xplorer² 2.0: First beta versions around - Here comes the news.

[Tuxman]

I was asked to give the new x² beta versions a short review. Here it comes!
xplorer² has already been discussed here in the past, so I will focus on the actual news in this version.

First, x² v2.0 is still a beta version, meant to find and squash bugs before release.



The majority of planned changes is already implemented though, the most significant one is docking.
You can drag every single panel around, make it even floating, which is especially nice for people who use the two-panel mode.



As you might see, the preview panel has also been improved a lot. Its "native" view uses Windows' own preview handlers for all known file types, so buggy third-party preview handlers won't crash x² anymore. Also, there's automatic resizing now.

xplorer² has been my primary file manager for a while. With v2.0 it makes another long step compared to its competitors.
The only thing that has still not been improved is the handling of Windows' namespaces, so assigning x² to folders like the Control Panel (via registry) does not always work, "Windows Update", for example, will show up as an empty folder. But that is rather common among file managers, so doing that is not recommended anyway. 

A pity I only own one license. On the other hand, there's still XYplorer. 

x² 2.0 discussion topic

[Lutz_]

Thanks Tuxman for the insights.
I am using the old xplorer2 and guess I would certainly appreciate improved previews.  I am not so sure about floating windows - to me one big advantage of commander style file managers has always been the structured all-in-one-view and the fact that it mostly avoids flipping through hidden and overlapping windows.  For example I might like the another file manager best for its intuitive features (AC Browser Plus), if it were not for its independently floating and overlapping panes.

[Tuxman]

The "feature" that you can make any panel "floating" is a side-effect of making them draggable. AFAIR AC Browser Plus doen't let you disable all that overlapping - x² does.

[Lutz_]

Drag-able panels could indeed be convenient.  You are right about ACB Plus.

[Ampa]

Version 2.0 final has now been released.

I was a little disappointed that I didn't qualify for an upgrade price discount (as I bought xplorer2 over 2 years ago), but was pleasantly suprised to see that you can get the Pro version for free using the TrialPay system.

I browsed the TrialPay offers and was able to find one that was entirely free (just required me to sign up for a product trial, which I then declined to take up).

I've received my license key, and so far have not been inundated with spam - so all in all I think I got a good deal!