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File Managers

DOS

1.  About

In many distributions of DOS you only have a command line, COMMAND.COM or 4DOS. But often it is easier to use a program like Norton/DOS/Total Commander/Navigator (using so-called “orthodox” file manager design) or Window’s Explorer for managing the files. The first famous file manager was Norton Commander and there are many clones, because the interface is very simple. Many file managers are nowadays open source, and surprisingly many are written in PASCAL.

Below you will find many file managers with short description. If you are interested in this kind of software follow this link to the e-book The Orthodox File Manager (OFM) Paradigm.

2.  Which one?

Below are many many file managers :-) So which one should you try first?

• with graphical user-interface:
  • GVFM is under development.
  • Ozone
• with text user-interface:
  • Necromancers DOS Navigator has many many features (under development, Pascal).
  • Connect (open source, Pascal) feature-rich with very good as developing environment.
  It includes a very good text editor and html-viewer!
  • File Wizard is very fast with many features and open source (Pascal).
  Look at it’s page FileWizard

3.  File managers with graphical user interface

Following file managers are very nice and you should test them :-) All of them are under development.

3.1  GVFM

GVFM - graphical file manager - “Windows” style - still under development! by Jason Burgon , written in BorlandPASCAL 7.0, using 16-bit DPMI (some problems can come up). Freeware, closed source, example app for the GV library.

3.2  Explorer PC

Explorer PC - Free graphical file manager for DOS (under development, very fast because it is developed in Assembler!)

3.3  Ozone

• Project pages: ozonegui.sf.net , flox.at.tf

oZone includes also a file manager. Useful if you like Drag&Drop. It is released under GPL 2 (open source).

3.4  DOSSTART (shareware, 5$)

• Download: www.icdc.com/~dnice/dosstart.html

DOS GUI and file manager, by Daniel L. Nice , latest version is v1.9b Build 7.08.2002. Written in (closed source) Microsoft BASIC PDS 7.1. Looks nice, some lacks (low memory issues, writing of garbage temporary files into C:\ when active, menuing problems). Clones the look of “Windows” 3.xxx/95.

4.  File managers with “mixed” user interface

4.1  File Wizard (abandoned, open source)

see File Wizard’s page…

5.  File managers with text user interface

5.1  NORTON COMMANDER

The original - was a commercial product, but no longer legally available.

5.2  Doszip Commander (GPL, open source)

Project page: sf.net/projects/doszip/

By Hjort Nidudsson . A new Norton Commander clone … test it :-) It is very small and fast. Written mostly in 1996…1997 . After a break it seems that developement continues. Has built-in support for unZIPping - no PKUNZIP or similar needed, but supports only PKZIP 2.xx format incl. decryption. No ZIP creation, no support for other archive types.

It is the only one written in Borland C (use version 3.1, DOS 16-bit real mode).

5.3  RIT DN (open source)

RIT DN

This is very good Norton commander clone. Has all features like NC but is far more advanced. It is programmed in Turbo PASCAL 7.0 for real mode, for running XMS memory is strongly recommended (otherwise it starts, but you can’t do anything). Development of the original DN stopped in 1999, however it became to origin to two other projects: DOS Navigator open source project (DNOSP) and Necromancer’s DOS Navigator (NDN).

5.4  DNOSP (open source)

It is a Russian branch of DN development. In the past continued using Borland TP/BP 7.0, producing real mode and 16-bit DPMI versions, now also a 32-bit DPMI version compiled with Virtual PASCAL exists. English and Russian language versions are available. In recent time it was considered as done and from this time there will be no longer any new features, only patches. It has many features and can be considered almost as universal office package :-) Latest version is 2.14 , DPMI32 binaries present compilation date 2008–09–19, however newest files in 2.14 (?) source package are from 2007–07–02 .

• http://www.dnosp.com/ main, Russian
• http://www.dnosp.com/e_index.php English
• http://archive.dnosp.ru/e_index.php , http://archive.dnosp.ru/e_dn2v2.php source code

5.5  Necromancer DOS Navigator (Freeware/Donationware, closed source)

It is an even more advanced DN offspring than previous one. Some of it’s functions are quite unique, like for example file viewing in disassembler mode. NDN is compiled with Virtual Pascal, so it is 32-bit application now using DOS/32A extender. It is very promising for future development however because of using protected mode can be somewhat slower (?) than it’s competitors. It is still under development.

Necromancer DOS Navigator

5.6  Connect (open source)

It is available at kiarchive.ru/pub/msdos/shell/connect . Additional features:

• Viewers for text, dbase, and html (with hyperlink navigation – nice).
• Impressive text editor
• Use the right key of your mouse everywhere… ;-)

5.7  Archive Lister

• sotsoft.narod.ru

Another file manager with many features, written in TURBO-Pascal (closed source), real mode cca 1 MiB executable size heavily using overlays. A function which other managers don’t have is support of background multi thread files operations (in DOS also ? ) ! Original version is in Russian, also translated “mostly” into English - few Russian texts left. Intended to be used in “DOS-box”’es rather than in DOS - menus do offer features not existing in DOS, attempt to use them results in spurious error messages.

5.8  Volkov Commander (closed source, shareware 20$, abandoned)

• http://www.egner-online.de/vc/

Written by Vsevolod V. Volkov . It is a clone of Norton Commander and is very very fast (it is written in Assembler) ! Latest stable version is 4.05, absolute latest is 4.99.08 alpha from year 2000 - author is inaccessible, the project seems dead.

5.9  MicroManager (“Mikromanažer”) (Freeware ???)

• Download : http://rayer.ic.cz/download/download.htm

Written reportedly © by Miroslav Nemecek (he neglects his authorship however) in ???, no license or manual available. The by far smallest one, only one 13 KiB .COM file (compressed with APACK, uncompresses to 17 KiB), seems to have a minimal two-panel file manager functionality, no copying of a directory, no mouse, big lack: Czech language only (???), any hints where to find English version or source ?

5.10  DOSMAN

• Project/company page: gemtree.cz/gemasoft/dosman.htm
• Download: http://litux.wz.cz/htm/download.htm#ltdos - © status unknown, use with care

Written again © by Miroslav Nemecek , only Czech language, looks very good, many features. Latest DOS version is 2.10 from 1998, used to be shareware, seems to have been ported to Windows later, company page still exists, but copyright status of the DOS version is unclear/unknown.

5.11  Directory Freedom (GNU GPL)

http://home.comcast.net/~ghaff/bitmason/dflyer.html

Written by Gordon Haff / Bit Mason , mostly in 1993, used to be a commercial product, later became freeware, even later GNU GPL.

5.12  FAR Manager (shareware)

• Download : http://farmanager.com/(approve sites) http://www.rarlab.com/

A Win32 text based file manager . Has a lot of features . By using a DosWin32 extender http://doswin32.com/index_en.html (approve sites) can be runned under dos . Try it !

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