windows explorer alternative
Friday, June 22, 2007 by epyk | Discussion: Customization Software
im creating a windows explorer alternative and would like some input on what you guys would like to see as in features and options associated with the explorer(alt). if you dont know what the windows explorer is, its what pops up when you open a folder or "My Computer". it shows you what the older contains and also can have feature like slide show or music sampling. the possibilities are quite endless. or until i get tired of coding.
looking forward to your ideas and suggestions.
looking forward to your ideas and suggestions.
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sViz
Reply #22 Friday, July 13, 2007 3:44 AM
Reply #22 Friday, July 13, 2007 3:44 AM
Awesome find, c424! I finally got around to trying the QTTabBar and I'm lovin it!
Tabs, tool tip text doubling as a preview for certain documents, pop up menus on the fly for folders, and so many more options!
Thanks!
Tabs, tool tip text doubling as a preview for certain documents, pop up menus on the fly for folders, and so many more options!
Thanks!
Old_Crab
Reply #23 Friday, July 13, 2007 4:37 AM
Reply #23 Friday, July 13, 2007 4:37 AM
I use VCOM PowerDesk Pro 6. It has all the functionality that I need and is skinned by Windowblinds and uses my Iconpackager icons instead of the little yellow thingies. 
deckie49
Reply #24 Monday, July 23, 2007 9:57 AM
Reply #24 Monday, July 23, 2007 9:57 AM
thanks for asking. i wish you total success in your quest!
my 2 cents...personally, i would like to see a browser with:
1. bullet proof security
2. speed
3. ability to add plugins and extensions. that way, the user can customize their own browser features
4. good support. having an active forum is helpful, but not always. real support comes from people who are intimately familiar with the program and its code, AND are not afraid to have real communication from users
my 2 cents...personally, i would like to see a browser with:
1. bullet proof security
2. speed
3. ability to add plugins and extensions. that way, the user can customize their own browser features
4. good support. having an active forum is helpful, but not always. real support comes from people who are intimately familiar with the program and its code, AND are not afraid to have real communication from users
Jafo
Reply #25 Monday, July 23, 2007 10:03 AM
Reply #25 Monday, July 23, 2007 10:03 AM
my 2 cents...personally, i would like to see a browser with:
He's actually talking about a Windows Explorer alternative [that's file manager], not a different web browser...[Internet Explorer]...
XevolutionX
Reply #26 Tuesday, July 31, 2007 9:54 PM
Reply #26 Tuesday, July 31, 2007 9:54 PM
The first thing I would consider are the aspects of Explorer that still make certain tasks "clunky", even after the improvements offered in XP and Vista. I would like to see a tabbed (IE7-like) interface that makes it easier to work in and among multiple folders. Possibly a drop-down or right-click menu option to open new folder tabs from the same or another hard drive/partition.... or even another network location. Also the ability to tile or dock 4 open tabs or windows per full screen window would be great, see pic: 
Here's another thought: take IE7 or any web browser as an example. You have the Favorites menu that allows you to easily categorize and consolidate many similar sites into folders and sub-folders. This reduces so much navigation time to find a site that you've bookmarked in the past, but only visit on the occasional whim. I've done something similar to this with the Start Menu since Win9x days. I created main category folders such as Audio, Video, Games, Productivity, Imaging, Hardware, Utility, Security, etc so that I only have a short list of a dozen or so categories to choose from, but I can still get to whatever shortcut I need by opening a maximum of 3 menu panes. XP ups that to 4 panes with the "All Programs" addition to the Start Menu. To help make opening programs more efficient, I put my most frequently used program shortcuts in the Quick Launch Toolbar.
I've also dabbled with this idea to an extent in the Windows directory structure to get away from the Program Files folder being the "catch-all" directory of anything I've installed. Instead of using the default Program Files install path, most software will let me install my games into the Games folder, Insant Messaging program into the Internet folder, and so on. Categorizing by software type has also proven to be a very handy method of archiving installers on my storage drive. There's no more remembering the name of a program or utility that I used a year or two ago, for example, Audacity. All I have to do in order to find the installer is go to the storage drive and open the folder that corresponds to what type of program it was (Audio), open it up, and look through the list of Audio software installers I've archived.
I hope this has been some food for thought.
Here's another thought: take IE7 or any web browser as an example. You have the Favorites menu that allows you to easily categorize and consolidate many similar sites into folders and sub-folders. This reduces so much navigation time to find a site that you've bookmarked in the past, but only visit on the occasional whim. I've done something similar to this with the Start Menu since Win9x days. I created main category folders such as Audio, Video, Games, Productivity, Imaging, Hardware, Utility, Security, etc so that I only have a short list of a dozen or so categories to choose from, but I can still get to whatever shortcut I need by opening a maximum of 3 menu panes. XP ups that to 4 panes with the "All Programs" addition to the Start Menu. To help make opening programs more efficient, I put my most frequently used program shortcuts in the Quick Launch Toolbar.
I've also dabbled with this idea to an extent in the Windows directory structure to get away from the Program Files folder being the "catch-all" directory of anything I've installed. Instead of using the default Program Files install path, most software will let me install my games into the Games folder, Insant Messaging program into the Internet folder, and so on. Categorizing by software type has also proven to be a very handy method of archiving installers on my storage drive. There's no more remembering the name of a program or utility that I used a year or two ago, for example, Audacity. All I have to do in order to find the installer is go to the storage drive and open the folder that corresponds to what type of program it was (Audio), open it up, and look through the list of Audio software installers I've archived.
I hope this has been some food for thought.
scorpNZ
Reply #27 Tuesday, July 31, 2007 11:07 PM
Reply #27 Tuesday, July 31, 2007 11:07 PM
folder tree dual pane viewing like the technojoly software,works sort of similar to explorer xp software but can show contents of say a drive & a second installed drive be it slave or USB etc same goes for folders,oh yeah with the option to view horizontal or vertical & the dividers to be movable so can view only contents of both folders.
EDIT:
XEVOLUTION's
post above is a prime example take the bottom two pictures but they are viewed as one windo not two seperate windows,where you see the folder tree in the left column there is a movable vertical divider just to it's right, then you have the folder content pane then another page divider,another folder tree & vertical page divider then the folder content pane,the dividers being movable allow you to view only the folder contents side by side for easy comparison or whatever,this can be done horizontally also
EDIT:
XEVOLUTION's
post above is a prime example take the bottom two pictures but they are viewed as one windo not two seperate windows,where you see the folder tree in the left column there is a movable vertical divider just to it's right, then you have the folder content pane then another page divider,another folder tree & vertical page divider then the folder content pane,the dividers being movable allow you to view only the folder contents side by side for easy comparison or whatever,this can be done horizontally also
teh bishop
Reply #28 Sunday, August 5, 2007 6:46 PM
Reply #28 Sunday, August 5, 2007 6:46 PM
Do a search for "Directory Opus" -- not very well known it seems, but that's the best Windows Explorer replacement I've found, plus it is faster than the standard one and noticeably so. 
epyk
Reply #29 Thursday, August 16, 2007 1:35 PM
Reply #29 Thursday, August 16, 2007 1:35 PM
i have dropped this project, i have started a new project that takes my explorer to new levels. i can be watched at the Cairo Shell replacement website.
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Reply #21 Wednesday, July 11, 2007 10:32 AM