Some Lagniappe for You
By Tiny Ruisch
la·gniappe (län’yəp, län-yäp)
n. Chiefly Southern Louisiana & Mississippi
1. A small gift presented by a store owner to a customer with the customer’s purchase.
2. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. Also called regionally boot.
Windows 10 will soon be released and once again Microsoft hasn’t done much with a program that everyone uses. Windows Explorer was first released in Windows 95 as a replacement for File Manager. It is the interface for accessing the Windows file system. Windows Explorer is also the interface that controls many items on the monitor such as the task bar and the desktop. In short, it is a necessary program for operating your computer.
Over the years, Windows Explorer has morphed into what is commonly known as Windows File Explorer. Enhancements to the program have included, the task pane, search and image handling, to name just a few.
As in many other facets of Windows, third party developers have released enhancements or replacements to the File Explorer. An internet search will give you listings for hundreds of them. For the past year or so, I’ve been using XYPlorer. This is an excellent program which I like. It is a paid program. I got it as a Giveaway of the Day about a year ago. Since I can’t update it, I decided it was time to move on.
For the past month or so, I’ve been using FreeCommander XE 2015, an easy to use alternative to the Windows File Manager. It has a friendly user interface and can be easily adapted to your individual needs and desires. There are more features than I can use. I’ve disabled many of them, another pretty good feature of the program.
One of the main features is the dual pane interface. If you do a lot of file copying or moving, it is easy to drag and drop from one pane to another. With Windows File Explorer, you would have to have another open window.
My favorite feature is the tabbed interface. Instead of having to open a new window for each file location I access, The FreeCommander window has as many tabs as you need. I always have easy access to my most common locations. Tabs can be locked so that you don’t accidentally close them.
There are four optional toolbars. Toolbars can be resized. I haven’t counted the number of toolbar commands available, but there are at least 150. Nearly every toolbar button can be customized by the user. However you handle files, I believe FreeCommander XE will do the job for you.
The last feature I’m going to mention is the favorites menu. Everyone has favorite folders, files and programs that they access often when using the computer. FreeCommander has an excellent favorites folder that can be accessed from anywhere in the program. Remember that there is only one window that ever needs to be opened. Click here for screenshots of the program.
Did I mention the best feature? FreeCommander XE 2015 is freeware and can be used free of charge for both private and commercial purposes. For those that are interested, the program also has a portable version.
I’ve barely skimmed the features of this software. I think if you try it, you’ll never go back to File Explorer. You can download the program from the FreeCommander XE download page.
If you like the program, just tell everyone that you’ve got a SWLAPCUG extra, a bonus perk, a small gift, a present from the club: a little lagniappe.