What's your preferred File Manager

[ha14]

Hi

If you want there is also Windows Double Explorer. free
http://wde.codeplex.com/
Windows Double Explorer manages two or more Windows Explorer in one application. Also you can add your favorite folders with drag and drop to the toolbar for quick access. It's easyier to manage your disc structure. (A kind of Norton Commander or Total Commander)

[docster]

Used PowerDesk years ago, then went to DOpus for its configurability, then to XYplorer for - what is for me - the best medley of features bundled in a well-written package that is lightweight, portable and reliable.  Occasionally I find myself musing on how I could've possibly done without it for so long....

[hulkbuster]

Nice thread: i tried DO , really liked the Classic look, but its heavy on my pocket: it couldn't open a $Folder as it was assigned as System Folder(Total Commander couldn't open it too)....but the same folder was easily opened by XYplorer, i made a portable version and use it whenever the need be, but currently i m using  xplorer2 (havn't tried opening the $Folder) really like its small toolbar and i think its cute. Didn't find any difference to using Windows Explorer except it has many option. A little adjustment in the Option Bar and i m ready to go. i think its reeeeally versatile and light. (unlike DO...too flashy too many windows) but its really lacking a REFRESH option.

verified and tried opening $Folder with xplorer2 ,and it couldn't. Which make's XYplorer my preferred Primary Explorer then xplorer2  

[Tuxman]

What exactly do you want to refresh?

[hulkbuster]

i know Ctl+R does the Refresh but right clicking u'll see their is no Refresh Option (hope u understood) like in any Window folder.

[Tuxman]

Why should you need that?

[hulkbuster]

well duh to update my current Windows Explorer information and data,,,when i h' opened two windows say C: and D: but the good thing about xplorer2 is that it get updated automatically.
(Just tried it now)

[Tuxman]

Depends. You can disable it. 

[Innuendo]

well duh to update my current Windows Explorer information and data,,,when i h' opened two windows say C: and D: but the good thing about xplorer2 is that it get updated automatically.
(Just tried it now)

-hulkbuster (May 03, 2010, 04:29 PM)

I was just getting ready to say that any file manager worth its salt auto-refreshed its file lists.

[CWuestefeld]

For some time I've been a user of DOpus -- on my home computer, anyway; the license is too much for me to justify a second for work. IMHO, this program is the most polished, with a feature set that seems very well thought-out and integrated.

However, over the past few months I've found that it slows to a crawl when opening and sorting the contents of one particular directory (and not that large of one, with just a couple of hundred items). This has become enough of a frustration to me that I've mostly switched to XYplorer.

XYplorer is far quicker than DOpus, at least in the case of my headache directory. While I've never felt that its feature set was integrated as well as DOpus's, it certainly gets the job done. A few upgrades over the past couple of versions has made it my preference. In particular, it's now able to queue file operations, and the horrible artifacting in the toolbar is fixed. And it's one heck of a lot cheaper than DOpus. I'm still waiting on one more important feature: flattened directory view, which is promised soon.

The only reservation I have in recommending XYplorer now is the attitude of the developer. He's very resistant to criticism, even when it's intended to be constructive, because he has his own vision of what his program should be, and won't be swayed from it. I've seen exchanges on his forum become what I would consider abusive of his users when they criticize the program. But if your vision is sufficiently close to his, you can get a long way with it.

[Tuxman]

He's very resistant to criticism, even when it's intended to be constructive, because he has his own vision of what his program should be, and won't be swayed from it.

-CWuestefeld (May 04, 2010, 12:34 PM)

Which is not actually bad, as it avoids XY to become bloatware. So that's why we have the choice when it comes to file managers, right?

[wraith808]

He's very resistant to criticism, even when it's intended to be constructive, because he has his own vision of what his program should be, and won't be swayed from it.

-CWuestefeld (May 04, 2010, 12:34 PM)

Which is not actually bad, as it avoids XY to become bloatware. So that's why we have the choice when it comes to file managers, right?

-Tuxman (May 04, 2010, 01:00 PM)

I don't think the criticisms are necessarily of him having a vision and a direction, but the manner in which he interacts with people that don't have the same vision.  IMO, there is a problem with that.

[mwb1100]

but the manner in which he interacts with people that don't have the same vision.

-wraith808 (May 04, 2010, 01:07 PM)

I understand that part of this may be a difference in the communications style of Germans vs. whoever else (Americans?).  There might also be nuances that don't translate well from his native German to English.

Or Don may simply be difficult.

But one thing is also clear - Don is quite willing to change his mind about things, though it may take some work to convince him.  He's done so on such items as dual pane support for XY or even whether a user on the forum should be banned or considered an asset to the forum community.

[Innuendo]

The only reservation I have in recommending XYplorer now is the attitude of the developer. He's very resistant to criticism, even when it's intended to be constructive, because he has his own vision of what his program should be, and won't be swayed from it. I've seen exchanges on his forum become what I would consider abusive of his users when they criticize the program. But if your vision is sufficiently close to his, you can get a long way with it.

-CWuestefeld (May 04, 2010, 12:34 PM)

That's my impression as well. Any software author that won't listen to the suggestions of his users is not going to be writing any software I'll be using. Yes, it's his right to do what he wants to with his program just as it is my right to not buy it, use it, or recommend it.

[mwb1100]

Any software author that won't listen to the suggestions of his users...

-Innuendo (May 05, 2010, 09:22 PM)

DonL does a whole lot of listening and acting on the wishes of users. I'd say far more than most other software companies or authors I've dealt with.

