Shouldn't file managers look like today's web browsers?

[m4tic]

I was just thinking of this, web browsers aren't any different from file managers. We use the web browser to navigate the web and file managers for files and folders and if you think about it they shouldn't be used any differently. The same visual arguments about web browsers should be applied to file managers. There's always talk about screen estate and the likes for web browsers but no one seems to be thinking the same for nautilus/dolphin, elementary is going in the same direction it seems but i'm not sure it has the full support from the nautilus team.

I'd really enjoy a file manager with an interface like firefox4/opera, a single menu button and search box, exactly like a browser. If konquerer follows its browser competirors i'd gladly switch.

what do you think the future file managers should be like?

[Spice Weasel]

Already been done:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konqueror
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xfe

[m4tic]

Already been done:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konqueror
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xfe

the look is still behind compared to chrome and the others

[Simian Man]

There are many differences. First off web content you generally want to maximize. Hence why most people run web browsers maximized or even fullscreen. For file managers, however, you normally don't need all of that space to view your files. I normally use a file browser with other windows open and never have one maximized.

[lisati]

/me has visions of a screen full of annoying text describing the contents of a file and its history, when all I want is to quickly find one or two files.

[m4tic]

This should extend to text editors too, and pretty much everything

[ubunterooster]

/me has visions of a screen full of annoying text describing the contents of a file and its history, when all I want is to quickly find one or two files.
Same here

[Phrea]

/me has visions of a screen full of annoying text describing the contents of a file and its history, when all I want is to quickly find one or two files.

*cringe*

[ubunterooster]

/me has visions of a screen full of annoying text describing the contents of a file and its history, when all I want is to quickly find one or two files.
Along with "Find Young chicks in your area!" advertisements.

[alexan]

Tag-filesystem


/Tree/branches/structure/is-obsolete

a tag-cloud for those who don't want to use keyboard... too much.
Future file browser will be behalf visual tagging of files/documents and google realtime search box
ph[enter]se[enter]
...or...
se[enter]ph[enter]
will bring always a result with all your photos at sea.

[ubunterooster]

So, have you tried the following filebrowser, guys?

tdfsb

[m4tic]

Along with "Find Young chicks in your area!" advertisements.

Who'll get sued for data mining then?

[Linux_junkie]

Web browsers are designed for viewing (html) pages whereas file managers are designed for displaying contents of folders (directories). How are they the same?

Since Windows 98 Microsoft have intergrated their web browser with their file manager. Because of that it does not make it easy to remove IE from Windows.

[madhi19]

Web browsers are designed for viewing (html) pages whereas file managers are designed for displaying contents of folders (directories). How are they the same?

Since Windows 98 Microsoft have intergrated their web browser with their file manager. Because of that it does not make it easy to remove IE from Windows.

Not to mention the truckload of exploits it also introduced in the Windows ecosystem. I bet that something that if Microsoft could take back they would have! Just think of the money saved in anti-trust litigation...
I maybe a purist and a little paranoid but I don't want my file manager to have access to the net!

[Khakilang]

File manager, manage files. Thats what it do and web browser is for internet. Totally 2 different thing all together. But I don't know about cloud computing though. You may want to keep your files on some server and access it through your File manager. But I prefer to keep my files off line.

[Spice Weasel]

File manager, manage files. Thats what it do and web browser is for internet. Totally 2 different thing all together. But I don't know about cloud computing though. You may want to keep your files on some server and access it through your File manager. But I prefer to keep my files off line.

Navigate to /home/ in Firefox and tell me what happens. It also works as a image viewer, text viewer (and with Firebug and or Vimperator) a text editor.

File management is very basic though.

[kaldor]

File managers are already pretty browser-like. Nautilus and browsers both have "Back, Forward, Home" buttons, have bookmarks/sidebars and have a location bar.

[spupy]

Navigate to /home/ in Firefox and tell me what happens. It also works as a image viewer, text viewer (and with Firebug and or Vimperator) a text editor.

File management is very basic though.

File management in Firefox (and most browsers) is non-existent. What you talk about is file viewing.

Konqueror is an exception since it uses KParts to show various views - web browser (KHTML, WebKitPart), file manager (DolphinPart), text editor (KatePart), and many more.

The interfaces of web and file browsers are similar (more so in Windows), but only in the navigational part. A file manager offers many more and essential UI elements for managing files.

In Windows the file manager is aptly named "Windows Explorer". Even Microsoft admits that Explorer is a poor program. :)

[Spice Weasel]

File management in Firefox (and most browsers) is non-existent. What you talk about is file viewing.

I beg to differ. Right click > Save Link As... You can copy files. :P