I remember Norton Commander, well i can remember what it looked like not sure I ever became proficient with it.
I think the command line was far more useable
Same for mc oh boy I have a headache just wondering how anyone uses it.. I keep trying though, alas I need a mentor to help me through it's idiosyncrasies.
Instead when I have some serious work to accomplish I rely on Fluff entirely.
On systems build with a priority on user experience hands down a modded pcmanfm mod with gnome icon theme is the winner.
Otherwise fluff gets the job done
I wish I could share the enthusiasm of everyone here for mc but I don't know how to use it