4. Files Managers
Files and directories help in bringing order to chaos. There are many
file managers floating around for GNU/Linux. However I will detail how
to work using only file managers which come preloaded with almost all
distributions. In contrast to Microsoft Windows which comes with only
Windows Explorer, there are three file managers in a standard GNU/Linux
distribution. They are:
-
GMC(GNU Midnight Commander)- In my computer this is the default file
manager for GNOME.
-
Konqueror - This is the default file manager in KDE desktop. It is also
a web browser.
-
mc(Midnight Commander) - This is the grand daddy of both GMC and
Konqueror. It has to be run in a terminal emulator and is very
powerful. Not to mention easy to use too.
4.1 GMC
This section will describe how to start GMC.If you want to know how to
use GMC for managing files and folders see section "Managing files and
folders".
4.1.1 Starting GMC from Menu
GMC can be found in the main menu as follows
`Programs >File Manager'
By default, when GMC starts, you will be in your home directory. If your
user name is raj, when GMC starts you will be in the directory
`/home/raj'.
4.1.2 Starting GMC from 'Run Program'
Start the 'Run Program' dialog box, in the text box type gmc and
click `Run'.
4.1.3 Starting GMC from Terminal Emulator
You can do this from any terminal emulator like gnome-terminal,konsole
etc. Start a terminal emulator, on the command prompt type gmc
and press Enter. For tips on how to use file managers effectively
.
4.1.4 Starting GMC from Menu KDE
In KDE, GMC can be found in the main menu as follows
`GNOME Programs > File Manager'. However, if you start GMC
from KDE desktop, GMC "pollutes" your desktop with its own set
of icons. Though harmless, it leads to a cluttered looking desktop. You
can go ahead and try running GMC from KDE to see what I
mean. Do not worry though, it's harmless .
4.1.5 Starting GMC from 'Run Program' and terminal emulator in KDE
Same as in GNOME. See section 4.1 GMC.
4.2 Konqueror
This section will describe how to start Konqueror. If you want to know
how to use Konqueror for managing files and folders See section 5. Managing Files.
By default, when Konqueror starts, you will be
in your home directory. If your user name is raj, when Konqueror starts
you will be in the directory `/home/raj'.
4.2.1 Starting Konqueror from Menu in GNOME
You can start Konqueror in the main GNOME menu as follows
`KDE Menus > Home Directory'
4.2.2 Starting Konqueror from 'Run Program' in GNOME
Start the 'Run Program' dialog box, in the text box type konqueror and
click `Run'. In my opinion, if you want to use Konqueror in GNOME you
should use this method. To know the reason, read the next section.
4.2.3 Starting Konqueror from a terminal emulator in GNOME
You can do this from any terminal emulator like gnome-terminal, konsole
etc. Start a terminal emulator, on the command prompt type konqueror and
press Enter.
You will see a lot of messages flash by which will "pollute" your
terminal. Even after you close Konqueror, some more messages will keep
coming to your terminal which can be quite distracting. Go ahead and try
it! Start konsole and type konqueror at the command prompt. You will see
a lot of messages. Now, close Konqueror and you will see some more
messages. This can be distracting when you are trying to get things
done.
That is why I advise you to use 'Run Program' dialog box to run
Konqueror when using GNOME desktop. You will not see those distracting
messages.
See section 4.4 Notes on File Managers, for tips on how to use file managers effectively .
4.2.4 Starting Konqueror from Menu in KDE
In the main menu, click on `Home Directoy'.
4.2.5 Starting Konqueror from 'Run Program' in KDE
Start the 'Run Program' dialog box, in the text box type konqueror and
click `Run'.
4.2.6 Starting Konqueror from terminal emulators in KDE
You can do this from any terminal emulator like gnome-terminal, konsole
etc. Start a terminal emulator, on the command prompt type konqueror and
press enter.
4.3 MC
The Midnight Commander is a directory browser/file manager for Unix-like
operating systems. It can be used only through a terminal emulator and
supports mouse functions like clicking and double clicking for selection
of menu items and files. Midnight Commander provides a view of two
directories at the same time. You can run Midnight Commander in any
terminal emulator and in either GNOME or in KDE.
4.3.1 Starting Midnight Commander
Midnight Commander can be used in any terminal emulator and in any
desktop environment. Start a terminal emulator. At the command prompt
type mc and press enter. Midnight Commander will show up on the terminal
emulator. At this point you should go ahead and try starting the Midnight
Commander.
At the top you will see a menu bar with various options on it. To use
the menu bar click on it with your mouse. If that does not work,you can
access the menu items by pressing F9 key. You can exit Midnight
Commander (MC from here on) by clicking on File menu and selecting
Exit. You can also exit by using the F10 key.
See section 4.4 Notes on File Managers, to learn more on how to manage files and
folders with Midnight Commander.
4.4 Notes on File Managers
Unless otherwise stated, all the points stated below apply to all the
three file managers.
If you want to start your file manager in some particular directory, say
`/usr/share' instead of the default home directory you can do that
too. In the 'Run Program' dialog box type konqueror /usr/share
and behold! Konqueror starts in the directory /usr/share. You can do
the same thing from a terminal emulator too. This is very useful when
you have to go to some particular directory directly. However, this
cannot be done while using menus.
If you enter the name of a non-existent directory, you will start in
your home directory.
*Advice* Start a gnome-terminal. At the
command prompt type gmc /. You will start in the root
directory. Close GMC. Now in the gnome-terminal type gmc
/foo. GMC will start in your home directory.
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