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Try to be original Microsoft. Directory Opus has been able to do this and give file, folder sizes and a WHOLE lot more than your lame worthless POS of a File Explorer. I've been using Directory Opus since the days of the Commodore Amiga.

Directory Opus has had tabbed file explorer capabilities for YEARS! I wouldn't use Windows Explorer if it had tabs. It's still a POS compared to Directory Opus. What we need is what Linux has - tabbed shell's.

You want tabs and split view? Go buy a copy of Directory Opus. It beats seven kinds of snot out of any other file managers I've tried over the years.

I prefer Directory Opus. Unlimited file list panes, massive amounts of power. I have the lister windows cut down fairly cleanly, not like most of the demo screenshots that are "kitchen-sink" affairs.

It started out on the Amiga which is where I used to use it, and then migrated to Windows.

Then your aware Dopus was a direct rip off of his friends (buddies for years) DiskMaster. DiskMaster was free, Dopus want(s)ed big bucks; for Windows that comes to $90 for something you can get for free. Dude rips off his friend for a fast buck - I wouldn't touch Dopus with the Amiga, damn sure ain't gonna get near it with the PC.

I prefer Directory Opus. Unlimited file list panes, massive amounts of power. I have the lister windows cut down fairly cleanly, not like most of the demo screenshots that are "kitchen-sink" affairs.

It started out on the Amiga which is where I used to use it, and then migrated to Windows.

Check out Directory Opus. Download the trial, spend time configuring and customizing it (a weekend might be enough, if you don't have family ^^), and see if you can resist buying it. Consider it a challenge :)

(this ad was brought to you by my love for DO going back to Amiga days; it ruled back then and still does)

Not an issue for me, I use Directory Opus.

"Directory Opus" is a kick ass Windows explorer replacement and it has a secure wipe option when deleting a file and you can configure how you want it to erase and how many passes. http://www.gpsoft.com.au/ If in doubt I would be going for DBAN on the whole drive though if I accidentally downloaded some. If you view/download a lot of mainstream pron in the form of short clips, I think there is a good chance eventually there is going to be some questionable content (from other countries which have different age limits) which makes its way into Google circulation. If you are a mainstream pron junkie which I bet a lot of /. readers are, how careful do you need to be?

Aside from the general "Windows 7 hides things" comment, most of your complaints are related to Explorer.

Use a different file manager, and your problems are gone. To that end, I'd suggest Directory Opus.

I rely on command-line tools (courtesy of Cygwin) even for things like file management, but Directory Opus is one of those few programs that I wouldn't live without. Put differently, using or relying on Explorer is something I simply won't consider, anymore than I'd consider browing the intarwebs using AOL.

As for the "hiding" problem, there are workarounds for that. Running exe, cpl, msc file by names (or listed via a script) is one, as is using simple shortcuts (invoking rundll if needed). Remember that you're relying on a dumbed-down file manager to show (or in this case, not show) what administrative tools are available.

Directory Opus is a drop-in replacement for Windows Explorer. Has to be the single most valuable piece of software I use. Super configurable, fast, removes the need for a lot of other programs (zip, image viewers, ftp). Has features up the wazoo, too many to list here.

Seems no one is giving serious answers so i guess i will be the only one

Freeware or open source software:
01. Firefox, http://www.getfirefox.com/
02. Winamp, http://www.winamp.com/
03. Miranda, http://www.miranda-im.org/
04. Media Player Classic, http://sourceforge.net/projects/guliverkli
05. ffdshow, http://www.free-codecs.com/download/FFDShow.htm
06. CDBurnerXp Pro, http://www.cdburnerxp.se/
07. Daemon-tools, http://www.daemon-tools.cc/
08. uTorrent, http://www.utorrent.com/
09. XnView, http://perso.wanadoo.fr/pierre.g/xnview/enhome.htm l
10. ExactAudioCopy, http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/
11. Dev-C++, http://www.bloodshed.net/devcpp.html
12. 7-zip, http://www.7-zip.org/
13. Real Alternative, http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Real_Alternati ve.htm
14. QuickTime Alternative, http://www.free-codecs.com/download/QuickTime_Alte rnative.htm
15. Process Explorer, http://www.sysinternals.com/utilities/processexplo rer.html
16. Uniform Server, http://www.uniformserver.com/
17. nLite, http://www.nliteos.com/ (sp+hotfix+driver slipstreaming and ability to remove almost anything from the windows installation disc, including wmp, ie, drivers, services, etc, you can get your windows install disc down to 180MB with a 70MB RAM footprint after boot).

