Total Commander

It's becoming lately a fashion to either build a massive file viewing support within a file manager or distribute quality-checked or officially developed file-viewing (or editing) plug-ins along with the core file manager.

Some file managers that follow any of the above two approaches are SpeedCommander and FriGate3. A recent example is also Servant Salamander look here: http://www.altap.cz/salam_en/compare.html (notice the huge download file size differences between last and current version in development which is mostly due to the plug-ins integration within the distributed file).

Would you like to see TC distributed in a similar manner? This also mean that after the installation you will get an official configuration (yet further user adjustable) and support for viewing/editing file formats in areas like databases, images, vector, dynamic or static text etc. This can be build-in up to a certain point and from that point on it can be supported by the use of plug-ins which will be automatically configured to support file formats for you and ready for use after the installation. Of course we can have two separate distributions of TC one with the plug-ins integration and one being a core file manager distribution as it is now.

The main idea of plugins is to keep the program and distribution small and fast. The next version will make installation of plugins much easier, so I prefer to keep it that way.

ghisler(Author) wrote:The main idea of plugins is to keep the program and distribution small and fast. The next version will make installation of plugins much easier, so I prefer to keep it that way.

Well, we all know your infinite love Christian for size and speed but the main issue here is to see how people react in the idea of having a large base of filetypes supported automatically after installation and not in the convenience of plug-in distribution on a single file.

TC is updated about once a every 6 months, while some plugins are updated weekly. So even if a lot of plugins are added to the setup, they still have to be updated manually after installation to get the latest versions.

Unless TC has a feature like in Firefox! Where the extensions menu has a check for extension updates function. That would be great!

I've voted for the third option.

I know many people who use TC and they like it very much but they've never used any plugins and thay even don't realize that the plugins exist. That's why they don't kno how powerful tool it can be. That's why they still do many things manually or using other tools.

There are some programs which are distributed in two (or more) ways (eg. Maxthon, Miranda). They are available as core programs or in a set with some plugins. I like this way.

Hello All !

2ghisler(Author)

The next version will make installation of plugins much easier, so I prefer to keep it that way.

• We have already a plugin and an external tool (archive size around 210 KB) able to do this comfortably, with a bunch of extra handy features…
- That doesn't make that much more users install much more plugins, like I can see on my Web page that hosts the external tool (more than 500 downloaded from there, though).
- The plugins / tools themselves are to find and download still, that is tedious or even mysterious for novice users.
• To embed such install-plugin functions now adds fat to the program; it should be better IMHO to present this as a separated EXE, installable via an option at the install-time…
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2pdavit
• I agree globally

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2Maxwish

TC is updated about once a every 6 months, while some plugins are updated weekly. So even if a lot of plugins are added to the setup, they still have to be updated manually after installation to get the latest versions.

• It's true that TC is updated twice a year currently; however, some plugins are not updated at all for a while, 'cause they don't need, or their authors have considered them as perfected enough (that is not true always !).
- Plugins updated weekly are on development still; soon or later, that slows down, till to get relatively stable versions.
- But you're right : an easy way to get last versions might be defined, also what site(s) might be planned to store and allow downloads of such update-archives…
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2djk
• I agree globally too, hence I voted like you for the third option.

Kind regards to All,
Claude
Clo

2 Maxwish

> TC is updated about once a every 6 months, while some plugins are updated weekly. So even if a lot of plugins are added to the setup, they still have to be updated manually after installation to get the latest versions.

True but what holds Christian from preparing a new build once a month to include the latest updates. It won't take more than an hour to do it. I'm sure the majority of users that will use this automated file-format support won't go crazy if they miss a couple of intermediate plug-in updates.

> Unless TC has a feature like in Firefox! Where the extensions menu has a check for extension updates function. That would be great!

Now you puzzled me! Initially you opposed to the idea only to come back with a more complicated one! Sure it's a more ideal situation but I'm trying to keep things simple in order to have chances of being implemented!

Note: I also voted for the 3rd option. My suggestion was for new or inexperienced users or simply users that are not obsessed with having the very latest update of a plug-in but have as a higher priority a fast, simple and "out-of-the-package-support-of-most-file-types" solution.


2 djk & Clo

(quoting Clo's style): I globally agree to those that globally agree to my suggestion!


2 All

This idea is not as complicated as it looks. What "we" only need to do is to gather up those plug-ins that support the most file-types and of course are well-build. So, for example, we can have included in the package: Imagine for support of image files, xBase for database files, Synplus for text, one of the many plug-ins to support media files like mp3s/avis etc. Plus a plug-ins manager to have everything organised. From that point on "we" have to check ONLY very popular file-types not supported by those plug-ins that usually cover groups of file-types. That can be, for example, an MS Word specific plug-in, a pdf one etc. Even with the simplest scenario, we can have no more than 5-7 plug-ins that can cover a 3-digit number support of file-types! That by its own can attract many new users or make the lives of others a lot easier.

2pdavit
You want it, you can do it by yourself. Why you don't do it by yourself?

nevidimka wrote:You want it, you can do it by yourself. Why you don't do it by yourself?

I will skip pass the rude attitude only to mention that I do. I am using those plug-ins and many many more. But I am neither the creator of those plug-ins nor of TC so I just cannot be the one to make this package available. I will be breaking software laws you see.

And just to clear some things. I won't even be using this suggestion of mine. I'm an old forum member, a TC beta tester, a TC plug-ins' beta tester, a TC related files and plug-ins translator to Greek and many more so I just care for this product and its customers so that is why I placed this suggestion.

BTW: How would you solve the question of which plugins to use? For instance Imagine - why not SGViewer? There are many different plugins for the same files. We have three nfo viewers recently, just to note.

Roman

2Hacker
Hi Roman !
- This could be based on existing polls results, and on new future polls about the most needed / popular plugins & tools.
- Indeed, hoping that the polls are / will not / be falsified by some "users" having multiple «fancy accounts» here in the board…

K R
Claude
Clo

Unfortunately some plugins couldn't be added to official releases cause of some licence and law restrictions You know: gif support, encryption.

2djk
Hi !
- GIF patents are lapsed now; only the encryption export with regard to the Swiss laws poses a problem, it's true.

 Kind regards,
Claude
Clo

Hacker wrote:BTW: How would you solve the question of which plugins to use? For instance Imagine - why not SGViewer? There are many different plugins for the same files.

Clo has spoken for me!

It should be a combination of aspects like: the quality of a plug-in, its popularity, its status, the number of supported file formats, the permission of a plug-in creator, the results of various polls and Christian's personal taste.

pdavit wrote:But I am neither the creator of those plug-ins nor of TC so I just cannot be the one to make this package available. I will be breaking software laws you see.

No, I don't see. I don't know greek laws but I don't think there is such an absurd law in any european country. In Germany you need only the permission of the copyright owner. Therefore you 're allowed to make this package available if you have got this permissions. I think you're clever enough to know about the way to get such permissions.

I don't like to see that Christian Ghisler will be busy with such boring things. He should do things which only he can do - like programming new long awaited features - in my modest opinion.