That's not to say he accepts all suggestions (or criticisms), and I can see how someone might consider some responses rude, but on the whole I don't think that's the case.  And like I said, he's willing to be convinced and will change his mind without reservation when convinced.

Of course, if he rubs you the wrong way, it's certainly your right to decide not to give him your business. I just don't want others who read the message to be left with the impression that he doesn't act on suggestions. That is not the case.

[Darwin]

+1 for what mwb1100 worte 

I tried and failed to write something lucid along the same lines, but it was late and I was tired, so I gave up!

[cranioscopical]

+1 for what mwb1100 worte 

I tried and failed to write something lucid along the same lines, but it was late and I was tired, so I gave up!

-Darwin (May 06, 2010, 08:36 AM)

I've also found the author to be very quick to respond, which is something that I value.
Typically, when I have a query I'd like a response the day before I formulate it.

[cyberdiva]

For some time I've been a user of DOpus....
However, over the past few months I've found that it slows to a crawl when opening and sorting the contents of one particular directory (and not that large of one, with just a couple of hundred items). This has become enough of a frustration to me that I've mostly switched to XYplorer.

-CWuestefeld (May 04, 2010, 12:34 PM)

Gee, here I've been thinking that DO's taking a long time to open several of my directories was my fault.  Now you've got me wondering whether I should be looking at other options before the next new ver$ion comes out.  I've been impressed by what I've read about XYplorer and xplorer2.  Basically, if I were to change, I'd want a program rather like DO but more agile.  Hmmm....

[Tuxman]

Neither x² nor XY are "rather like DO"; that's why they are actually used by, at least, me. 

[cyberdiva]

Neither x² nor XY are "rather like DO"; that's why they are actually used by, at least, me. 

-Tuxman (May 06, 2010, 01:47 PM)

Well, let me say what I especially like and don't like about DO.  Among the things I don't care about are its ftp and zip capabilities.  I have separate programs that I prefer for both of those.  And, obviously, I don't like the fact that it takes a while for DO to open some of my directories.  Also, I wouldn't at all mind if it were a bit simpler to use.  Having a zillion features and settings that I don't need just adds to my frustration when I'm trying to figure out how to do something.  There's so much stuff to plough through to find what I need.

What I value in DO are
1) its dual pane structure, with the possibility of switching to single pane or images pane.
2) the ability to put my cursor on a graphics file and see a thumbnail of the file (this was one of the features that won me over to start with)
3) the File Collection feature--essentially a virtual directory into which I can put files and directories from all over my computer
4) the ability to put program icons on the toolbar so that if I highlight a file and click on, say, the Photoshop icon, the file will open in Photoshop.

These are features I use all the time.  There are probably lots of other things I value about DO, but these are the ones that come to mind most quickly.  Once I found DO, I was hooked, so I haven't bothered to look at other file managers since then.   Am I simply going to have to stay with DO?

[Tuxman]

Except 2), x² provides the same values.  
(I'm sure there are a lot of explorer extensions which add that functionality anyway.)

I would probably use DO, too, but, besides its memory consumption and the GUI (somehow it all feels too big for me), it is simply too expensive, so I'll gladly stick with my x² lifetime license. (Although XY is becoming better with every release, but one is enough for me.)

[cyberdiva]

Thanks very much, Tuxman, for your prompt and helpful reply.  Alas, I really love the ability to put my cursor over a graphics file and see what it is without having to open it.  As I say, that was probably the feature that sold me on DO when I first tried it several years ago, and I wouldn't want to give it up.  I agree that DO is expensive, but at least it's not one of these programs that asks you to pay for a new version every year.  I think thus far I've had to pay for an upgrade only once.  Still, there's no question that I'd prefer to spend less.  But would I be willing to give up the features I value in DO?  Probably not.  Sigh.   

[Tuxman]

Maybe it would be worth the effort to give the alternatives a try. 

[J-Mac]

I use DOpus but I also have XYPlorer (lifetime license) and TC (also a lifetime license). I use DOpus mainly because it has a lot of features and is easy to operate. XYPlorer also has a lot of features but TBH I Don’t know how to use a lot of them. I do know that early on a lot of its features were available through scripting, but I often have problems with scripting: mainly that developers seem to leave the learning of scripting up to the users. I Don’t want to have to learn how to code before I can use a program. I'm not saying that XY is quite that, but any app that requires a knowledge of scripting in order to use it effectively should, IMO, teach the scripting to its users and/or just provide a UI to overcome that.

I agree that DOpus has slowed down a lot since I started using it, and I would definitely switch to XY in a minute if I could do so without a large learning curve.

Thank you.

Jim

[tomos]

@ cyberdiva & CWuestefeld,
have you tried the Dopus forum to see what the problem is with reading the respective folders ?
I get the impression they are fairly responsive with bugs and that sounds like a bug to me...
__________________________

I havent noticed any slow-down in Dopus from v.8 to v.9 myself

Two of the major attractions of Dopus for me are:
~ the ability to save named (tabbed) layouts (sortof like sessionsaver in FF)
~ the fact it has a half decent image viewer (for a file manager at any rate)

I often find there's stuff I'd like to access but it's too hidden away / or difficult to implement / or to find info about. I had great trouble after upgrading even trying to find concrete info about a couple of features that were advertised in Leo's 'intro' (http://nudel.dopus.com/opus9/). But I guess that's the usual 'help file lags behind the software' story which is the same with most software.
_________________________________

Re XYplorer:-
I love using it Also, it's great the way it gets updated so often with new features.

As to forums - I cant say I'd have a preference between the two (dopus/xy). I've made a couple of small requests @ XY forums which were very quickly implemented which always makes for a very nice experience