Just curious, what is a file manager for?

[admin]

In the last week a read through of lot of software sites. As I noted elsewhere (http://www.xyplorer.com/xyfc/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=15743) something appears to have changed in recent years and many of the old popular sites turned to dysfunctional zombies without any impact on user behavior. Of course, the rise of mobile computing is a key factor here, as well as the weird evolution of Windows which somehow tries to be desktop and mobile at the same time.

Well, surely there are still people out there using desktop machines, and as a producer of a desktop software, I need to reach them. During my last week's read I got the impression that the nerd density decreased among desktop users, especially among the young ones who often appear as clueless as older folks in previous generations (who would not know the difference between Word and Windows, etc). I especially liked the following contribution in a discussion about Linux (!) file managers:

Just curious, what is a file manager for?



So I thought it might be a smart move to ask and answer this question on my website.
How would you answer it? (between 5 and 500 words)

[klownboy]

A program which allows the user to view and manipulate files and folders on a computer through a user-friendly and customizable graphical interface.

or something along those lines...the rest is just gravy.

[binocular222]

The must-have:
- Take me to the desired locaion as fast as possible (less clicks even when the folder is deeply nested)
- Help me to forget the exact location, i.e: Take me to Moon_Pictures1.jpg without making me to remember lengthy path (solution: QNS, Everything.exe, Favourite, Tabset)
- Rename, move, copy files/folders around
- Organize items: Tag, catalog, filter/group/sort
- Get/Display basic properties (base name, path, size, date, read-only...)
- Feed items to relevant applications (PFA)

The nice-to-have:
- Preview
- Edit basic properties

The no-no:
- Edit content
- Do things in background (i.e: Autoplay when USB is inserted)

[admin]

I think we are now facing a generation that was raised on smartphones and now gets their first desktop computer (school, university). They might not even know what files and folders are. Nevertheless they would greatly benefit from a file manager once they understood what it is. We probably need usage examples on a very low level to get the idea across. Well, probably nothing beats a movie here.

[MBaas]

Yes, is something I also noticed over the yrs with various newbies: even rudimentary terms like "file" and "folder" are not know - and once they understand the concept it is a breakthrough in the understanding of "the machine". Hard to imagine - but I've even come across ppl that studied IT-related topics and did not know about the "DIR"-Command!

[binocular222]

If one does not know the basic idea of file and folder then Windows Explorer is fine for him (probably he doesn't have too many files to manage). XYplorer should only be introduced to people who get frustrated with WE (why pay for something when you're still happy with the free WE?).

[admin]

If one does not know the basic idea of file and folder then Windows Explorer is fine for him (probably he doesn't have too many files to manage). XYplorer should only be introduced to people who get frustrated with WE (why pay for something when you're still happy with the free WE?).

EDIT my English: Windows Explorer is not fine for anybody. Windows Explorer is fine for nobody. IMO it's a disaster for savvies as well as for the clueless.

[binocular222]

Agree.
Desktop, My Documents, Libraries really defeat the notion of "path". But like I said, I want file manager to help me "forget" the exact full path. So Microsoft may think it's easier when user doesn't have to care about full path at all. Unfortunately, this teach newbie nothing about file management.

P.S: My setup is quite similar to Microsoft: I have 5 lock-home-zone tabs for Movies, Music, Document, Pictures, Temporary. Whenever I need pictures, I go to that tab instead of having to remember and click through C:\whatever.

[tiago]

A bit propagandistic but here's my take on the topic...

Want to know where your movies and songs actually hide in your notebook and devices?
What about replicating them into other devices faster than bluetooth?
Had a phone stolen and now looking for a way to have your pictures backed up without paying expensive taxes?
Interested in learning some cool tricks that’ll save you time, impress your friends and even introduce you to programming?
Then a file manager is what you need, an XYplorer is the best out there for this and more!

[admin]

Yep, that's the way. Talk their language, ask their questions.