
Show HN: fman – file manager for programmers - mherrmann
https://fman.io
======
dflock
Glad I looked inside the .deb file before I installed this. It does the
following things:

\- Adds `/etc/apt/sources.list.d/fman.list

\- Adds `/etc/cron.daily/fman`, which does this:

    
    
        #!/bin/sh
        update-fman
    

The `/usr/bin/update-fman` script does this:

    
    
        #!/bin/sh
        set -e
        apt-get update -o Dir::Etc::sourcelist="/etc/apt/sources.list.d/fman.list" -o Dir::Etc::sourceparts="-" -o APT::Get::List-Cleanup="0"
        apt-get install --only-upgrade fman -y
    

As far as I'm concerned, it's great to add your repo to
`/etc/apt/sources.list.d/` - this allows me to receive automatic updates to
fman on my schedule. It's not great to run a script as root that brute forces
an update to fman every single day.

Also, if I delete this, it'll just come back when the next update happens.

~~~
mherrmann
This behaviour is described on the home page [1]. Sorry it's not to your
liking. fman's features are prioritised according to the number of votes they
receive on a public Trello board [2]. There's a card for making it possible to
disable automatic updates [3].

The intention is obviously not for it to come back when you delete it. If you
remove it in the same way you installed it (via the package manager), then the
files you mentioned are removed as well.

[1]: [https://fman.io/docs/obtaining-updates](https://fman.io/docs/obtaining-
updates)

[2]: [https://trello.com/b/WpIUiPAd/fman](https://trello.com/b/WpIUiPAd/fman)

[3]: [https://trello.com/c/PZ664CEQ/9-make-auto-update-
functionali...](https://trello.com/c/PZ664CEQ/9-make-auto-update-
functionality-configurable)

~~~
vog
_> This behaviour is described on the home page._

This should be a big, fat warning with a clear description on how to install
your package without the root cronjob. And that warning should appear right on
the front site, not just some sub site.

 _> Sorry it's not to your liking._

This is not about personal taste. This is about violating well-established
best practices that have very good reasons to exist.

Running custom scripts as root, and especially adding custom cronjobs as root,
should only be done if absolutely required for the tool to perform its task at
all, e.g. for tools like logrotate.

Everything else is a violation of trust, and thus a no-go for package
maintainers.

If a user wants daily updates, they configure the APT or Synaptic accordingly.
It is the decision of the user, preferably for the whole system, at a time
convenient for them. This is certainly not the decision of a single package
maintainer.

Keep in mind that many people choose a Free Software distribution like Debian
because they developed an aversion to uninvited extra code running on their
machine. Why? Because this is what was forced on them by their old proprietary
operating system.

~~~
mherrmann
Per your (and other people's) suggestion, I just released fman version 0.3.1
that removes the cron job. Again, I apologise. I did not know it was
considered such a bad practice. I also wrote a blog post [1] that explains how
to make sure that the cron job really has been removed.

[1]: [https://fman.io/blog/an-apology-to-linux-
users/](https://fman.io/blog/an-apology-to-linux-users/)

------
minus7
> Don't be a free user.

Now that's just rude. Not even the linked article [0] manages to convince
otherwise. In fact, it even shows the opposite standpoint:

> If your free software project suddenly gets popular, you gain resources:
> testers, developers and people willing to pitch in. If your free website
> takes off, you lose resources.

If you don't want users to use it for free, don't offer it for free, but don't
insult your users.

[0]
[https://blog.pinboard.in/2011/12/don_t_be_a_free_user/](https://blog.pinboard.in/2011/12/don_t_be_a_free_user/)

~~~
throw_away
Especially when you make licenses scarce:
[https://fman.io/buy](https://fman.io/buy)

> I'm sorry, we're sold out :-( 100 licenses were made available on March 1,
> and all are gone. Please join the waiting list below to be notified when new
> licenses become available.

Not sure I understand the intent here of keeping people from paying you.

~~~
mherrmann
This was rightly also pointed out by others. I'm sorry. I didn't expect to be
sold out and am working on a solution. If you leave your email on the waiting
list [1] then you'll know immediately when a solution is available.

[1]: [https://fman.io/buy](https://fman.io/buy)

~~~
herbst
Curious now. How is it a problem to sell it more than a 100 times?

