I yearn for Windows Explorer...

Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
[CENTER]

The way I see Finder's copy when I'm in a bad mood [/CENTER]



...I know, sad but true. I have been a loyal Mac user for twenty years and am proud of every machine I have owned. However I use PCs at work and I have to say I wouldn't have it any other way.



Unfortunately when it comes to certain tasks, namely file and folder management, OSX doesn't really cut it for me. (I have another major gripe about what Apple did to the Trash when they moved from OS9 to OSX, but that is best left for another time/thread). I have a huge archive of files and folders that have been copied and moved around between hard drives of previous computers, and I need to make sense of them. I need to be able to take one set of files and easily move them onto others, and allow a merge to take place.



Under Windows, I am afraid to say, this is a breeze of a task. Say I have one folder called "CV" (which I have), and another one called "CV" in another location. I know they come from the same origin, however I have a version control problem and may have updated either folder in the past. Now I wish to merge them by copying one onto the other. If the files inside the folders already exist, I wish to keep only the newer ones. Any that don't exist can be added. If there are folders inside those, then I wish to merge the contents of those too. Drag, click yes to merge, apply to all items, job done.



On the Mac, if I try to do this it will completely obliterate the target folder, replacing the entire contents with the other one. I never understood how this is useful to anyone. Not only that but on the PC I can browse to one location and choose "cut" (rather than copy). The files and folders are greyed and I can then browse to the other location, choose paste and the move begins. On the Mac I do now have copy, but if I am moving a random selection of files I now have to go back, work out which ones I copied so I know which ones to delete. Moving using cut is much more intuitive.



I know there are a smattering of utilities out there on the web which allow one to do similar tasks on the Mac. Xcode, I hear, is pretty good for this, although it is only available as part of the developer programme software. Not only that but it is overkill for such a task, since it goes through the process of comparing the folders and then you must sort through the resulting mess telling it which files or folders you wish to replace, and which ones you wish to merge. FTP software is also a possibility, although so far I have not found a piece of software there which can do a folder merge from local-to-local rather than local-to-remote. PathFinder is another one, again far too verbose for such a straightforward task and seems a little over-the-top to pay for something which should by all rights be available within an OS which has already been paid for.



[CENTER]

PathFinder file moving was no better at merging...[/CENTER]



So for now I guess I am left with no option but to copy all my files to an external drive and take them into work in order to organise them on my Windows PC. Unless someone can suggest a Windows-like folder copying utility on the Mac. Quite frankly I'm amazed there aren't any utilities like this already out there. Am I the only one who is crying out for this ability?



Like I say I am really chuffed with Apple, though with each passing year I'm finding the gap between the quality of their hardware and software deepen to quite a chasm. With the several years' head-start Apple had in developing GUI operating systems I'm amazed how the Finder has suffered so badly compared with Windows in recent times. I'm hoping Leopard will deliver better and more verbose copying over its new advertised features, but I'm not holding much hope...



Sorry I had to rant. Thank you for your time.
«13

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 49
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jowie74 View Post


    Unfortunately when it comes to certain tasks, namely file and folder management, OSX doesn't really cut it for me. (I have another major gripe about what Apple did to the Trash when they moved from OS9 to OSX, but that is best left for another time/thread).



    You might as well say what it is. Is it that it doesn't tell you the size and number of the contents? I miss that.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jowie74 View Post


    Now I wish to merge them by copying one onto the other.



    On the Mac, if I try to do this it will completely obliterate the target folder, replacing the entire contents with the other one.



    I'm not sure which way I like better. The Windows way can leave a lot of unnecessary files around but of course the Mac way makes it easier to accidentally delete files. Plus a replace can easily be done by deleting one folder and copying over the new one so the Windows way is probably better in that it gives you more options.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jowie74 View Post


    On the Mac I do now have copy, but if I am moving a random selection of files I now have to go back, work out which ones I copied so I know which ones to delete. Moving using cut is much more intuitive.



    I disagree. I actually had to ask someone how to move a file/folder to a parent directory in Windows. The Finder's column view is much better for this. You just drag stuff around, no need to to cut/paste anything. What happens if you cut something and forget to paste it? Will it randomly move a whole bunch of files if you accidentally hit ctrl-v? File moving should be totally interactive IMO.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jowie74 View Post


    So for now I guess I am left with no option but to copy all my files to an external drive and take them into work in order to organise them on my Windows PC. Unless someone can suggest a Windows-like folder copying utility on the Mac. Quite frankly I'm amazed there aren't any utilities like this already out there.



