Twin-panel file managers

Krusader

Krusader [4] has been around for quite a while, and this mature twin-panel file manager offers a veritable cornucopia of useful tools and features. Krusader is available in the official software repository, so installing the file manager on Ubuntu and its derivatives is easy. Because Krusader is designed to work with KDE, it's probably better suited for Kubuntu; however, the file manager runs fine on Ubuntu and its other flavors, too.

When you launch Krusader for the first time, it runs the Krusader configuration wizard, which locates helper utilities that Krusader uses for added functionality. Once Krusader has scanned your system, it shows an overview of installed and missing utilities. Although you can simply skip the provided recommendations, spending time installing the missing components is worthwhile.

Because Krusader follows closely the twin-panel file manager conventions, the tool is relatively easy to master. You can copy and move files from one panel to another and move around directories using the navigation buttons at the top. The function buttons at the bottom let you perform the most common file operations with a single mouse click. Other creature comforts, such as history and bookmark features, are also present and accounted for.

Like any file manager worth its salt, Krusader can access remote servers, and it supports popular protocols like SSH, FTP, SFTP, and Samba (Figure 7). Establishing a connection to a remote server in Krusader couldn't be easier: Choose Tools | New Net Connection, select the desired protocol from the Protocol drop-down list, specify the required connection info, and hit Connect.

Figure 7: Krusader can handle remote servers.

Disk Usage is another nifty feature, which provides a graphical overview of the disk space used by files and folders in the specified directory. To use this feature, choose Tools | Disk Usage, specify the path to the desired directory, and press OK. You should then see a disk usage graph (Figure 8). Instead of the conventional bar chart, you can view disk usage stats as a donut chart by pressing the Filelight View button.

Figure 8: Disk Usage tool in action.

Finally, Krusader features a handy synchronization tool, which offers a few advanced functions that make it rather powerful. For example, it can perform an asymmetric synchronization that moves files only in one direction, which effectively turns Krusader into a no-frills backup tool. You can also specify a filter, so the file manager syncs only specific files.

To synchronize two directories, select them in the left and right panels and choose Tools | Synchronize Directories. Pay particular attention to what directories are set as target and source (you can swap the target and source directories by clicking on the Swap Sides button in the lower left corner of the window). Press the Compare button to see a list of synchronization actions for each file. Finally, press Synchronize to sync the directories.

If you plan to perform the specified synchronization again, you can save it as a profile (Figure 9). To do this, press the Profiles button in the lower left corner of the window, select Add new entry, and give your profile a name. The next time you need to synchronize the directories, you can simply choose the created profile.

Figure 9: Krusader features a capable synchronization tool.

Although Krusader might look slightly out of place in a graphical desktop environment other than KDE, it may still earn a place on your desktop thanks to its comprehensive feature set and customization options.

Final Word

This article covered only a subset of the features that the three file managers have to offer. However, I hope it was enough to whet your appetite and compel you to try to replace the stock file manager with a twin-panel tool. l