Nvm. Found your comment

~~~
mherrmann
I've answered this in [1], [2].

[1]:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13777696](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13777696)

[2]:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13778808](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13778808)

------
bastijn
I just did a blind purchase. Partly because I hate osx finder that much,
partly because I want to support people who ask the right price for their
products, and partly because it was the right time;I like to get up early
tomorrow and install something new.

And who knows, it might even replace my xplorer2
([http://zabkat.com/](http://zabkat.com/)) on Windows..

~~~
Razengan
Can people even explain _why_ they hate Finder, or is it just a fashionable
bandwagon to jump on?

While I do prefer Path Finder [1] for file-heavy workflows, Finder is
perfectly usable with a few tweaks here and there:

\- Get TinkerTool [2] to show hidden and system files, pathname in the window
title etc.

\- Tweak and create your own keyboard shortcuts for Finder in System
Preferences -> Keyboard -> Shortcuts -> App Shortcuts.

\- Trim the Finder Sidebar and Toolbar to only show you the most relevant
items, or hide them outright.

\- Tags are your friends! Use them freely. They can be used to effectively
store a file in multiple "folders", and are very handy in combination with
Spotlight and even Siri.

\- Show the Comments column and use them too if you need to! (Comments are
applied from the Get Info panel.)

\- You can customize icons for files and folders by Get Info -> Drag an .icns
file to the icon in the Info panel. To delete a custom icon, click the icon in
the Info panel and press Backspace.

[1] [http://cocoatech.com/pathfinder/](http://cocoatech.com/pathfinder/)

[2]
[http://www.bresink.com/osx/TinkerTool.html](http://www.bresink.com/osx/TinkerTool.html)

~~~
deathanatos
> _why_ they hate Finder

I can never remember how to _open a file_ ; it should be _easy_ , like Enter
(rename?!) or Space (open a window with the icon made huge?) or maybe even
desperately Shift+Space (same as Space, but animate it much more slowly and
don't let you kill it until it's done animating many rage-inducing seconds
later!) (It's Cmd+O.)

Navigate to? (I don't think it exists.)

Copy works, but move doesn't.

There's no delete. Trash doesn't count.

Instead of just dropping a "+" in the sidebar, it's completely non-apparent
how to modify the favorites. Not on the list? The user's home folder. (It's
configurable, but it's buried in the preferences, and even then, it's a set
list. If your favorite isn't on the list, tough.)

~~~
adrianN
No offense, but you should RTFM. You can move and delete and go to folder. As
with many Apple UIs these "advanced" features are not easily discovered.

~~~
deathanatos
I Googled the open shortcut prior to writing the post; I'll admit I didn't
Google them all.

It seems that move _is_ possible, it's ⌘+C, ⌥+⌘+V, but that really doesn't
feel intuitive (though you might argue I'm too used to Win/Linux keyboard
commands). Finder's own context menu only denotes ⌘+X, unless you hold ⌥,
which I just learned after wondering how the search box was able to find this
item in the menu that I'd never seen.

Found some other ones. I didn't think moving or opening a file was an
"advanced" feature. Opening in particular seems like such a prominent, common
operation that it should have a more prominent place on the keyboard than ⌘+O

> _RTFM_

Is there a manual? The Help's search was a bit useful in pointing out some
menu items I'd missed, but the menu really just has "Mac Help", which appears
to be about the entire OS, not Finder.

------
tra3
This looks like a lovely project but I would also suggest [midnight
commander]([https://www.gnu.org/software/mc/](https://www.gnu.org/software/mc/)).
It's a console based file manager that is available everywhere.

~~~
oneweekwonder
I tried mc ftp client, and it was not a enjoyable experience.

~~~
BeetleB
Did you use it from within mc or as a standalone?

I use FTP or SFTP within mc all the time. It's fantastic - no shortcomings so
far. Much easier than command line usage. You're navigating remote directories
just as if they were local.

What did you find problematic with it?

------
andreasklinger
The speed and efficiency of Norton Commander[1] was amazing

Happy that people bring it into our century

[1]:
[http://www.abandonwaredos.com/public/aban_img_screens/norton...](http://www.abandonwaredos.com/public/aban_img_screens/nortoncommander-5.jpg)

~~~
jakobdabo
If you are still using Windows then Far Manager [1] is an amazing Norton
Commander-like open source file manager with lots of available plug-ins. I
miss it in Linux, although Midnight Commander is not bad too (which I'm using
now in Linux).

