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Norton Commander

From Alfawiki
Norton Commander
Company typeSoftware
IndustryFile management software
Founded1986; 40 years ago (1986)
FounderJohn Socha
Defunct1998 (1998)
SuccessorNorton Desktop
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsNorton Commander (DOS, Windows, OS/2)
OwnerSymantec (after 1990)

Norton Commander (commonly abbreviated as NC) was a text-based orthodox file manager (OFM) that has since been discontinued. It was created by John Socha and initially published by Peter Norton Computing, which Symantec acquired in 1990. Designed for MS-DOS, Norton Commander was available from 1986 until 1998, with the last MS-DOS edition, version 5.51, launched on July 1, 1998.

Following this, Norton Desktop emerged as its successor, offering a graphical user interface shell for both MS-DOS and Windows platforms. This product came in two variants: Norton Desktop for DOS and Norton Desktop for Windows.

Background

Development of Norton Commander started in 1984 under John Socha’s direction, originally under the working titles "Visual DOS" or "VDOS". The earliest releases were fully programmed in assembly language; however, subsequent versions combined C programming with assembly to streamline the development process.

The hallmark of Norton Commander was its dual-pane layout, which enabled users to manage files effectively without heavy reliance on mouse input, although mouse functionality was incorporated around version 3.0. Each pane could present file listings, directory structures, or alternative views, while command shortcuts were displayed along the bottom of the screen and could be expanded using CTRL and ALT key combinations. The software also featured integrated utilities such as a text viewer (activated by F3) and a text editor (F4).

During the DOS era, Norton Commander achieved significant popularity and inspired many imitators. For example, the IntelliJ IDE once included a "Commander" plugin that mimicked Norton Commander’s keyboard shortcuts for file handling; however, this plugin is no longer maintained.

Long filenames

With the advent of Windows 95, Microsoft introduced a new graphical shell known as Windows Explorer, which supported long filenames (LFNs). Norton Commander 5.51 adapted to this change by utilizing standard Windows APIs to handle LFNs. Nonetheless, because it lacked native support for LFNs in real mode, it required a terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) utility to maintain long filename functionality; otherwise, filenames would be truncated.

End of life

Following Symantec's acquisition of Peter Norton Computing, development priorities shifted toward Windows-based software in anticipation of Microsoft's growing dominance. Key personnel from PNC were reassigned accordingly, and new developers specializing in Windows were recruited. Among them was Enrique Salem, who later became Symantec’s CEO and spearheaded the creation of Norton Desktop for Windows—a shell replacement designed to supersede both Windows File Manager and Program Manager.

Norton Commander for Windows

Norton Commander was reimagined for Windows 95 and subsequent operating systems under the name Norton Commander for Windows.

1.0

The initial release in 1996 supported both Windows 95 and Windows NT. This version incorporated native Windows features such as the Recycle Bin and included Quick View functionality through Quick View Plus integration. Support for Windows 98 was introduced with version 1.02.

2.0

Released in 2000, version 2.0 extended compatibility to Windows 2000 and remained functional on later systems including Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. The installation package included additional components like Network Utilities, Norton Commander Scheduler, alongside the core file manager.

Network Utilities provided capabilities such as network device and system monitoring, remote connections management, mapping network drives, and overseeing network activity.

Despite platform changes, Norton Commander preserved its essential features: handling file compression and decompression across multiple formats, access to network tools, disk cleanup functions, file and folder comparison utilities, as well as FTP administration.

The last iteration released for Windows was version 2.01.

Norton Commander for OS/2

The initial release of Norton Commander 1.0 for OS/2 2.0 arrived in December 1992, supporting HPFS and FAT file systems; however, it did not include the command prompt feature present in other editions.

By June 1993, Symantec reduced the price to $49 before ultimately ceasing its distribution.

Reception

In January 1988, InfoWorld commended Norton Commander 1.0 for its rapid performance, efficient memory consumption, ability to compare directories, and user-friendly interface, despite having seen few enhancements since its debut. The January 1989 issue of BYTE awarded Norton Commander 2.0 for DOS with a "Distinction" accolade, recognizing its effectiveness in streamlining navigation on heavily populated hard drives.

Norton Commander-inspired software

A wide array of applications have adopted the Norton Commander interface style originally developed by John Socha, spanning multiple operating systems:

  • Early DOS iterations of ACE Archiver utilized a Norton Commander-style interface
  • Altap Salamander designed for Windows
  • BeFAR tailored to BeOS
  • Commander One available on macOS
  • Demos Commander compatible with Unix and Linux
  • Directory Opus launched on Amiga in 1990 and later for Windows in 2001
  • DOS Command Center supporting DOS and Windows 95
  • DOS Navigator created for DOS environments
  • Double Commander functioning on Windows and Linux
  • FAR Manager operable on Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • fman accessible across Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms
  • Ghost Commander developed for Android devices
  • GNOME Commander suited for Unix-like systems
  • HiFile running on Windows, Mac, and Linux
  • Krusader designed for Unix-like operating systems
  • Midnight Commander available on Unix-like systems (including macOS) as well as Windows
  • muCommander built on the Java platform
  • PowerDesk by Avanquest, featured as an evaluation version within Microsoft's Windows NT 4.0 Resource Kits
  • Stereo Shell for DOS users
  • The DOS Controller created by Søren Kragh
  • Total Commander designed for Windows environments
  • Volkov Commander intended for DOS systems
  • WinNC compatible with Windows 10
  • RAR archive manager’s last DOS version (2.50) retained a Norton Commander-style interface
  • Xfolders developed for OS X

References in popular culture

  • The indie band Men I Trust from Montreal released a song titled Norton Commander; although it does not directly reference the software, it captures sentiments of warmth and familiarity linked to the program.
  • The mobile game Progressbar95 features an unlockable mode called "Progress Commander," which draws inspiration from Norton Commander's design.

See also

References

External links

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