Linux equivalent to Windows Explorer?

Solution


Well, not really. There are a few different desktop environments, and they all work pretty much the same after a few minutes of familiarization.

If you're interested in trying Linux....try it in either a LiveCD, or in a VM.

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Which distro are you using?

Your Home might be just displayed on the desktop.
This is from LinuxMint:
XEEq1Jr.jpg
 

beingbobbyorr

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I don't have Linux yet. In fact, I have no experience with it at all. Is a "distribution" the same thing as picking
1) a vendor (Red Hat vs. . . . . well, whoever competes with Red Hat), and
2) a version number?
 

It's entirely dependant upon the desktop environment you choose. For example, in KDE, the two main file managers are Konqueror and Dolphin. Though personally, I prefer to use the console and do the bulk of my file management via command line.

Distrowatch will give you an idea of just how diverse the Linux world is.
 

beingbobbyorr

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Wow. If there are "hundreds of different Linux distros", does that mean there are at least dozens -- if not hundreds -- of software programs "equivalent to Windows Explorer"?

If so, that explains why Linux has never gotten much traction beyond the professional developer/CS/IT community. i.e., Less (options, customization) really is more.
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator


Well, not really. There are a few different desktop environments, and they all work pretty much the same after a few minutes of familiarization.

If you're interested in trying Linux....try it in either a LiveCD, or in a VM.
 
Solution

randomizer

Champion
Moderator


A distribution is basically a packaged selection of applications from the available pool, plus distribution-specific configurations for each of them if necessary.* They don't all have their own applications. Two distributions may have more applications in common than not. There are certainly many file managers available for Linux, but they not not all equivalent to Explorer. Some are very focused in function while others have all the bells and whistles.

You will find that many distributions are derivatives of others, and are therefore similar enough that you could switch between them without too much friction. Others are quite different. You could jump from Ubuntu to Linux Mint without any real trouble, but Ubuntu to Arch Linux will require some reading.

* There's a bit more to it than that but this is all that's really relevant to the discussion.
 

beingbobbyorr

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I was thinking strictly of desktops/laptops, since I don't even own a smartphone (just a primitive, non-web-capable 2005-era cellphone).

Such revelations probably reflect my age (55 y.o.) and thus my relative technological calcification. Sorry 'bout that.
 

McHenryB

Admirable

Android is not confined to smart phones (but we should not ignore the fact that the largest number of computing devices nowadays are phones or tablets).

If you confine your domain of hardware to desktop PCs it is true that Windows rules the roost (although there are a large number of Linux desktops out there). The main reason for this is that almost all computers come with Windows pre-installed (due to volume licensing deals this costs the manufacturers very little) and most computers are bought by non-technical people who never think of installing a different OS.