    Sequitur posted one here recently. This was it:



    http://www.ragesw.com/products/explorer/screenshots/0/



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jowie74 View Post


    Am I the only one who is crying out for this ability?



    It's probably down to personal preference. Apart from the obliterating folder thing, I far prefer OS X's filesystem management.
  • Reply 2 of 49
    kaiwaikaiwai Posts: 246member
    There is nothing nice about Explorer; its an ugly, slow buggy POS which constantly crashes, hangs and give error messages that even a season veteran would be confused over. When given the choice between Explorer and Finder, I'd take Finder any day of the week.
  • Reply 3 of 49
    mr. memr. me Posts: 3,221member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jowie74 View Post


    [CENTER]

    The way I see Finder's copy when I'm in a bad mood [/CENTER]



    ...I know, sad but true. I have been a loyal Mac user for twenty years and am proud of every machine I have owned. ...



    To each his own. If you pay for a computer, then you certainly have a right to like your purchase. There are a lot of people on this forum who really like Windows and the Microsoft way of doing things. Therefore, there is no reason to misrepresent yourself. As of this writing, you have two posts on this forum. Your post reads like that of a recent switcher rather than that of a 20-year veteran.



    This bit of advice: Rather than lamenting the fact that the Mac is not Windows, learn to use the OS as it is. Things like folder(/directory) merges are handled very well with third-party utilities like Qdea's Synchronize! Pro X. A lot of people come here for help with vexing problems. The biggest impediment to us who try to help our new Brothers and Sisters of the Mac is incomplete or incorrect information. If you are honest, then you will be more likely to get the help that you need.
  • Reply 4 of 49
    jowie74jowie74 Posts: 540member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Marvin View Post


    You might as well say what it is. Is it that it doesn't tell you the size and number of the contents? I miss that.



    Yes. It tells you nothing. I have "Show warning before emptying the Trash" selected, and yet I get no warning. I can't do get info on it anymore (because it is on the Dock). It tells you nothing about the amount of things in there in the window itself. In fact, all in all it's a pretty useless folder. You'd be better off creating a scripted folder which you can then delete the contents of. At least that way you'd be able to find out information about what was in it. Not only that but you'd be able to launch images and similar items to find out what they are without having to take them out first.



    Quote:

    I'm not sure which way I like better. The Windows way can leave a lot of unnecessary files around but of course the Mac way makes it easier to accidentally delete files. Plus a replace can easily be done by deleting one folder and copying over the new one so the Windows way is probably better in that it gives you more options.



    That's how I see it now. Having used both systems regularly, I know which one is more useful to me. At least with Windows I have a choice. If the copy/move dialogue had the option then that would obviously be even better.



    Quote:

    I disagree. I actually had to ask someone how to move a file/folder to a parent directory in Windows. The Finder's column view is much better for this. You just drag stuff around, no need to to cut/paste anything. What happens if you cut something and forget to paste it? Will it randomly move a whole bunch of files if you accidentally hit ctrl-v? File moving should be totally interactive IMO.



    If you want interactive, you can still have interactive in Windows. Just show "Folders" on the left, then you can drag and drop things wherever you want. And, even more interactive than the Mac (ironically), right-mouse-dragging files then gives you an option when you drop them to whether you want to copy, move or create shortcut. That has been incredibly useful in the past.



    Personally however, my brain is quite slow therefore I like to think "select files", "cut", okay now where did I want to put them... search... hunt... ah there. Okay, "paste". When I try to do that on the Mac I've been holding down the mouse button for so long, then I realise the folder I want is on the screen but slightly too low off the bottom to be able to drop into. So I have to drop the files to start again. But I need to make sure the files are dropped back in the right place or I'll have moved them to somewhere I didn't intend. I think that's more frustrating than pasting files I forgot to paste. At least both operating systems have an undo function.



    And yes, the column view should be a great way of working. However in my experience I select files and if I click in the wrong way on them it deselects instead of drags. IMHO that's just poor.



    Quote:

    Sequitur posted one here recently. This was it:



    http://www.ragesw.com/products/explorer/screenshots/0/



    Hmmm that looks like it could be rather useful. Thanks for the info! However, has to be said, I tried doing the merge I wanted, but all I got was this:







    Yet again, no merge.



