Knowing the alternatives: Dolphin vs Windows Explorer

Welcome to the first article in the series: Knowing the alternatives. The point I want to get to with this type of article is to show that with GNU / Linux and its applications we can do the same as we do with Microsoft Windows I have even a little more.

For this I start by comparing the application that is generally used the most in our Operating system: The File Manager or Explorer.

Interface and Appearance

I must clarify that I am not an interface designer, far from it. The advantages or disadvantages that I can point out in terms of the arrangement of the elements in each of these applications, will be based on my criteria and personal taste.

As many know, the trend in interface design is on the way to creating compatibility in applications, so that they can be used both on the PC and on touch devices.

This change can be clearly seen in Fillet (name you have adopted Windows Explorer en Windows 8), which has undergone slight changes compared to its previous version. But the fact that the applications make up a little does not mean that their operation is different.

To get an idea of ​​what I'm going to compare, I show you how they look by default Dolphin en KDE 4.9 y Windows Explorer en Windows 7 respectively:

Dolphin

File (Windows Explorer)

As you can see, both have some very similar elements in their interface, and of course, it helps users a lot to find a similarity when working with both applications.

Of course, there are certain differences depending on the experience that the developers want to provide the user. But let's look at some details first.

Dolphin

Dolphin It is composed of the following structure:

1.- The Back / Forward buttons.
As is usual in this type of application or in browsers, they are the buttons that allow us to go forward or backward, being able to navigate between our folders.

2.- Buttons for the types of folder views
These buttons are the ones that allow us to modify the way the folders are displayed: Icon View, Compact View o Detailed view.

3.- The search button.
This button displays a text bar where we insert the integrated search for files or folders in Dolphin.

4.- See the thumbnails.
By default the thumbnails of the images are not displayed, allowing faster access to folders containing thousands of photos. This behavior of course can be changed.

5.- Divide Dolphin with two panels.
When the lashes are not enough, Dolphin It is capable of displaying an extra panel, which allows us to manage our files more comfortably and quickly, being able to move or copy them from one side to the other by simply dragging them.

6.- A button to configure or access extra Dolphin options.
Naturally, Dolphin they have many other options that can be accessed or configured using this button. We will talk about these extra options later when we enter the comparison.

7.- Breadcrumb (Crumbs, trace).

The place bar or Breadcumb, where we can navigate in the form of buttons, through the folders backwards or forwards, or where we can directly write the path of the folder we want to access.

8.- The section where we can see our files using tabs or an extra panel.
This area can be divided by tabs or an extra panel as I explained above.

9.- Information and file details.

When selecting a file, we will have in this section a preview of it as well as various information and details.

10.- A size selector for thumbnails, folders and icons in general.
With this selector we can easily increase and decrease the size of folders, thumbnails and all files found in section 8.

11.- Details of the selected file.
This section shows some preliminary details of the selected file.

12.- Side panel where its elements are divided by categories or sections.
With version 4.9 of KDE, Dolphin it underwent some visual changes that improved performance and the application in general, gaining organization and increasing user productivity.

Windows Explorer

1.- The Back / Forward buttons.
They fulfill the same function that we saw in Dolphin.

2.- Breadcrumb
It is the only way we have to go up one level (going back to the previous folder) with Windows Explorer, then I explain why.

3.- Content.
The section where our files and folders are shown.

4.- The seeker.
The search engine is shown by default (not like it happens in Dolphin) which allows us to do a search quickly, saving us a step.

5.- File and folder view options.
In this area we can select the way our files and folders will be seen and we have the option to hide the right panel with the preview.

6.- Preview.
As in Dolphin This panel shows a preview of the file that we have selected, it also allows us to play audio and video files

7.- Details of the file or folder.

When selecting a file, we will have in this section a preview of it as well as various information and details.

8.- Side panel.
Divided by sections as with Dolphin.

9.- Explorer options.

This bar gives us the possibility to configure some options in the Explorer, in addition, it is capable of offering us extra options according to the file with which we may be working.

So far we have detailed each element of both applications. Now, we are going to see the advantages and disadvantages that each one offers us according to their disposition.

Advantages and disadvantages

What is shown above is nothing more than both applications as they come by default. And that's when the advantages of Dolphin about windowsexplorer, thanks to its extra options.

There are three details in which Explore takes advantage of Dolphin, or rather, in which Explorer gains a +1:
1.- Have unified folder views and their size.

This is very comfortable and very practical, because unlike Dolphin, we have all the options of sizes and types of view in one place.

2.- Show different options according to the file that we are using or in the folder that we are.

3.- The details at the bottom of Explore They are a success due to the amount of information they provide and that we can also edit them.

Otherwise, Dolphin not only does the same as Explore, but exceeds it:

1.- Search filter bar.
This bar can be activated in the options Dolphin or using the key combination Ctrl + I and the most interesting thing about it is that, as we type in the search criteria, the files or folders that have nothing to do with what we are writing disappear.

2.- High level of customization:
Windows Explorer It limits us to modifying many things in the arrangement of its components. In fact, it does not have anything that allows us to customize it to our liking, that is why we cannot add or remove any element of its interface, such as:

- Options to add / remove buttons:
I use the buttons a lot Back / Forward to move between folders, but also, I also use one that does not come by default in Dolphin, and is the button Above (to go up one level).

I suppose that the fact that this button does not appear by default is that we can use the Breadcrumb, and the same happens with the Explorer. The difference is that Dolphin if you allow us to add it.

Not only that. Dolphin it also allows us to change the position of the buttons along the bar, being able to change the order of appearance.

- Options to change the position of elements (including the sidebar).
As I mentioned in the previous point, we can not only change the position of the buttons, but also the side panel. For example, I myself use it on the right as it is much more comfortable for me to work.

I show you an image of how I have configured Dolphin:

But we can use several types of variants, for example:

Dolphin with the two panels attached

Dolphin with inverted panels

Dolphin with the Toolbar at the bottom

 - Option to divide Dolphin into tabs or with the extra panel.
Using an extra panel or tabs considerably increases our productivity and time, because in the same window we can manage files that are in different folders. For example, we can copy a file from one folder to another by dragging it with the cursor.

To all this we add some Services extras it has Dolphin that can be added or removed, such as the possibility of working with repositories of Version Control Systems such as SVN, Git, Mercurial or Bazaar, among other utilities.

And watch out for this, I'm not saying that with Explore it can't be done (if you can), but I'm sure we have to rely on third-party programs. The point is that Dolphin It includes it by default just by installing it.

Are there other alternatives?

Of course. In GNU / Linux we have Nautilus, Thunar, PC Man FM and others. But to be fair none of these mentioned above have the power and configurability that Dolphin, since their objectives are completely different.

Nautilus in earlier versions

PCManFM

Thunar

I think it is valid to clarify that any of these alternatives that we choose depends 100% on the tastes of each person, because not all of us give the same use to the same applications.

Some more configurable than others, with more or less options, but in the end, we can do the same as is done with the Explore o Files Windows, and as this article has shown, sometimes we can do much more.