[1] [https://farmanager.com/](https://farmanager.com/)

~~~
jasonjayr
Double Commander is a decent OSS cross-platform GUI implementation of the same
'commander' interface

~~~
dvfjsdhgfv
I've just tried it - configuring FTP links is more cumbersome and less
reliable than in FAR, so I'll pass on it tight now. After all, what counts is
how much time you can save using the right tools.

------
fernandotakai
> don't be a free user!

sure, going to buy it

> i'm sorry, we're sold out :-( 100 licenses were made available on March 1,
> and all are gone.

guess i will be a free user :/

~~~
mherrmann
I'm sorry :( 1) I didn't expect to be sold out 2) I want to provide paying
users with an awesome experience but need to be able to focus my resources to
do that. I promise more licenses will be made available soon.

~~~
fernandotakai
i totally understand your side. but you have to understand that the popup[0]
that appears when i open fman without a license is _really_ obnoxious.
specially when i can't buy a license.

[0] [http://i.imgur.com/m5uTyBe.png](http://i.imgur.com/m5uTyBe.png)

~~~
jasonjayr
Ha. That's the same popup Total Commander gives you when you don't have a
license.

~~~
mherrmann
yup ;)

------
borzale
Loving the software, but I am finding the nag screen incredibly obnoxious
(especially with its functionality, having a randomised button to click) when
I can't even buy a license to get rid of it.

Looking forward to you fixing that so I can actually use it :)

~~~
mherrmann
You're 100% correct. It's stupid to say "buy me" and when you do want to buy
say "sorry, you can't buy". I didn't think this through properly (because I
didn't expect to be sold out) and am working on a solution. If you leave your
email for the waiting list [1], you will know immediately once a solution is
available.

[1]: [https://fman.io/buy](https://fman.io/buy)

~~~
desdiv
Just curious, what's the rationale behind invite-only licenses?

~~~
mherrmann
I've addressed this in [1], [2].

[1]:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13777696](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13777696)

[2]:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13778808](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13778808)

------
mcgrath_sh
I think your business model is interesting. However, I'd be careful in letting
users decide the direction of the project. It might be okay-ish now if the
userbase is small, but when you hit a not unreasonably large number of people
(500? 1k?), that can quickly deteriorate.

What if the most upvoted suggestion is something that you have no use for? Or
if it is something that no future customer would want? Are you going to sink
development hours into it due to the promises you made? What if the top
features are continually fluctuating? I saw you are the only one who can add
cards, and that is a deterrent for now.

This is a project I will be keeping my eye on, but I didn't buy a license
today because "making paying users happy" gives me a bit of pause. Good luck
going forward and I hope to want to buy this within the next year! The idea of
a Sublime-like file manager is intriguing.

~~~
mherrmann
That's an interesting point. I've had feature requests I don't agree with. The
problem is that one feature may make one person happy, but (say) complicate
the UI and thus make another person unhappy. It's a balance between my vision
and what people want.

~~~
mcgrath_sh
Exactly! Granted, this is a very early stage of development, so it may not be
as big of a deal.

Another thing to keep in the back of your mind (if you don't mind more
unsolicited advice) is that you are building something that is the base for
plugins. For it to be as successful as Sublime is, the core has to be rock
solid and be made up of core features _only._ Be careful with feature creep.
And consider putting things that you may not feel are part of that core into
plugins initially (think vintage in Sublime). If they are, then migrate them
over.

(I promise, no more telling you how to oversee your project!)

~~~
mherrmann
Thank you for the advice :) Actually, all the basic functionality -
copying/moving files, the Cmd/Ctrl+P "GoTo on Steroids" feature etc, are
implemented in a plugin. I do this to make sure that fman's (Python) plugin
API is powerful enough that plugin developers can do just as much as me.

~~~
oldsj
Wow that's... actually a really good idea

------
bootlooped
I like it at first glance, it is a lot more aesthetically pleasing than the
other alternatives others have mentioned. I will try it out for a while and
buy it if I like it enough.

Why is there a limited number of licenses available?

~~~
mherrmann
I want to see "who's in". As a commercial project [1], fman needs to first and
foremost appeal to its paying users. Limiting the license sale in both time
and quantity lets me select for these people.

