And who knows, it might even replace my xplorer2 (http://zabkat.com/) on Windows..
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.
Eg. to copy a file in a dual pane file manager, you usually use some shortcut to jump to the source directory in the left pane, then some shortcut to jump to the destination directory in the right pane, then press F5 to copy from left to right.
In Finder, what you'd do (with keyboard only) is most likely [home directory] down-down-down to source directory, Cmd+C, up-up-up-down-down-down-down to destination directory, Cmd+V. It's hard to describe, but it just takes a lot more time.
I tend to start with spotlight rather than with a home finder pane.
If anything, because it's the only one with column view that also sorts files in a rational manner (to me, at least): every element inside the parent directory is sorted alphabetically.
It's got a minimalistic design versus Windows Explorer having a button for every operation you can perform, and it's easy to use via keyboard shortcuts.
Its only defects is that it replaces directories instead of merging them in case of conflicts, but at least they finally implemented cut and paste a few macOS versions ago.
I just open it up, type whatever folder name I need, hit enter and I'm where I'm at.
I recently installed Windows 10 to play a few games, the latest version available from Microsoft, hoping that it would have improved since the last time I saw Windows over a year ago, and I wish I could describe this without hyperbole, but the user interface remains a veritable nightmare.
There's also https://github.com/junegunn/fzf/ for a more "graphical" method.
I have other annoyances, but that's the reason I hate Finder.
You probably already know this, but just in case - starting from Sierra, you can display/hide hidden files in Finder with Shift+Ctrl+. (dot)
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.)
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.
Other than "That's how it works in Windows so it should be like that in every OS" people don't really give a reason for WHY Enter should be used for launching apps and files from a file manager. To me using Enter to enter text editing (rename) feels more intuitive and personally, I appreciate that you cannot accidentally start processes with a single keypress.
As for modifying favorites, drag items into the Sidebar. How is that not intuitive? Common locations are in the Go menu.
"Delete Immediately" is Alt+Option+Backspace, which shows up when searching for "Delete" in the Help search box, but again, when working in the GUI the Trash is supposed to remain a default safeguard against accidental deletion.
You can change most shortcuts for any app from System Preferences -> Keyboard.
Gnome shells super key magic, which is way less than finder, is working way more intuitive for me. Finder always appeared to me like a tool i have to build my workflows for and not a tool that helps me with my existing workflows.
May does not help that i am not used to using file explorers other than ls and cd at all.