (mount -a) and i doubt it was really the flag in it self, i have been using unix for 15years. If a flag kills your third part program dont blame unix blame the your self for using bad programs.
  I dont understand you b) question so i guess not is the answer.

  Using a file manager can be nice getting and overview and individual selection of unknown unsystematic files that only the human brain can sort out.

[spence91]

Honestly - I think for the actual *managing* of files - mc is still the best. It's got a shell for the complex stuff and easy key presses for everything else. Honestly, what other tool other than "find -iname '*avi' -exec mv {} ~/Movies/ \; " could you use to move all .avi files from multiple-depth directories to somewhere else easily?

The only use case where I use a GUI file manager is when handling photos, because without a thumbnail it's hard to remember if you wanted to copy DSC045 or DSC055.

[Yleisajattelija]

Yleisajattelija@

It is clear, LINUX is not for you. If you are unhappy with it, do not use.

I have 3 not-so-wonderful-choises:

a) Apple
b) Windows
c) Linux (open source)

Solution: First fix linux, then use it!

[bmarkus]

Yleisajattelija@

It is clear, LINUX is not for you. If you are unhappy with it, do not use.

I have 3 not-so-wonderful-choises:

a) Apple
b) Windows
c) Linux (open source)

Solution: First fix linux, then use it!

No. Learn LINUX in your only choice.

[netnomad]

dear friend Yleisajattelija,

never mind,
but
why do you spoil everyones lifetime?

use that software that keeps you happy,
but care for us, too ;-)

sometimes i think:
nowadays the commitment to a certain operation-system is similar to the commitment to a certain religion ;-)

[Yleisajattelija]

Sorry, I did'n meant to be unpolite. At foreing language is sometimes difficult to find correct language.

I hope, that none did get hard feelings for my comments.

[ananix]

Yleisajattelija@

It is clear, LINUX is not for you. If you are unhappy with it, do not use.

I have 3 not-so-wonderful-choises:

a) Apple
b) Windows
c) Linux (open source)

Solution: First fix linux, then use it!

d) Being a guru knowing all about how an OS should be, write your own.
e) Being OS illiterate accept working with and understanding computing is not for you.

  Odd you chose computing for your trade when you dont like the tools you work with and is not fascinated by the nature of your raw materials wanting to understand and improve them. That should be the goal of any tradesman on he's or her's trade. Not atleast to be proud from that, creating the best products.

[rms46]

Thank you for all the answers.
I will use "fluff" as a File Manager.

Rahmat