A well-known adage of Unix states that "everything is a file," which means a variety of tools exist for moving, copying, and opening files. Most tools either follow the Windows Explorer model, like Nautilus and Dolphin, or hold up the banner of the antiquated Norton Commander, whose concept of split views still seems convincing to many users.

SpaceFM [1], which developed out of the PCManFM code, resembles Explorer at first glance, as the main window shows (Figure 1). Over and above the inherited concept, however, SpaceFM provides functionality that leaves almost all other file managers in the dust.

Distributions

Some distribution maintainers have already opted to ship SpaceFM as their default file management tool [2]. Parted Magic [3], for one, provides a Live CD with SpaceFM as its sole tool for disk partitioning and system restoration.

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