    Quote:

    It's probably down to personal preference. Apart from the obliterating folder thing, I far prefer OS X's filesystem management.



    Under the hood, Mac OS every time for me. Apple hardware, fantastic after-sales service, drop-dead cool looking gear, stable environment and excellent security. All reasons I'm still with Apple and intend on being for a long time to come. However my gripe is well and truly directed at the Finder. A prime example of form-over-function.



    Can Apple just allow a tick-box for "Finder Pro" in the same way they used to have "Simple Finder"?
  • Reply 5 of 49
    jowie74jowie74 Posts: 540member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mr. Me View Post


    This bit of advice: Rather than lamenting the fact that the Mac is not Windows, learn to use the OS as it is.



    Absolutely. However it's perfectly healthy to have a rant with kinsmen once in a while, clears the soul.



    My intention is not to provoke anger or produce flame wars though, I mainly needed to find out if I was alone or if other people found these limitations frustrating. Mind you, saying I shouldn't lament but instead enjoy what I have is not exactly healthy for the evolution and improvement of a product. Taking the most useful interface ideas and working them into one useable environment should be a goal we are all striving to see on the Mac, shouldn't it?



    Quote:

    Things like folder(/directory) merges are handled very well with third-party utilities like Qdea's Synchronize! Pro X.



    I will most definitely check that out, thanks. However my way of working on both platforms has made me feel quite strongly that this type of file management should be readily available in an OS and not as an optional extra. But that's just my opinion.



    Quote:

    A lot of people come here for help with vexing problems. The biggest impediment to us who try to help our new Brothers and Sisters of the Mac is incomplete or incorrect information. If you are honest, then you will be more likely to get the help that you need.



    I dislike the inference that I am deliberately being dishonest. I would never intend on being dishonest. In fact, if I had come on to this board merely praising a product which I strongly believe is flawed, I would be dishonest not to point out these flaws. I am very, nay extremely happy to help out our new "Brothers and Sisters" of any issues they may have. However should someone be having a problem in terms of one of the issues I know of regarding OSX, I will not simply brush over these issues, I will agree with them that it is a problem.



    Unfortunately I do not believe in blind loyalty. My loyalty to Apple and its products is as honest as it comes.
  • Reply 6 of 49
    "I mainly needed to find out if I was alone or if other people found these limitations frustrating."



    You aren't alone. Many people moving from Windows like myself WILL lose files due to the incomplete conflict management in the Finder. I know I have.
  • Reply 7 of 49
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jowie74 View Post


    Yes. It tells you nothing. I have "Show warning before emptying the Trash" selected, and yet I get no warning. I can't do get info on it anymore (because it is on the Dock). It tells you nothing about the amount of things in there in the window itself. In fact, all in all it's a pretty useless folder. You'd be better off creating a scripted folder which you can then delete the contents of. At least that way you'd be able to find out information about what was in it. Not only that but you'd be able to launch images and similar items to find out what they are without having to take them out first.



    It's kinda buggy too. Sometimes I have a very small list of items in there and if they are in the root directory and I do a get info to measure their collective size, the Finder just hangs up.



    I do get the warning appearing though, maybe you need to delete your Finder preferences plist.



    I also dislike the inability to open things from trash. That makes no sense to me at all. You can actually drag stuff from trash onto say a dock icon and it will open though so it's a bit inconsistent.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jowie74 View Post


    And, even more interactive than the Mac (ironically), right-mouse-dragging files then gives you an option when you drop them to whether you want to copy, move or create shortcut. That has been incredibly useful in the past.



    The Mac has similar shortcuts. If you hold alt while dragging, that copies and command-alt makes an alias.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jowie74 View Post


    When I try to do that on the Mac I've been holding down the mouse button for so long, then I realise the folder I want is on the screen but slightly too low off the bottom to be able to drop into. So I have to drop the files to start again. But I need to make sure the files are dropped back in the right place or I'll have moved them to somewhere I didn't intend. I think that's more frustrating than pasting files I forgot to paste. At least both operating systems have an undo function.



    Yeah I have to say I've done that myself and the undo is handy. The Finder undo could be better though. If you move something to trash by accident and then click somewhere else, that undo option is gone. Someone mentioned a feature that was nice in Windows was the ability to put items back where they came from out of the trash. That would be very useful.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jowie74 View Post


    And yes, the column view should be a great way of working. However in my experience I select files and if I click in the wrong way on them it deselects instead of drags. IMHO that's just poor.



