File manager

A file manager (English File Manager) is a computer program for managing content on file systems that can be located on different storage media. In addition to the clear presentation in the form of a (often graphical ) user interface include the listing, renaming and moving, copying, and deleting files and directories to the basic functions. There is usually also the ability to edit metadata of supported file systems, such as file attributes, file permissions, and link.

History

Unlike in the server environment in which are to be found partly still text-based shells, created on personal computers early on a graphical user interface (English → Graphical User Interface, or " GUI" ), in which the task of file management took on a special program: the file manager. In the early 1980s one finds simple file manager for the Xerox Star or the Apple Lisa. Because these systems were expensive for that time she did not prevailed. It was not until the mid-1990s we find the File Manager as part of the standard repertoire of nearly all desktop operating systems. Until then, there were some mostly text-based file manager for the most common operating systems, such as the Norton Commander for DOS.

In current operating systems for PCs and laptops is always included a file manager. Also, there are a number of file managers of third-party for all major operating systems which are superior to the file manager usually contained in some points.

Save on PCs but they are found on PDAs, embedded systems ( such as routers or firewalls), satellite receivers and smartphones, although they usually have to be installed separately on many of these systems. The reason for this is on the one hand to computer security, on the other hand, the manufacturer of such equipment often does not want a user works directly on the file system.

Concepts

There are several ( presentation ) concepts of file managers that use different metaphors for her performance. Some programs also support multiple concepts.

The most widely used concept represent the navigational file manager that can be switched in a window representing the contents of any directory, where they may still provide an overview of the directory structure and file contents, such as a tree view next to the tree view.

Also very common is the spatial concept (Spatial ), which opened for each folder a new window is created, which is to act as a counterpart to the handling of physical objects. Here, a single window is permanently assigned to a particular directory and vice versa.

Another important group is the file manager modeled after the Norton Commander with two-column view (English orthodox file manager ), in which the contents of two directories are compared.

Furthermore, there are recent approaches to represent the directory structures in three dimensions.

• File Manager