Commercial/Shareware software.
01. NOD32, http://www.nod32.com/ - simply the best antivirus software out there
02. Cinema4D, http://www.maxoncomputer.com/ Great modelling/rendering program (also available for OS X)
03. mIRC, http://www.mirc.com/ not the best irc client, but it has a tiny memory footprint/feature ratio
04. Directory Opus, http://www.gpsoft.com.au/ replace Explorer with a far better file manager.
05. UltraEdit, http://www.ultraedit.com/ great editor for many textbased formats
06. Visual Studio, http://microsoft.com/
07. Nero Burning ROM. http://www.ahead.de/ my burning program of choice

It's a Windows Explorer replacement and is very good. The amount of configuration possible is staggering - a true power users tool. I'd love to see something on this scale under *nix. If nothing else, the KDE developers should be forced to sit down and use it for a while to get ideas of how to write a better file browser.

If you use Windows and consider yourself a power user, seriously, give it a try. It'll take a bit of getting used to but there is no going back.

http://gpsoft.com.au/

Roger

Explorer does it's work, if I wanted more power on my workstations I'd be slapping Linux on them where I have amazing powers at my tooltip with some help by perl and bash.

Agreed that Perl and shell are generally preferrable when you know WTF you want/are doing, but Windows Explorer? Single threaded featureless toy with next-to-zero customisability, problematic relationship to the desktop shell and progress dialogs that range from the "very rough" to "braindead" to "absurd" are just a few characterisations off the top of my head.

On a Windows system, the only file manager worth discussing is Directory Opus, which aside from having more features and possible customisations than anyone has time for, actually works better than most Win32 apps, that despite the fact that it actually compensates for Explorer's deficiencies. And the multi-pane approach offers a preview window with a plugin architecture (text, html, images, pdfs, etc.) that substitutes nicely for anyone in the habit of using ACDSee, etc. for file management. The irony for me, at least, is that many of menu items and/or toolbar buttons run bash or Perl scripts.

My idea of a "type manager" is a full-featured file manager with a customisable display that accommodates file/directory filtering.

LiteStep is not a file manager, but Directory Opus is, and it's job is to replace Internet Explorer as your file manager. LiteStep's job is to replace Internet Explorer as your desktop/shell.

I'm a former Amigan, and we had a file manager tool called Directory Opus that was the king of all file managers. It goes for usability, especially for power users.

Now they have a Windows version, and I bought it as soon as I heard about it:

http://gpsoft.com.au/

I have yet to find anything that can touch it. Seriously. If you have to use windows, go download the demo, but I warn you, once you see what it can do, and how powerful and customizable it is, you won't want to give it up. Plus, they're a bunch of really good, hardworking chaps, who listen to what their users want. I don't get any benefit from plugging their software, but I want everyone to know about it. Death to Explorer!

Let me correct you. Not everybody use the explorer windows file browser.
Check out Directory Opus. Highly recommended!

• http://www.gpsoft.com.au/ - These guys are selling directory Opus 6 for windows - a direct derivation fo the product... They also claim to have Amiga products still available.
  
• http://dopus.amiga.pl/ - and these guys. On their site it tells me its under the GPL. Its still maintained - for the Amiga. This group have not ported it.
  
  

Semi-OT, does anyone know of a replacement file manager for Windows 98?

The Amiga had an excellent design, but there's no way you can convince me that it didn't have it's problems.

And what's this I hear about a single authoritative way of launching an app? I can come up with at least three ways to launch an app on the Amiga just of the top of my head. And that's using just the stock controls available in AmigaOS (any version from 1.1 all the way to 3.5--I've used 'em all).

Start adding other tools, such as DirectoryOPUS 5 (an excellent program--the Windows version is nice, but disappointing) and the number of ways to launch an app jumps dramatically.

There are several points to consider here:

• Computers are far more complex than even the most advanced TV; a single interface simply cannot accomodate all the variations required.
• If there are multiple ways of doing the same thing, that means that a user can choose the method(s) that work best for them, without being forced to do it one way. Nobody ever said you had to use all of those different methods.
• Also, as has been pointed out already, you are presenting an opinion as hard fact.
• Finally, the Amiga was a triumph of design, in my opinion, but it never sacrificed options and flexibility in favor of simplicity. It simply hid those options and flexibility behind a simple, "default" interface and left it up to the more advanced user, who would likely be the one interested anyway, to bring out the more advanced capabilities and options on their own.

'Nuff said?

'Cause I can't remember my login right now ...

Why not buy 5.82 which has been available for quite a while? Or were you talking about a GPL:d release?

It seems to be a file manager / desktop environment. I found at least one screenshot from the site.

/Bergie

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Right On!
Im really happy to actually see support for amigaos (i run a cnet amiga bbs)

does anyone know if gateway is going to do anything with the amiga platform? everyone i know has pretty much given up waiting... but i would still like to see something new come out... nothing quite beats a complete amiga setup with the newest version of Directory Opus - MagellanII.....