    Yeah, it definitely needs adjusted, there are a few bugs. Sometimes for example editing a name, the name will disappear entirely and then only appear again when I click off the edit.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jowie74 View Post


    Yet again, no merge.



    You can do merges with special software as Mr Me suggests above. I tried out a couple of those myself but most of the time, I go through manually as I often want some things replaced and others not. I think I tried this one out I'm not sure:



    http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/21375



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jowie74 View Post


    Can Apple just allow a tick-box for "Finder Pro" in the same way they used to have "Simple Finder"?



    I've thought the same thing myself. Have a switch that turns on invisible items and turns off those stupid zooms without having to resort to 3rd party software.
  • Reply 8 of 49
    Jowie74, I'd just like to apologize on behalf of the kool-aid drinkers on this forum for thier reactionary, apologist comments. Reminds me of this article.



    I also would like to see the features you mention, as well as support for Cut and Pasting of files.
  • Reply 9 of 49
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jowie74 View Post


    ...Under Windows, I am afraid to say, this is a breeze of a task. Say I have one folder called "CV" (which I have), and another one called "CV" in another location. I know they come from the same origin, however I have a version control problem and may have updated either folder in the past. Now I wish to merge them by copying one onto the other. If the files inside the folders already exist, I wish to keep only the newer ones. Any that don't exist can be added. If there are folders inside those, then I wish to merge the contents of those too. Drag, click yes to merge, apply to all items, job done.



    ....



    I know there are a smattering of utilities out there on the web which allow one to do similar tasks on the Mac. Xcode, I hear, is pretty good for this, although it is only available as part of the developer programme software. Not only that but it is overkill for such a task, since it goes through the process of comparing the folders and then you must sort through the resulting mess telling it which files or folders you wish to replace, and which ones you wish to merge.



    Firstly I would say you might be able to do this with a Terminal (if you are thinking of more advanced Finder, the skillz are at the Unix-command-line, not Explorer )



    Then, try AppleScript/Automator



    Xcode would be overkill, but by the way, Xcode is free from developer.apple.com, no payment, just registration required.



    "Necessity is the mother of invention". Let's channel your rage and anger towards making a cool app/ command-line shellscript/ automator action and share with the world. Heck, you might even make some money doing so.



    http://developer.apple.com/documenta...section_1.html

    is the best place to start, honestly.



    Think MSDOS .Bat files but 1 million times better. Ah, old skool, bro, but shell scripts are awesome. Wait till you can do recursive-directory stuff. You'll cream your pants... Particularly with your directory-scanning, checking dates, etc. etc.



    Skip the Explorer and take it to the next level.
  • Reply 10 of 49
    lundylundy Posts: 4,466member
    Quote:

    then I realise the folder I want is on the screen but slightly too low off the bottom to be able to drop into.



    The column will scroll if you place the pointer right on the bottom edge.

    Quote:

    So I have to drop the files to start again. But I need to make sure the files are dropped back in the right place or I'll have moved them to somewhere I didn't intend.



    Hit the Escape key to cancel the drag. You don't have to find a safe place to drop the items.
  • Reply 11 of 49
    jowie74jowie74 Posts: 540member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Marvin View Post


    I do get the warning appearing though, maybe you need to delete your Finder preferences plist.



    Thanks for the tip. Yes it doesn't seem like the norm, It's probably just me that one. However it's still not as useful as it once was under OS9. I've read the AI article about how the Finder has suffered in the move to OSX, very informative and explains a great deal. Although OSX look cool and is very stable, I do often miss the old System. Somehow I just knew how it all worked, and what to do when it wasn't... Like a reliable old engine.



    Quote:

    I also dislike the inability to open things from trash. That makes no sense to me at all. You can actually drag stuff from trash onto say a dock icon and it will open though so it's a bit inconsistent.



    Really... I didn't know that one. Nice little trick there, thanks!



    Quote:

    The Mac has similar shortcuts. If you hold alt while dragging, that copies and command-alt makes an alias.



    Yes true, however there's something really intuitive that I like about the right-click-drag thing. It makes sense that since the right mouse button brings up contextual information, that it should be extended to include drag. It means the whole operation can be done without the keyboard, a move I would've thought Apple would have embraced. I find Apple do tend to favour hidden keyboard shortcuts too often. It's a lovely surprise when you find one, but surely it's in their best interest if everyone knows about them, and how useful they can be?



