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FILE MANAGER
Searching an optimal file manager for end user
LE Hoang Nhi
Why do we need an optimal file manager?
Beginning with the music player, every body agree with me that Songbird, Banshee, Rhythmbox manage the music file better than Xmms.
So I want to manage all my multimedia (music, video, photo...) in a media center like this way.
Final, I want to have an application to manage all my documents (multimedia, docs...) by this modern file manager.
File Browser # Panel Filter
Old file manager:
File browser (FB)
Modern file manager:
Panel filter (PF)
I call the old and modern file manager that's File browser and Panel Filter. I don't talk about a specific software but about whole characters specified of many softwares.
Plan
What are different from File browser and Panel filter? Folder tree # Multi-tag tree
Manual classification # Auto Filter
Searching # Filtering
Close # Connecting
Appearance: inflexible # flexible
Some other characters
Some illustration of Panel Filter New File Manager candidates
Why do we need a multi-tag?
I want to save a file in my computer. Ex: the picture nearby.
I hesitate to save it in one of among of folders: opensource, funny, party...
It's difficult for me to find it late if I don't remember in where I saved it.
I can do it easily by multi-Tag.
FOLDER TREE # Multi-TAG TREE
FB organizes files by FOLDER TREE:
Saving your file in one folder on your folder tree.
You need many folders for all.
PF organizes files by Multi-TAG TREE:
Saving your file (not in folder but) in one or more tags, suggested by Tag Tree or smart Tag.
You need only one database for all (all in “My Documents”)
Manual classification # Auto Filter
In FB, the files are saved and classified manually in the folder suggested such as: Music, Pictures, Videos, Documents
In PF, just put all files in “My Documents” with tag! Don't worry. It classifies automatically all files by application and many other characters.
Nemo
Nautilus
Searching # Filtering
FB search files by “Search”
PF may be find files by multi-character before searching.
Ex: Filter by : time, tag, rate, application, genre, people...
Close # Connecting
FB is close. It knows only local files.
PF can connect to internet and other devices.
Appearance
FB's appearance is inflexible
PF allows the user to modify his appearance alike Songbird ;)
SUMMARY
FILE BROWSER File organization:
FOLDER TREE Manual classification
Search by “find”
Close Inflexible appearance
PANEL FILTER Organization:
Multi-TAG TREE Automatic filter by
multi-character Search by “Filter and
dynamic search” Open and connecting Flexible appearance
Some other PF's characters
The modern file manager has also some characters:
Cross platform (run in Linux, Mac, Windows...) Multi application support (not support only
music or photo but all of music, photo, video, documents...)
Plug-in such as: lyric for a song, all information about a movie...
...
Some illustration of Panel Filter
Multimedia file manager: Songbird, Banshee, Rhythmbox, ITunes, Windows media player...
Photo file manager: F-spot, Picasa, Windows Gallery...
Collection: Gcstar File manager: Nemo, Nautilus, Dolphin...
and Finder (I never used, but its screenshots are great)
Songbird
Banshee
Rhythmbox
ITunes
Windows Media player
F-Spot
Picasa
Windows Gallery
Nautilus
Dolphin
FINDER
New File manager candidates
Now, we haven't got a File Manager open source software which reach all Panel Filter's characters. I choose some candidates: Nautilus, Dolphin, Banshee, Songbird, Rhythmbox, F-spot, Nemo, Gcstar. Let compare them.
Software Platform App-Support Plug-in Panel Filter
Nautilus Linux All No No
Dolphin Linux All I don't know I don't know
Banshee Linux, Windows Music, Video Yes Yes
Songbird Linux, Windows Music Yes (great) YesRhythmbox Linux Music Yes (no much) YesF-spot Linux Photo Yes YesNemo Linux Almost No Yes (but only app. and time filter)Gcstar Linux, Windows Many Yes (great) YesWe Need All All Yes (many, many)Yes (with many characters)
Which for?
So I hope that the developer of these candidates integrate all Panel Filter's characters to their softwares.
ZXC232's contributions
We can't remove folder tree immediately. So we should maintain 2 view modes by option: View by folder and View by tag
Open, Save, Save as... of all File manager applications need have 2 these modes.
Auto-tag for old data (ex: by indexing of Google desktop search)
Thanks zxc232 for your ideas, my friend.
Which for?
http://dvhart.com/content/blog/dvhart/linux/file_management_idea_from_john_stultz
File management applications (rhythmbox, f-spot, etc) as top level storage locations:
http://www.gnome.org/~federico/docs/2008-GUADEC/html/index.html
Document-centric GNOME
You can find another ideas like this for GNOME:
I love Gnome!So If we want to have a “radically changing its user model or taking advantage of new technologies” for Gnome 3.0,
That's here: A new file manager for all files.
Who are pioneers?
I see in the website of Songbird, they talk about themselves : “Pioneers of the Inevitable”. That's right.
Is Panel Filter a Inevitable?
If yes, who are pioneers?
