~/TUI file managers, why?
Feb 5, 2023
TUI file managers are an objectively a less efficient way to navigate your directories.
They don’t offer much beyond an alternative view to the ls command. Even worse they might
even hinder your ability to access aliases or terminal shortcuts by adding more key strokes to the process.
I decided to count the number of keystrokes or mouse clicks needed for simple tasks, comparing Dolphin and Ranger, here are my findings.
| Task | Ranger | Dolphin |
|---|---|---|
| Copy multiple files | 11 | 5 |
| Move multiple files | 13 | 2 |
| Delete multiple files | 11 | 3 |
UI and UX designers try to decrease the number of clicks needed to perform an action. TUI file managers increase the number of clicks needed to perform actions in comparison to GUI file managers.
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