[Windows] Multi Commander is feature-filled, multi-tabbed file manager — an alternative to Windows Explorer
October 7, 2012 60
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Multi Commander is a file manager that is an alternative to the standard, default Windows Explorer. With this program users can potentially get work done faster by using advanced features compared to using Windows Explorer.
What is it and what does it do
Main Functionality
Windows Explorer is good; one cannot deny that fact. However, when it comes to doing things more effectively when exploring files on your computer, Multi Commander does the job a lot better.
Pros
- Auto unpacking
- Auto sorting
- Browse inside archives
- Workspace support
- Multi-tabbed
- …and a lot more
Cons
- Dreadful user interface
- Difficult learning curve
- Help documentation is online, as opposed to coming with the program
Discussion
From the get go, the first thing that is notable about Multi Commander is that it is best used by those who are advanced computer users because the user interface is dreadful. As there are so many things going here, it would take users quite a lot of time to get their heads around everything before beginning to use the program effectively, and that could be a problem for some.
When the Multi Commander is launched for the first time, an option will present itself to choose a look and feel; this is called the “Quick Look n Feel Setup”. The setup consists of the “Commander Styled Look & Feel”, the “Windows Explorer Compatibility Look & Feel”, and the option to customize the whole user interface to your liking. Commander Styled Look & Feel is optimized for keyboard use. For example, F5 for copy,F2 for refresh, right mouse button for file selection, and double click right mouse button for context menu. Windows Explorer Compatibility Look & Feel is same shortcuts and mouse buttons as in Windows Explorer. For example, F2 for rename, F5 for refresh, right mouse button for context menu, and Windows Explorer styled selection.
We chose to go with the more familiar environment that is Windows Explorer Compatibility Look & Feel and found it to work out wonderfully.
Users will enjoy the vast number of formats supported by Multi Commander. Formats such as FTP, Registry, Zip, 7-Zip, Rar, Tar, GZ, Bz2, and Jar are among the few supported without the need for a third-party program. Having so many formats support means the user will feel compelled to stay within the Multi Commander environment because everything that is needed is right there.
Because Multi Commander support tabs, users can easily manage files across folders. This is a feature Windows users have been longing for but up to this day Microsoft has not taken heed to user demand. The only major operating system that has tab support built into the explorer menu is Ubuntu.
Finally, we would like to talk about extensions and plugins. There are not many plugins to enhance the program, and the ones that are there are not exactly useful. However, potential is there for success in this department if developers take it seriously.
Conclusion and download link
Multi Commander is a great alternative file manager; however, the dreadful user interface and difficult learning curve might throw off many users. For the power users who know what they are doing, Multi Commander is the perfect tool for managing many files at the same time.
Price: Free
Version reviewed: 2.7.2
Supported OS: Windows XP/2003/Vista/Server 2008 (R2)/Windows 7/Windows 8/Server 2012
Download size: 4.9MB
Virustotal scan results: 0/43
Is it portable? Yes
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@RobCr: @Eric989: Wait, what? I’m sorry I haven’t been following all your conversation. What is going on?
@Ashraf:
Which part of our conversation ?
- The unwanted extra empty blank lines, when all we want is a new line
- Or the Searching and/or Catalogers discussion
@RobCr: The empty lines issue.
@Ashraf: Or the aliens invading people’s minds issue?
Briefly, RobCr does not like it that there is no way to start a new line without a blank line appearing in between. For example, it looks somewhat awkward when making a list.
Item 1
item 2
In a somewhat related issue, I am wondering how some people get bold text into their comments. I am not particularly interested in doing it, it just bothers me that I don’t know how. I am guessing that they are pasting in comments from a word processor or something.
@Eric989: but that could have been the rust ?
Just woke up.
I wonder whether this will look BOLD
If it does, It is because I placed angle brackets around b
And at the end of the words I place angle brackets around /b
Rob
PS That appears to work. It is HTML code .
My HTML is pretty rusty, and it never was very shiny.
I had tried some HTML a couple of days ago, to see if I could use it to solve my empty blank line problem. Did not help,
Sorry to the others. Forgive me if I have one last HTML attempt to get tidy new lines
Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Rob
PS I placed all of the above in one continuous line of text and used angle brackets around br
That did create the new lines that you see above. Unfortunately it also added empty blank lines.
Anyone proficient in HTML got any suggestions as to how I could just type a long continuous line of text, and sprinkle angle bracket instructions (HTML) to force line breaks, without copping the empty blank lines as well ?
I tried cr and lf and crlf within angle brackets. They get read and ignored, and do not appear.
@RobCr: Thanks. Now if only I knew what an angle bracket was I would be set. I guess it is these {b}squiggly brackets{/b} that I never knew what to call.
Remember that Ashraf has said that this can lead to moderation so I won’t try to use too much. Actually we should do this with moderation or we will end up in moderation.
Ok apparently not. Maybe these
Ok that worked so the less than greater than chevrons are the angle brackets then. Now I will just have to remember to write this down someplace where I will never think to look.
@Eric989:
I tried posting directions earlier, but there was no way to do it without it showing bold INSTEAD of showing the symbols…:-)…
Same for italic, but you put an i instead of a b in the pointed brackets. Usually you can underline by putting a u, but for some reason, this site does not recognize the underline.
@Eric989:
When you get old like me, you can remember things by making up little stories.
Here is one to help you remember the Angle Brackets.
In the old west, the brave frontiersmen were those that BOLDLY went out into the untamed areas (aka Native Americans still thought they owned the land).
We (the less brave) could recognize the BOLD men, as they were the ones with arrows sticking out of them.
Now if you think of the angle Brackets as Arrow Heads, and you think of the BOLD frontiersmen with arrows in them, you will never forget which brackets to use for BOLD TEXT
@RobCr:
I’m afraid we’ll need a bunch more stories….:-)….like why they are used for italics, underline, line-thru, colors, etc….:-)……