[1]: [https://fman.io/blog/fmans-business-
strategy/](https://fman.io/blog/fmans-business-strategy/)

~~~
jmcdiesel
"fman needs to first and foremost appeal to its paying users"

I can speak, as a paid user of many software products, that actually being
able to PAY for something, makes it far more appealing to me...

------
wingerlang
\- I'd like to have relative folders showing up when doing the CMD+P within a
folder.

\- Autocomplete when moving a file.

\- There's 'select' but not 'unselect'. It's easy to work around but it was
tedious to use.

\- I like having some visual shortcuts or spatial information about he dirs.
Now I go into a dir and the top one is kinda lost. Just my opinion.

\- Maybe let me use CMD+O to open folder/file instead of Enter, which should
rename it. At least it would follow macOS pattern.

Seems fine but not sure if I'll be using it. Maybe.

~~~
mherrmann
Thank you for the suggestions. Implementation of fman's features is
prioritised by the number of votes they receive on a public Trello board [1].

\- Relative folders in GoTo in Steroids (Cmd+P): I've added a card on the
Trello board for this [2].

\- Autocomplete when moving a file: likewise [3]

\- You're right about deselect. It should be there. I haven't had time to
implement it. One user used the Python plugin API [4] to implement deselect
[5].

\- fman's ancestors in spirit are dual-pane file managers like Norton
Commander or Total Commander, which for 20 years use Enter to open
folders/files. Of course, you're free to override the default key bindings
[6].

[1]: [https://trello.com/b/WpIUiPAd/fman](https://trello.com/b/WpIUiPAd/fman)

[2]: [https://trello.com/c/TEIdHUjH/142-goto-on-steroids-should-
al...](https://trello.com/c/TEIdHUjH/142-goto-on-steroids-should-also-suggest-
subdirectories-of-paths-containing)

[3]: [https://trello.com/c/uavERPwD/143-auto-complete-paths-in-
cop...](https://trello.com/c/uavERPwD/143-auto-complete-paths-in-copy-move-
dialogs)

[4]: [https://fman.io/docs/plugins-introduction](https://fman.io/docs/plugins-
introduction)

[5]: [https://github.com/raguay/DeSelect](https://github.com/raguay/DeSelect)

[6]: [https://fman.io/docs/customizing-fman](https://fman.io/docs/customizing-
fman)

------
klibertp
Interesting. I would give it a try if I weren't using Sunrise Commander (an
Emacs plugin[1]).

On a related note: it's good to see more and more apps include a command line,
where you can invoke any function of the program. Menu + icons + hotkeys
strategy may be a good UI for normal users, but the command line - especially
with good completion, like with Helm[2] - is much more convenient if the
program has more than just a couple functions. Emacs (M-x) and Vim (:) worked
like that since the beginning, I wonder what happened, what caused even
programmers' tools to shed their command lines for more than twenty years?

[1]
[https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/Sunrise_Commander](https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/Sunrise_Commander)
Screenshot:
[https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/SunriseCommanderScreenshotOn...](https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/SunriseCommanderScreenshotOnePage)

[2] Screenshot: [https://github.com/emacs-
helm/helm/blob/master/images/helm-b...](https://github.com/emacs-
helm/helm/blob/master/images/helm-buffers-list.gif)

~~~
mherrmann
Yes, I very much agree that a command line with autocomplete like Sublime
Text's Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+P should be available in many more applications. I find
menus a horrible way of exposing functionality. It's just so tedious to find
anything.

------
BeetleB
I can tell this is inspired by Norton Commander.

My obvious question: Why use fman when I can use Midnight Commander (for
Linux) and Far Manager for Windows? Both are very powerful and mature.

One reason I ask: fman requires a paid license for business use, whereas the
other two do not.

(Wrote a Midnight Commander guide once:
[http://nawaz.org/media/docs/mc/mc.pdf](http://nawaz.org/media/docs/mc/mc.pdf)
)

