I owe Norton a lot of joy for bringing orthodox file managers (the ones with two panes) and I can't live without them. They make file managing so comfortable compared to stuff like Windows Explorer or Nautilus (not saying they are bad though, I just prefer two panes).
Nowadays I mostly use clones like Midnight Commander, Krusader and Double Commander, and I used Worker (a clone of a clone, this time a clone of Directory Opus for the Amiga) for a long time before settling on Krusader as main one. The genealogy of these file managers is kind of fascinating.
I'm using 'mc' on Linux from time to time and total commander on my mobile with the sftp plugin. Still remember Norton from back in the days this way ;-)
We were using Volkov Commander because it was much smaller (and single-file executable IIRC). I tried Dos Navigator and FAR but these did too much for my liking. In the Windows XP era Windows/Total Commander was in style locally.
Totalcmd on windows. On Mac I’m using some off-brand klone that’s kinda ok but uses like 1GB of memory per instance window. Mac OS is such a shit show these days.
> They make file managing so comfortable compared to stuff like Windows Explorer or Nautilus (not saying they are bad though, I just prefer two panes).
When I’m on Windows and need two panes, I open two Windows Explorer windows.
It's not just about two independent panes. It's about two panes in a single context. With this, there can be shortcuts that act in files and which now don't just have a source (the selected files in the active pane) but also a destination (the inactive pane), so copying, symlinking and moving all can be done with a single key without the need to provide a destination
You could in principle setup shortcuts the same way (treat right tab/second window as the automatic destination), but that'd definitely be more error prone vs a built-in dependency
I haven't used many of the others, but I love Midnight Commander! Especially after enabling "Lynx-like motion" - it's so nice being able to walk around directories with arrow keys
I use one of its descendants, Total Commander, every day. It's one of the few applications I actually paid for, it's that critical for my daily computer usage.
What I love about it is that you get lifetime free updates.
I suspect that the author got setup for life selling it and instead of cashing out and selling it to some bigcorp (who undoubtedly would've changed the free update policy) he decided to keep the updates free forever.
I suggest its clone, Double Commander. Does everything as TC, supports its plugins and is cross platform and open source. I was very active in TC community until I switched to DC.
I came to Unix from an MS-DOS background, where I used Norton Commander a lot. I used to keep an older version of NC – which would fit on a floppy – with me at all times. But on Unix, I ended up not using any of the clones; not even Midnight Commander, which was a key-for key clone, and should have fit me perfectly. It turns out you, or at least I, just don’t use Unix the same way as I did MS-DOS. When I need to manipulate files in any quantity, I use Emacs and its dired-mode.
See especially the “wdired-change-to-wdired-mode” command, now available on the usual “toggle read-only mode” keystroke C-x C-q – it’s magical.
Growing up in the 90s, Norton Commander had this aura of mystery around it.
A lot of people I've met believed that it was a separate operating system. For example, I remember asking a friend "Did your computer had DOS in the beginning?" and he replied "Even worse, Norton."
My mom found me once aimlessly using my cousin's computer and she was shocked to discover I had opened Norton Commander (unintentionally of course) and told me "you know if you delete that, you'll delete all programs in the system" (passing over the absurdity of the claim itself, even then I didn't understand how opening it will make it more probable to delete it).
Not being Anglophone, even the name "Norton" sounded a bit dangerous, like something radioactive I guess.
Anyway afterwards when we got our own computer I pieced together what Norton actually was and the aura disappeared.
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[ 6.0 ms ] story [ 123 ms ] threadNowadays I mostly use clones like Midnight Commander, Krusader and Double Commander, and I used Worker (a clone of a clone, this time a clone of Directory Opus for the Amiga) for a long time before settling on Krusader as main one. The genealogy of these file managers is kind of fascinating.
Anyone else a fan?
I think you may mean Ghost Commander, I use it on Android and it fits your description.
https://www.ghisler.com/androidapp.htm
https://www.ghisler.com/androidplugins/googleplay/
When I’m on Windows and need two panes, I open two Windows Explorer windows.
I had Gemini implement a simulation:
https://chrissherlock.github.io/operating-system/week10-file...
What I love about it is that you get lifetime free updates.
I suspect that the author got setup for life selling it and instead of cashing out and selling it to some bigcorp (who undoubtedly would've changed the free update policy) he decided to keep the updates free forever.
See especially the “wdired-change-to-wdired-mode” command, now available on the usual “toggle read-only mode” keystroke C-x C-q – it’s magical.
(This has been an 11 year old repost of <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9474384>.)
A lot of people I've met believed that it was a separate operating system. For example, I remember asking a friend "Did your computer had DOS in the beginning?" and he replied "Even worse, Norton."
My mom found me once aimlessly using my cousin's computer and she was shocked to discover I had opened Norton Commander (unintentionally of course) and told me "you know if you delete that, you'll delete all programs in the system" (passing over the absurdity of the claim itself, even then I didn't understand how opening it will make it more probable to delete it).
Not being Anglophone, even the name "Norton" sounded a bit dangerous, like something radioactive I guess.
Anyway afterwards when we got our own computer I pieced together what Norton actually was and the aura disappeared.