Best file manager for developers

Question

Developers have high demands, so I think many of us are unsatisfied with the average file manager shipped with the operating system.

What is your file manager of choice, and why?

Answer 1

Given the types of file manipulations that tend to be necessary in development or systems administration, I find the only really usable "file manager" for me is a command prompt, preferably one with UNIX tools, so Cygwin or something similar on Windows. I find that this combined with a tabbed-interface terminal app meets my needs better than any GUI file manager I've tried.

Answer 2

I like Konquerer a lot (on KDE), but I don't use KDE all that much, so I tend to stick with the good old command line. I use the command line less on windows, but let's face it: Windows wasn't made with command line users in mind.

I personally find that the default file managers seem to do the task I need, but not particularly well. They tend to be easiest when I'm not 100% sure where a file I'm looking for is or when I don't want to type the path (drag and drop for the win!).

In similar regards, why is it that virtually no OS or window manager's default file manager has picked up on tabbed browsing? I really hate having my taskbar cluttered up with every file system location I have open at the time.

Answer 3

For me it's SpeedCommander as the ultimate Windows reincarnation of Norton Commander. Price is OK, it's not as ugly as Total Commander, has a 64 bit version, keyboard shortcuts, directory comparison, quick viewers for lots of file types and tons of other features. It even has an optional command line at the bottom of the window where you can drop files from the file window as parameters for other programs. Worth checking out.

Answer 4

I use FreeCommander under Windows, which has been working fine for me the last 6 months I've been using it. Looks better than most *Commander clones, and does its job.

I do find, though, that when I as developer am faced with files and directory manipulations that occur frequently, I'm better off writing a dedicated tool. I usually use Python, and because I like (helpful) GUIs, I also use wxPYthon, the python binding of wxWidgets.

Answer 5

Orthodox File Managers (OFMs) are also known as "Commanders". They are remote descendants of Norton Commander

Members of this family of file managers with the most prominent example of FAR Manager on Windows and Midnight Commander in Unix use simple yet very powerful command line windows managers with file management capabilities that use three windows: two symmetrical windows with listings of files in two possibly separate directories called panels and one "terminal style" window that initially is minimized to one (bottom) line.

Modern OFM interface is a Screen inspired generalization of Norton Commander interface and preserved "look and feel" of the original program with its ability to shrink and manipulate visibility of left and right panel windows as well as expand command window (preferably gradually but at least to half-screen and full-screen).

An advantage of OFM is that this is the only type of file manager that is standardized and the skills are transferable from command line to GUI and back as well as from one platform to another.

My file manager of choice is FAR + MSYS + Cygwin on Windows and MC on Unix.

Answer 6

As I do web development mostly, I like to see my thumbnails of images and videos. So, it is rox-filer which is quite a fast and no-frills file manager. I really don't need my file manager to be very user friendly and integrated to my window manager.

Answer 7

I use the V fileViewer from http://fileviewer.com/ on Windows. It was conceptually based on the old LIST program, but has progressed far beyond in terms of features and capability, including easy viewing of NTFS Alternate Data Streams.

Answer 8

I'm surprised nobody mentioned Altap Salamander. That's what I use on Windows and I haven't found anything better yet.

Answer 9

I like Directory Opus for windows. It's got everything I can think of with regards to file management including scripting, macros, etc.

Answer 10

I really like Total Commander, especially since it included the "Multiple Tabs" feature, and have been using it for quite a long time (actually since I switched from Norton Commander ;-). What I like about it is that it is highly customizable and can be used with keyboard only, has a command prompt integrated, and it integrates well with Windows - it's just a shame that there is no 64bit version and it's only available for Windows...

Answer 11

I use Xplorer2 lite on Vista, because

1. The Vista File Manager is evil (though slightly less evil if you force it to force it stop changing folder views)
2. Xplorer2 supports TortoiseSVN overlays and context menus (any file manager that doesn't I can't even consider, I live in Tortoise).

Answer 12

Another vote for xplorer2 from http://www.zabkat.com/. First thing I install on a clean vista system, as I cant stand the default file manager / explorer.

Answer 13

kde's filemanager (konq) is quite amazing. you can quickly split it vertically(ctrl+shift+t) or horizontally(ctrl+shift+l) and have tabs(ctrl+t) and even (get this) "open a command prompt from here" with f4. you can open docs in the same window (depends on file type setting). also a neat little feature is renaming files (when in list/detail mode), you hit f2 and it doesn't highlight extension, you can hit up/down arrow to move to next item. also you can select multiple files easily with arrows and keyboard only (use space to toggle selection). also compressed files can be browsed just like normal folders and doesn't get clunky like xp does (at least when i last used xp). and the most awesomest feature... when you drag a file from one folder to another, you don't have to guess at what its going to do (like windows), it pops up a context menu with options: copy, move, link.

Answer 14

The Sunrise Commander is another file manager for GNU Emacs that descends directly from mc.el -- the same dog that has learned many nifty new tricks, like copying and renaming files in the background, integration with AVFS (linux only, I'm afraid) for transparent navigation inside compressed files, integration with eshell and term-mode for command-line navigation and path expansion, history rings for last visited directories, integration with recentf for list of files recently visited and much more.

If you happen to be a Midnight Commander user and an Emacs user at the same time, give Sunrise a try -- there's a high chance you will like it a lot. I use it all the time, not only because I developed it, but principally because it currently covers all of my FM needs, at work as well as at home.

This is how it looks like:

Cheers,

José A. Romero L.
escherdragon at gmail dot com
"We who cut mere stones must always be envisioning cathedrals."
(Quarry worker's creed)

Answer 15

Q-Dir is excellent. Simple, powerful, featured and multi-language (and FREE).

Q-Dir website

Answer 16

On Windows, 7-zip can be used as a good (free) file-manager: it has a 2-panel commander style and familiar keyboard shortcuts, history, favourites and customizable text editor. Also reads and writes a lot of archive formats.

Answer 17

You can try Proto

here is a screencast

Why?

1. Blazing fast
2. Keyboard friendly
3. Filtering
4. Regex rename
5. Calculator
6. App Launcher

Answer 18

Windows Explorer (Vista or 7) (dont kill me :D )

Seriously, how advanced features do you really need, who needs a freakin calendar(cough emacs) in their FILE MANAGER? 99% of the operations i use are rename, move and copy and that on code files that usually are very small. For that explorer does the job good enough while it also looks good as opposed to most other file managers.

It has great support for the built in Windows Indexer so you have instant search, that also searches inside the files and on metadata, in every indexed folder as default. Thumbnails with easy zoom is also nice.

WinRar and Tortoise also integrates nice into the contextmenus so no need for built in diff and zip functions.

Only thing i miss is working FTP-support.

The preview pane could also have been better for code-files. As it is now you manually have to add support for most common code-files even though they all are just plain text, and the interface for doing this is not nice! (Does anyone have tips on preview handlers with syntax highlightning btw?)