    Quote:

    Yeah I have to say I've done that myself and the undo is handy. The Finder undo could be better though. If you move something to trash by accident and then click somewhere else, that undo option is gone. Someone mentioned a feature that was nice in Windows was the ability to put items back where they came from out of the trash. That would be very useful.



    Yes it would. I guess the problem is that when one uses multiple operating systems, one is aware of all the best parts of each and desperately wishes to merge them all together into some kind of "Uber OS". But I guess to some extent some things which one does better will always be the way or Apple and other companies would have law suits up to their necks.



    Quote:

    You can do merges with special software as Mr Me suggests above. I tried out a couple of those myself but most of the time, I go through manually as I often want some things replaced and others not. I think I tried this one out I'm not sure:



    http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/21375



    Yeah... Now see (heh) I don't want to be looking a gifthorse in the mouth, but both of these apps *synchronise* folders, they don't *merge*. I know you can get a merge using one of these apps and then deleting one of the folders, but again it's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. How easy would it be for Apple to include a "merge" option in with their copy/move option? In case you weren't aware that last question was rhetorical.



    I was using Synchronize! X Plus last night and, forgetting for a moment the limitations put upon the demo version, even when I tried copying a folder within the MB limits I found myself not much better off afterwards. I sync two folders, then I must go back to the Finder, browse for the first folder and delete it. I'd feel a little more comfortable with an OS doing the whole process for me, so I can be sure of what I have merged to where. Like I say, that's my own view. I think Windows has this better, and I'm sure even OS9 was more logical than what we have now.



    Quote:

    I've thought the same thing myself. Have a switch that turns on invisible items and turns off those stupid zooms without having to resort to 3rd party software.



    well, I can forgive the Mac its funky zooms and squishes, that's what makes it such a fun product. But hiding extremely useful functions behind command-option-ctrl-shift-key is incredibly user unfriendly, in my opinion.



    And while we're on user interfaces, how can Apple allow apps to have different key combinations for OS default commands, namely "Hide"? Sometimes it's Command-H, sometimes it's Command-ctrl-H, sometimes it's not there at all. How can one move seamlessly between apps if professional developers such as Adobe don't keep to the spec?
  • Reply 12 of 49
    jowie74jowie74 Posts: 540member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 1337_5L4Xx0R View Post


    Jowie74, I'd just like to apologize on behalf of the kool-aid drinkers on this forum for thier reactionary, apologist comments. Reminds me of this article.



    And I would like to apologize for the rather provocative title I gave to this thread - I wanted to go back and alter it slightly but once it's posted, you can't change it.



    I've also read a lot of hopeful Finder features being implemented into Leopard, and so a lot of my whinging is probably (I hope) in vain. Quite frankly I can't wait!



    Quote:

    I also would like to see the features you mention, as well as support for Cut and Pasting of files.



    I don't see why that can't be anything but useful! Ah well... As for other features I want, like most people I'm sure I could write quite a long list
  • Reply 13 of 49
    jowie74jowie74 Posts: 540member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nvidia2008 View Post


    Firstly I would say you might be able to do this with a Terminal (if you are thinking of more advanced Finder, the skillz are at the Unix-command-line, not Explorer )



    Then, try AppleScript/Automator



    I have been considering trying to write something with AppleScript. It's a mind-boggling experience and the only time I've dipped my toe in the AS water so far was editing someone else's script to help me recover my iTunes Library after a hard drive failure. Funnily enough that was a script to help me merge two libraries together...



    Quote:

    "Necessity is the mother of invention". Let's channel your rage and anger towards making a cool app/ command-line shellscript/ automator action and share with the world. Heck, you might even make some money doing so.



    I would most definitely like to be the one who writes the utility, in exactly the way I want it. Do you know of any decent AppleScript resources? Can I get AppleScript to merge seamlessly with OSX (in other words, a plugin that extends the copy/move ability)?



    Quote:

    http://developer.apple.com/documenta...section_1.html

    is the best place to start, honestly.



    That looks like CLI stuff, is that right? I'd prefer a GUI option, if possible. Unless I can use something like that in order to create a tool I can use within a GUI?



    Quote:

    Think MSDOS .Bat files but 1 million times better. Ah, old skool, bro, but shell scripts are awesome. Wait till you can do recursive-directory stuff. You'll cream your pants... Particularly with your directory-scanning, checking dates, etc. etc.