~~~
mherrmann
Both are command-line only and some people just want a GUI.

~~~
BeetleB
Neither mc nor far cause problems in GUI environments.

I use Windows at work. All I have to do is click on the Far icon and it pops
up in a window.

You can do something similar with mc in Linux.

------
preordained
Default key bindings kind of suck...but actually pretty useable once you've
gone and overwridden those.

Here's some of my overrides:

[ { "keys": ["Ctrl+Enter"], "command": "copy" }, { "keys": ["Shift+Enter"],
"command": "rename" }, { "keys": ["Ctrl+Shift+Enter"], "command": "move" }, {
"keys": ["Left"], "command": "go_up" }, { "keys": ["Right"], "command": "open"
}, { "keys": ["Enter"], "command": "open" }, { "keys":
["Alt+Enter"],"command":"open_with_editor"}, { "keys": ["Ctrl+Alt+T"],
"command": "open_terminal"}, { "keys": ["Ctrl+Alt+Enter"], "command":
"open_native_file_manager" } ]

------
splitbrain
Hmm the linux download gives me a .deb file only. I know I could try to
extract the binary from it... but I'm too lazy. (ArchLinux user)

~~~
mherrmann
Sorry about that. Features are prioritised according to the number of votes
they receive on a public Trello board [1]. There's a card [2] for ArchLinux
support.

[1]: [https://trello.com/b/WpIUiPAd/fman](https://trello.com/b/WpIUiPAd/fman)

[2]: [https://trello.com/c/sOyQA73P/80-create-a-packaged-
version-o...](https://trello.com/c/sOyQA73P/80-create-a-packaged-version-of-
fman-for-arch-linux-pacman)

------
ino
Looks nice and minimal, but a bit too barebones, mouse seems neglected even
for basic usage. I'm missing /.. to go up on the top of the folder, for
example. Or even better, It'd be nice if I could click anywhere on the path to
go there directly.

I'll keep an eye on the project as it is something I would gladly use.

My all time favourite nc clone is Altap Salamander, but sadly it's windows
only. [https://www.altap.cz](https://www.altap.cz) All the others I've tried,
FAR, TC, etc. seemed too ugly or clunky.

~~~
mherrmann
It's still somewhat early days. There's a card [1] on the feature requests
list for making ".." configurable. The reason it's not there by default is
that I want to keep the UI as clean as possible. But if you vote on the card
(like many others have), then the implementation of this feature will be moved
up in priority.

[1]: [https://trello.com/c/i3iA6BFZ/2-entry-in-
folders](https://trello.com/c/i3iA6BFZ/2-entry-in-folders)

------
DTrejo
I love it. 1) you're charging 2) it's OSS-ish 3) and you seem to have a
business model that'll work long-term. Don't listen to me because I'm not a
paying client, but keep up the good work!

Another idea for how to charge people: "enterprisey" usage, e.g. 2000+ files
in one folder or anything that normal file managers choke on.

~~~
mherrmann
Thanks but it's not OSS (why: [1]). Where did I get you confused?

[1]: [https://fman.io/blog/fmans-business-
strategy/](https://fman.io/blog/fmans-business-strategy/)

~~~
DTrejo
I think the "open source promise" link on the homepage made me think it was
already OSS. As you know, people on the internet can't be depended upon to
read :)

------
_kst_
This isn't something I'm likely to use (I'm a command line person), so take
any suggestions from me with a grain of salt.

But ...

Most GUI file managers show a popup menu when you right-click on an item. fman
doesn't. I'm sure the keyboard shortcuts are fine once you've memorized them,
but a good right-click menu would be useful for casual users.

Also, Ctrl-Shift-P shows a list of keyboard shortcuts, but it seems to be
fixed size, and it only shows about a third of the list at a time. My screen
is more than big enough to show the entire list.

~~~
mherrmann
You're right. I simply haven't had time to implement this. Features are
prioritised according to the number of votes they receive on a public Trello
board [1]. There's a card for implementing a proper context menu [2].

Regarding Ctrl-Shift-P: I've created a card for this [3]. You can vote on it
to have it moved up in priority.

[1]: [https://trello.com/b/WpIUiPAd/fman](https://trello.com/b/WpIUiPAd/fman)

[2]: [https://trello.com/c/wHX5czeT/22-make-it-possible-to-open-
fi...](https://trello.com/c/wHX5czeT/22-make-it-possible-to-open-finder-
explorer-s-native-context-menu-inside-fman)

[3]: [https://trello.com/c/PhdT0G7v/144-ctrl-shift-p-allow-to-
beco...](https://trello.com/c/PhdT0G7v/144-ctrl-shift-p-allow-to-become-
bigger-if-screen-is-large-enough-so-user-can-see-more-entries)

------
andresgottlieb
Is that Stripe modal asking you to enter your credit card number, without
knowing what server is it going to, an official Stripe thing? I would never
enter any sensitive data there.

~~~
mherrmann
Yes, it's called Stripe Checkout [1].

[1]:
[https://stripe.com/docs/checkout/tutorial](https://stripe.com/docs/checkout/tutorial)

~~~
andresgottlieb
Just found this comment from years ago, I completely agree and cannot believe
this system has been around for years!
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5082918](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5082918)

PS. Great app, BTW!

~~~
mherrmann
Thanks! :-)

------
rhubarbquid
I have no problem with them charging for their software, but it's kind of lame
that you have to download and run it before they even tell you it requires
buying a license...

