Suggestions for twin panel file manager installation (and other non-flatpaked apps)

General
1

I’m thinking about ways to setup a Bluefin or Aurora installation on my dad’s computer and to keep it there updating in the background forever without the system getting into his way and requiring any maintenance.

However, he is used to handle files with Total Commander and a twin panel file manager is a must for him, and I haven’t found any among the Flatpaks.

Until recently, I thought that the preferred way of installing apps in uBlue world is

  1. Flatpak || brew
  2. Distrobox
  3. rpm-ostree
  4. ???

so I tried how Double commander and Krusader would look in Distrobox container and everything seemed okay. Distrobox was being updated with the whole system, so I thought that some kind of a rolling distro would be perfect to keep the system running for years without the need to touch it once it’s set up (hence my question in Eternally upgrading distrobox).

BUT - last week I noticed, that Distrobox containers stopped updating together with the whole system and I missed the memo about that: Turn off automatic distrobox upgrades · Issue #2436 · ublue-os/bluefin · GitHub

I’m sure I can setup my own cron job to run distrobox upgrade or to extend the ujust update task, but I don’t know how prone to failure this setup actually is.
As I understand it, layering packages is generally discouraged compared to Distrobox installation, but what would be the lesser evil in this situation?
Am I more likely to be (eventually) bitten by the automated Distrobox updates, or by the layered packages e.g. when the base Fedora version gets upgraded?

Alternatively, I think I could install Total Commander through Bottles or something. Could that be the more stable solution than the other two mentioned above?

2

You can’t just use Dolphin’s dual panel mode?

I would say the least evil is to use image-template so you can control his update pace AND pre-installs Rustdesk for remote trouble shooting. Plus, if you build an ISO, you can give him a flashdrive pre-loaded with Ventoy and tells him to copy the ISO there to reset stuff while retaining the config you want him to have, as an emergency nuke button (provided, of course, that Ventoy or whatever you use works with ublue ISO at that point).

3

Yeah, GUI file managers is where Linux is surprisingly lacking. Dolphin, IMO, is the best option on both interface and usability.

Best option really is installing it via building image from template (IMO, for simple cases of adding/removing a few apps blue-build template is easier). Or rpm-ostree, but that is not recommended around here. Only downside is that in Bluefin it pulls along a bunch of KDE dependencies.

You can install it in flatpak to try out, but sandbox really messes up some of its features, like “open in X app” in context menu.

4

Dolphin is too different kind of a beast, sadly. The twin panel mode is just like having two windows opened, just merged into one frame. It does not have the same keyboard shortcut layout as is common among the *commander file managers and does not share the same functionalities. Krusader would be the obvious choice in such case instead, when picking from the KDE apps.

Isn’t building the whole image (and rebuilding it with each update) wasteful, when it comes to just using one app on top the existing Bluefin image? I haven’t tried to make a custom image yet, but it seems to me like overkill for such task.

5

Like I see it:

  • flatpak for installing GUI apps (but not all apps are packaged as flatpak)
  • brew use to install text like tools that run inside terminal (e.g. brew install mc that is like Total Commander but runs inside terminal - probably not the best for dad)
  • rpm-ostree should be used for programs that requires root privilege e.g. VPNs (if not supported by Tailscale…), low lever network tool e.g. Wireshark, low level disk tools e.g. VeraCrypt and similar
  • distrobox should be used for servers that listen to TCP/IP port e.g install PostgreSQL database
  • distrobox should be used for other cases too like installing software also GUI that are not available as flatpaks (much better to use distrobox then rpm-ostree; last one will bite you some day)

Probably the closes to Total Commandes (Windows only app) is Double Commander.

I have written one example few months ago how to install GUI apps using BoxBuddy, it should be easy to follow and adapt to Double Commander. For example https://software.opensuse.org//download.html?project=home%3AAlexx2000%3Adoublecmd-svn&package=doublecmd-gtk is link for multiple distros you can pick e.g. Fedora 41 repo and install (but you need to select Fedora 41 in BoxBuddy).

6

That would actually be cool and bring him Norton Commander nostalgia, as he used it in DOS at the time :grinning_face:
I’m afraid the system integration will not be great, since it runs in the terminal, but I’ll give it a try.

7

You can integrate terminal application just fine…

  1. Install mc: brew install mc

  2. Save file with the following content:

[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Version=1.0
Type=Application
Terminal=true
Exec=/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin/mc
Name=Midnight Commander
Icon=/var/home/your_user/.local/share/applications/mc_blue.png

to: /var/home/your_user/.local/share/applications/mc.desktop

  1. Copy this image to: /var/home/your_user/.local/share/applications/mc_blue.png
    mc_blue
    mc_blue128×128 9.5 KB

Note: Replace “your_user” three times above to your actual user. Get user: echo $USER

P.S. Maybe it is still better to install some GUI app like Double Commander.

1 Like
8

I meant integration in the sense of connecting between MC and other installed applications, like “Open file with …”, but thanks for the guide, it might come in handy in any case!

Yeah, that still seems like more user friendly result. But still - you advocated for the Distrobox installation above, but I’m wary, since automatic updates were disabled for that. What specifically do you see as the risk in case of layering a package like Double Commander?
I haven’t found any examples, except for slowdown during updates.

1 Like
9

I have had plenty of issues (when I used mother project Fedora Silverblue) like updates failing and it was required to uninstall rpm-ostree installed package, update software and install back rpm-ostree package again.

Maybe I was unlucky… or something has changed to the better, but it is not recommended to install user like apps using rpm-ostree.

You can create simple cron job to upgrade in background like running command:

distrobox upgrade -a
10

That would actually be cool and bring him Norton Commander nostalgia

For that matter, there’s GitHub - elfmz/far2l: Linux port of FAR v2

11

I’ve used 1Password layered for nearly a year without any problems.

Alternative To can be a good resource for finding things like this:
https://alternativeto.net/software/midnight-commander/?platform=linux

12

@ppb, I have been playing around with installing Double Commander in distrobox and I have written detailed easy to follow HOWTO tutorial if you are still interested. :slight_smile:

I have also posted some issues I have had and how I have solved them and few of the tips for how to work much quicker in Double Commander.