Finder replacements for OS X

We all know that the Finder is not the best tool for power users or advanced file manipulators. I mean if your needs include decompressing / compressing lots of files, copying stuff here and there, moving files around all the time (e.g. uncompressing and installing drupal modules, etc.) then Finder might just not cut it well.

Since I came from a windows world - after spending almost 10 years with it - I got well used to Total Commander over there. I’ve been a user since version 3.something. Slowly I got used to the built in FTP client, the compressing / decompressing and file splitting / joining features. Also one thing I miss from all the other file handling utilities is the compare files feature that works over remote files (at least ftp but webdav, etc.) as well.

Once I switched over to the Mac I needed to get used to Finder which is like Explorer on windows. Same features mostly - excluding the so-called spring loaded folders thingy. This is - in case you don’t know - a feature which allows you to hover over a folder with some files/dirs and then after a few secs it pops open and then you can move over and finally drop your load where you wish. It does not exists in the windows world (natively). And it’s good.

But still handling large amounts of files with the mouse is a pain in the ass. I started with Xfolders on the mac. It looks like total commander - and it is free (as in beer hehe). However I was not satisfied with its feature set. It allowed me to go around and copy stuff fast but I craved for more.

So here’s a list of my requirements:

• Look like the good old’ norton commander (total cmd nowadays) on windows - as this scheme is a good fit for manipulating lots of files
• It would be good if it allowed for tabbed dual pane browsing like in newer versions of the above mention total cmd (from 6.x I guess?) but it’s not the most important thingy
• Allow me to go into zip / tar.gz / bz2 files at least and copy some files that I like to wherever I like. It would be good to have it support more archive file types - like my favorite 7zip and / or rar at least.
• Allow me to create at least zip archives.
• Have a built-in file viewer / editor (that supports remote operations and syntax highlighting but I know i might be asking for a lot..)
• Support remote operations, at least FTP / SFTP (amazon s3, webdav, etc…)
• Allow me to change some of its default colors / look (I do not like staring at plain bright white screens - as most of these apps default to)

There may be more but if it does not have these then I’m not buying into it. So after having finished with Xfolders I have heard about a new contestant, Forklift (and they’re Hungarian - one of their coders is also called Csaba :D). I have tried it at version 1.0 / 1.1 - and it seemed OK. Now they’re at version 1.5 and they seem to have all that I need, for a mere $30 bucks (5000 HUF) - it might just worth it. To tell the truth I was thinking on buying it after having played for a few days with it. And now trying out version 1.5 it looks even better.

However I have also found mucommander which seems an even better fit as it is cross platform, supports FTP, SFTP, also has zip / unzip (gzip, bz2), has a file viewer / simple editor… And it is free. It is built in java - which makes it a bit slower (feels slower, not really slower) but I can live with it.

Here are some pictures about my two favorites (I am testing now both of them for a while):

muCommander

Forklift

I have also tried Path Finder - but it seemed huge, slow and boasting just way too many features for my liking. I did not even have the courage to go and play with it for a longer time. Which is sad because it might also be a good fit for lots of us.

I think you’re really well of with mucommander or forklift - depending on your need for good looks, and the capability of handling amazon s3 files easily.