~~~
mherrmann
Sorry you had a bad experience :/ I can somehow see why and I guess I should
make it clearer. There's a "Buy" link in the navigation and on the separate
download page [1] it says that a license is required.

[1]: [https://fman.io/download](https://fman.io/download)

~~~
jmcdiesel
I think, paying attention to the comments here, you should consider that your
communication is an issue. The whole license in general, the need for it, the
"it feels OSS, but its not" ... the artificial license limit... lots of red
flags, and a lack of clarity.

~~~
mherrmann
The person who said the thing about OSS corrected himself (I assume it's a he)
and admitted he just hadn't read the page properly.

I just explained why the limit isn't artificial.

But you're right, I'm sure my communication can improve. I've been spending a
lot of time on this project so am somewhat "blind" to mistakes. All I can do
is listen to the feedback here and improve.

~~~
jmcdiesel
I think we'll just have to disagree on the "artificial" thing. It "appears"
artificial.

I think the combo of the nag screen and the inability to pay to get rid of it
is a big part of the problem. If you're not going to let people buy the
software, you shouldn't add a penalty/hurdle/annoyance to their usage.

~~~
mherrmann
You're right that the combo sucks. I'll have to come up with something. I
didn't think this through properly in advance.

------
zokier
Cute project. I really like keyboard-driven graphical applications, they have
so much potential.

The licensing seems bit curious, whats the rationale in limiting the amount
and time?

~~~
mherrmann
You mean why the current license sale is limited in amount and time - I
answered this in another comment:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13777696](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13777696)

------
DougWebb
Did the installer for fman just install Opera as well? When I went to
uninstall fman using the Windows control panel, I sorted by install date and
Opera was shown as being installed _after_ fman was, within just the past few
minutes. I don't think I had Opera installed already, but even if I did it's
extremely unlikely that an auto-updated just happened to occur during the
couple of minutes I had fman installed.

~~~
mherrmann
Nope. I have no idea why you see Opera as being installed after fman. Maybe it
was installed and updated itself?

------
SFJulie
Well midnight commander already does this...

[https://midnight-commander.org/](https://midnight-commander.org/)

(yes it is a clone of norton commander for linux, which is also a clone of
pctools 4.3 for DOS and yes I use these since as long as I have been coding
and it is CLI based with productivity shortcuts)

------
AAAton
Nice! I have been wanting something like this.

I saw the feature requests on trello, but couldn't find "Create a new file"

~~~
mherrmann
I'm currently the only person who can add cards to the list. But just email me
at [michael] at [herrmann] dot [io] and I'll add your suggestions/bug reports!

------
Karunamon
Why the limited number of licenses?

~~~
mherrmann
I answered this in another comment:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13777696](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13777696)

------
the_common_man
This reminds me of those "urbit addresses" that went on sale for like 200 USD
each and the website made it seem like people gobbled it up with abandon. Why
only sell 100 licenses? Somehow it all seems made up (honest, outsider point
of view).

~~~
mherrmann
I've addressed this in two other comments [1], [2].

[1]:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13777696](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13777696)

[2]:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13778808](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13778808)

------
slrz
If I buy this, do I get the source code in a modifiable and non-obfuscated
form, even if not under the terms of an OSS license (i.e. no redistribution)?
I mean, it's a programmer's tool so not having sources would be a big
downside.

~~~
mherrmann
Nope, sorry. If that is a hard requirement for you, then you'll have to find
an alternative.

------
StavrosK
The front page returns a 500 error and is blank. On the upside, I like the
minimalism!

~~~
mherrmann
[edit: It's fixed now - see below]

;)

works for me... :/ Can you try again?

~~~
StavrosK
Nope: [https://www.pastery.net/tfyqwb/](https://www.pastery.net/tfyqwb/)

~~~
mherrmann
Thank you very much. I'll investigate.

