Since I switched to Linux, I’ve always used Nemo as the file manager (first with Budgie, then with Cinnamon, now on DWM). Recently I wondered, if there might be a better solution in the Arch repos that jive better with the tiling window manager workflow.
So, I installed all the file managers in a VM, and took a look:
And, I’m convinced that Nemo is simply the best choice for general purpose use: it has root privileges if needed, it opens terminal at the current directory… However it is not exactly fitting in with the “keyboard only” mentality I’m trying to build to increase my efficiency on my system.
What is your choice for file manager? And why is it so?
I use Dolphin. I find that whenever I use any other, I am unhappy because it doesn’t have all the features I enjoy. My only issue is it doesn’t split into more panes than just the two side-by-side. I was a heavy Konqueror user back in the day and I wish some of those features would be rolled into Dolphin.
I use Nemo too since I use Cinnamon most of the time but I must admit that when it comes to custom actions, Thunar is much easier to setup.
I was recently helping a user on the Linux Mint forum who wanted an easy way to copy a full file path of a file/folder to the clipboard. It took 3 minutes in Thunar without looking up any documentation. Nemo uses a huge config file to achieve the same thing and adds a lot of time to the process.
Thunar has just been the most dependable over mucho años. Dolphin is fine, but I simply do not find any practical advantage to it. spacefm is a great file manager http://ignorantguru.github.io/spacefm/
For tiling and keyboards you really cannot go wrong with learning any of the major terminal options if you are comfortable with the basics of vi:
I installed nnn, and it looks interesting. I like vim, but what’s holding me back is I never had any time to customize it, so I basically use it vanilla. However, during this holiday season, I’m planning to get into nvim much more, and probably will give nnn a chance and also configure that too.
Kitty (terminal that supports images - best for viu) with ZSH and auto-complete / syntax highlighting. LSD for LS. Gobble (alternative to Swallow or Devour). Goto for bookmarks. Tree. etc.