    Ahhh is that what is possible within shell scripting? Sounds good. If I can extend that to the GUI that would be the most useful to me.
  • Reply 14 of 49
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jowie74 View Post


    ...Ahhh is that what is possible within shell scripting? Sounds good. If I can extend that to the GUI that would be the most useful to me.



    Honestly shell scripting is the best for your situation, IMO. You will laugh at any GUI once you make a shell script to do this copy with "merge" thing.
  • Reply 15 of 49
    jowie74jowie74 Posts: 540member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nvidia2008 View Post


    Honestly shell scripting is the best for your situation, IMO. You will laugh at any GUI once you make a shell script to do this copy with "merge" thing.



    Hmmm but my intention is to build it into the OS. If it's CLI-only then it defeats the point... I want it to be as good as, if not better than, the Windows option.
  • Reply 16 of 49
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    OK Done. Please PM me if I am not responding on this thread (give me some time )



    OK.



    Open terminal.

    Type "rsync --verbose -n -u -r ./test1/* ./test2" (without the quotes), hit enter.



    so if you wanted to copy "CV" in your Documents directory to "CV" in your external drive named "USBDRIVE" then you type this.



    rsync --verbose -n -u -r ~/Documents/CV/* /USBDRIVE/CV





    you will realise that it will give you a file list, this is a test run. when you are ready (use test files please) you will take away the "-n" part. Meaning:



    rsync --verbose -u -r ~/Documents/CV/* /USBDRIVE/CV



    in the above example.



    The "-u" part is important to say that if the file is different, do not overwrite if the target is NEWER (ie last modified date, I believe, is LATER).



    Try and let us know. Rsync I believe is the key here. No shell scripting required.



    Note the "-r" means it will copy/sync all subdirectories.
  • Reply 17 of 49
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jowie74 View Post


    Hmmm but my intention is to build it into the OS. If it's CLI-only then it defeats the point... I want it to be as good as, if not better than, the Windows option.



    *sigh* do I have to draw you a nice cute icon too?



    Please hold...
  • Reply 18 of 49
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Use Automator and make this first:



  • Reply 19 of 49
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member




    Then save as application on your desktop or something, quit Automator, run the action and check Results.txt on your desktop.



    If everything looks cool then we can adjust to do it for real.



    Please post your actual directory structure of "from" and "to".



    We can build on this to get more hardcore with the Automatr
  • Reply 20 of 49
    gongon Posts: 2,437member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Marvin View Post


    I disagree. I actually had to ask someone how to move a file/folder to a parent directory in Windows. The Finder's column view is much better for this. You just drag stuff around, no need to to cut/paste anything. What happens if you cut something and forget to paste it? Will it randomly move a whole bunch of files if you accidentally hit ctrl-v? File moving should be totally interactive IMO.



    Column view is too fidgety. The mouse zones where the column view scrolls while you are dragging a file are too small, and when you're trying to drop in a folder that contains, say, tens of other folders, it's far too easy to accidentally drop in one of those folders instead. I got used to doing this - eventually - and I use column view only, but I wouldn't advise my mother to do this because it needs too much mouse dexterity.



    What I actually tell her do is to open, resize and position two classic windows before dragging so that there is a huge drag target and she doesn't need to use springloading to get the job done. That just tends to be slow and frustrating when you are deep in the folder structure and/or have a small screen. Sometimes she still drops accidentally, and/or springloading in some object she drags over messes things up.



    Using two column windows isn't much better, their shapes are awkward and the screen should be large.



    Cut-paste worked just great for me on Windows. I don't remember ever, not once, causing damage with an accidental Paste in ten years of use. Dragging stuff around is fine if it's made easy enough, and on OS X it works much better than on Windows of course, but I still don't think it's as good for a seasoned user as cut-paste.



    In addition to cut and paste, I'd love a dead simple classic view with intelligent, adaptive icon spacing and springloaded breadcrumbs. Something like this. Strip the toolbars and menu out of that screenshot, apply the Apple touch, and we'd have enough Finder till something replaces hierarchical files as the main metaphor for organization of data.



    In answer to your question, if you cut something in Explorer and do not paste it until cutting something else, nothing happens whatsoever. The files stay where they are and the visual indication (greyed out) that they have been cut (are being cut?) disappears. The cut is just an indication for paste where to grab files, same as copy, but when you have cut then the files are also cleaned up from where you pasted them from.
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