~~~
mherrmann
Should be fixed now!

------
huhtenberg
It's an interesting project, clearly stemming from scratching one's personal
itch. Congrats on the Show HN, always an exciting experience :)

A bit of a reality check though if you don't mind - I think you will have very
hard time selling this.

Windows chunk of your target audience will undoubtedly be already using Far
and its many plugins, and thus have very little reason for switching.
Conversely, those not familiar with Far probably won't be that interested in
fman either.

Mac - desktop Mac market is exactly 1/10 of that of Windows. Perhaps Mac
people are more inclined to pay, but it will still be peanuts compared to what
a Windows version could bring.

Linux - I am frankly not familiar with a single Linux user, developer or not,
who ever bought _anything_ except for games.

[1] [http://www.farmanager.com](http://www.farmanager.com)

~~~
mherrmann
I'm nearly sold out [1] so I don't see a problem selling this. Far manager is
command-line only. 24% of my visitors are on Mac, Windows is 34% - hardly
1/10.

[1]: [https://fman.io/buy](https://fman.io/buy)

~~~
orclev
Just for some statistics, I just purchased it but the main selling point for
me is cross platform. I use Windows/Linux at home and Mac at work, so a tool
that works on all of them is a real boon to me. This way I can customize and
use a single tool and use it no matter where I am. Same reason I purchased a
copy of Sublime Text.

~~~
zerr
Is it electron based?

~~~
mherrmann
If you mean fman then no: I thought about this long and hard but startup speed
is crucial and Electron just doesn't cut it. It's based on PyQt. I wrote a
blog post about this: [https://fman.io/blog/picking-technologies-for-a-
desktop-app-...](https://fman.io/blog/picking-technologies-for-a-desktop-app-
in-2016/)

~~~
Jare
I see the Windows version is a 1MB download and the Mac & Linux are 21MB, so I
was surprised to ready Python and Qt are involved. I take it the Windows setup
is a downloader?

~~~
mherrmann
Yes - see
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13778676](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13778676)

------
dep_b
How well would this work as a replacement for Finder for basically every task?

~~~
mherrmann
The only use case I currently still use Finder for is previewing Pictures. But
admittedly, my needs aren't that advanced.

The most mainstream missing feature is probably a search functionality (see
the card [1] on the feature requests list). I don't miss it because I use the
command line.

[1]: [https://trello.com/c/ZtBmsZtA/98-file-
search](https://trello.com/c/ZtBmsZtA/98-file-search)

------
vikingcaffiene
Why would I use this over something like, say, Alfred? Alfred has a file
launcher very similar to this from what I can on the screenshots. What's the
appeal here? Cross platform support?

~~~
mherrmann
I would say cross platform and more of a focus on moving/copying files.

------
dvfjsdhgfv
I use two-panel FMs on almost all of my machines, for convenience mainly. How
would you convince me to try yours when there are several other alternatives,
much more stable and powerful?

~~~
mherrmann
It's cross platform.

It's more modern than the alternatives.

It has a Python-based plugin API with a vibrant (given its young age! It's
growing) plugin ecosystem [1].

------
missenlinx
Your installer was detected on my Windows 7 machine as a virus.
[http://imgur.com/a/47tsP](http://imgur.com/a/47tsP)

~~~
mherrmann
Yes, McAffee complains as well [1]. I don't know why :(

[1]: [https://trello.com/c/dFLnJXLr/121-mcafee-complains-that-
fman...](https://trello.com/c/dFLnJXLr/121-mcafee-complains-that-fman-is-a-
trojan)

~~~
slrz
Because antivirus software tends to be a huge load of crap that will flag
anything just slightly out of the ordinary with annoying popups to give
moronic customers the impression their wasted money actually contributed to
system security. Don't worry about it and tell users to remove that garbage
from their systems.

If more developers stopped putting up with it for fear of being associated
with malware, this shit would come to an end quickly.

Alternatively, you can bend over and ask them nicely to consider the flagging
of your app a false positive. If you're lucky, they might add an ultra-
specific whitelist entry so that their software will shut up until you update
your app (or compiler, …) the next time. Repeat until your butt can't take it
anymore.

~~~
mherrmann
:/

------
nickodell
This broke apt-get update on my system, by adding an https update method. I
assume the author must have apt-transport-https installed, or something.

~~~
mherrmann
Sorry about that :/ It adds /etc/apt/sources.list.d/fman.list so you can
update fman with apt. Isn't non-https unsafe?

