I don't know if it makes sence to post here when the discussion has nearly extincted, still, I'd like to add my 5 cents.
It was really amusing to read some of the posts filled with "I want, I hate, I need, I don't need". What sort of impact were they supposed to have, apart from putting a sarcastic smile on the face? Some orators didn't even have enough intellengence to logically defend their opinion. An answer to that sort of posts in the same way would be - become programmers, guys, and develop file manager with all the features you're shouting about, hehe.
I want TC to start abandoning Norton commander idea(good for DOS).
Sounds like total absurd. Despite being a Windows application, TC is based on the legacy of gloruous and legendary Norton Commander and uses its concept. ... For people who pathologically dislike Norton there are managers based on that Windows explorer thing, all they should do is to find one they like best.
Actually, the Norton legacy is the subject I'd like to touch here. That won't be wrong to suppose that heaps of current TC users became PC users in the 80s or even earlier, so they got NC in their blood and many of them think of it with nostalgia.
Of course, TC interface can be adjucted to be close to Norton to some extent, speaking about the colors. Still, default pre-set for the Norton color scheme would be handy, just like it is in Salamander and SpeedCommander. Anyway it's not a big deal cuz after changing the colors in TC, it's always possible to copy the ini-file to some other location and stick to it when it's needed. Also, there is a downloadable menu for TC imitating Norton 4 menu, which is nice, too. And of course, most keyboard shortcuts are the legacy of Norton.
Apart from that, TC is not able to re-create that visual atmoshere of working in Norton, especially speaking of the bottom bar of the functional keys. (But is it supposed to? A good question). Some people even told me they miss vertical dividing lines between columns on the file panels - nostalgia! Just dislpaying my personal point of view I'm not trying to impose to anyone - I'd like to have possibility of getting interface close to the Norton look as much as possible. Probably, that would be real if that skin support was implemented. Ideally that'd be excellent to have TC flexible enough for being customized to satisfy both of the categories - Norton adepts and Norton haters. Well, it sounds pretty unrealistic.
Also, I'd dare to suggest the following improvements for the existing TC interface:
- Possibility of switching the vertical scroll bars on the file panels off. How many people scroll using mousewheell or keyboard? For those who use these ways, the scrollbars are just useless, moreover, they take the considerable amount of screenspace, especially when they are both of them on the screen. Being unable to customize that is the only serious drawback of TC interface imho. Well, it seems that none of the managers available now has that feature. TC has always been extremely flexible and easy for customizing - and implementing that possibility of switching the scrollbars on and off would put TC another step ahead from the rest.
- Possibility of displaying directories in upper case, files in lowercase, etc, just like it's possible in Salamander and SpeedCommander.
- Possibility of creating directories in upper case. I mean, that would be nice to have a mode in which directories are being automatically created in upper case, so that you wouldn't have to press Caps Lock all the time.
- Possibility of getting Ins key to act like spacebar - showing size of selected directory.
- It's possible to display hidden files and dirs, but that would be also nice to have em marked in some way. Or to have an option to mark hidden files in some way.
It's a little things, but they'd probably make TC using more convenient for a number of people.
And again about the skin support debate. It's pretty obvious that implementing skin support would increase TC popularity. Some people reasonably displayed their concerns that skin support will increase size of TC installation package. If so, it seems more logical to follow to exaple of, let's say, Winamp or ICQ, offering files for light or full installation. (It's so easy to throw sugestions and advice to the left and to the right, but it's never easy to develop the program, hehe).
Again, there was just my 5 cents.
P.S. I'll never be able to produce the file manager of my dreams 'cause I'm not a programmer...
Well, perhaps in next life...
It shows the setting-menu, allowing to place the tabs up or down the main window, that seems to be the subject, isn't it?
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