~~~
dewey
No, because the packages are already signed with gpg. That way you can verify
the checksum already.

~~~
mherrmann
Interesting (sorry, I'm new to Linux packaging). So would it be safe then to
replace by http? (Not that I'd take this at face value, but I am interested in
your opinion)

~~~
dewey
Here's some more information that sums that up quite nicely, most default
mirrors are http so I'd say it's safe enough.

[http://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/90227/why-there-
is-n...](http://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/90227/why-there-is-no-https-
transport-for-debian-apt-tool/90321#90321)

~~~
mherrmann
Thanks!

------
sunilkumarc
Looks amazing. Keyboard people are gonna love it.

------
xena
Isn't the gif on the front page from atom?

------
desireco42
This looks like Norton Commander for DOS and subsequent clones. I always liked
this two pane layout. This is nothing new.

------
stirner
All POSIX operating systems come with a powerful file manager for programmers:
the POSIX shell and core utilities.

------
fuzzythinker
Licenses are already out within hrs on HN?

~~~
mherrmann
The launch (to my mailing list of ~1200 people) actually started a day earlier
and was 50% sold out when it became popular here.

------
movedx
What's with the 100 license limit?

~~~
mherrmann
I explained this in other comments [1], [2].

[1]:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13777696](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13777696)

[2]:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13778808](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13778808)

------
krick
How about ranger? It's FOSS too.

~~~
mherrmann
But only for the command line.

------
sgt
I'll give this a shot, but I suspect bash will remain my 'file manager' of
choice.

------
pswenson
How about a right click/keystroke to copy current file path to clipboard?

~~~
mherrmann
F11 :-)

------
fleurdelotus
To install, you need no admin rights.

To uninstall, admin rights are required !!!

How can i uninstall this ??????

~~~
mherrmann
Sorry for the trouble - does it also "require" admin rights when you run
C:/Users/<your user>/AppData/Local/fman/uninstall.exe?

~~~
fleurdelotus
Yes, it works. Thank u but this is counter-intuitive!

~~~
mherrmann
You're right sorry. I created a card for this [1] on the "issue tracker".

[1]: [https://trello.com/c/onDHN3Q5/150-windows-uninstalling-
via-c...](https://trello.com/c/onDHN3Q5/150-windows-uninstalling-via-control-
panel-requires-administrator-privileges-executing-uninstall-exe-doesn-t)

------
demarq
Looks really good on ubuntu!

~~~
mherrmann
Thanks!

------
swrobel
Already annoyed by the un-quick quick open animation. How do I turn it off?

~~~
mherrmann
It's not possible yet, sorry. There's a card you can vote on [1] on the public
feature requests board to have it moved up in priority.

[1]: [https://trello.com/c/zTua4A7f/58-make-it-possible-to-
disable...](https://trello.com/c/zTua4A7f/58-make-it-possible-to-disable-
speed-up-zoom-in-animation-for-dialogs)

------
sunilkumarc
Why do have a randomised button click to continue without a license?

~~~
eps
Because it's a _nag_ screen.

It's sole purpose is to inconvenience you.

------
unixhero
DoubleCommamder is a really good clone of Total Commander.

Recommended!

~~~
oneweekwonder
[http://doublecmd.sourceforge.net/](http://doublecmd.sourceforge.net/) is the
url to "Double Commander" for those that googled for "DoubleCommamder" and
could only find "DoubleCommand".

~~~
unixhero
Typed it on my phone. I agree, the post was slightly lazy:).

------
rscnt
worth mentioning: sunflower[[http://sunflower-fm.org/](http://sunflower-
fm.org/)]

------
swrobel
No homebrew cask :(

~~~
tekknolagi
I submitted one because of this comment. Enjoy!

------
braindead_in
No search?

~~~
mherrmann
Not yet sorry. Features are priorities by the number of votes they receive on
a public Trello board [1]. There's a card [2] for search (which is not the
highest-voted feature). But it will definitely come.

[1]: [https://trello.com/b/WpIUiPAd/fman](https://trello.com/b/WpIUiPAd/fman)

[2]: [https://trello.com/c/ZtBmsZtA/98-file-
search](https://trello.com/c/ZtBmsZtA/98-file-search)

