Norton Commander for OS/2
| Company type | Software |
|---|---|
| Industry | File management software |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Founder | John Socha |
| Fate | Discontinued |
| Successor | Norton Desktop |
Area served | MS-DOS, Windows, OS/2 |
Key people | John Socha, Enrique Salem |
| Products | Norton Commander (file manager) |
| Owner | Symantec (after 1990) |
| Parent | Peter Norton Computing (until 1990), Symantec (from 1990) |
Norton Commander (abbreviated as NC) is a now-obsolete orthodox file manager (OFM) originally developed by John Socha and launched by Peter Norton Computing, which was subsequently acquired by Symantec in 1990. It featured a text-based user interface for managing files on MS-DOS systems and was produced from its inception in 1986 until the final release, version 5.51, in July 1998.
Its successor, Norton Desktop, offered a graphical shell environment for both MS-DOS and Windows platforms, distributed as Norton Desktop for DOS and Norton Desktop for Windows.
Background
Development of Norton Commander began in 1984 under John Socha’s direction, initially titled "Visual DOS" or "VDOS". The earliest iterations were coded entirely in assembly language; however, Socha soon transitioned to a hybrid approach combining C with assembly to streamline development.
The standout feature of Norton Commander was its dual-pane interface, which allowed users to view two directory listings simultaneously, enhancing file management efficiency. Each panel could be customized to display directory trees or alternative views. Command shortcuts appeared along the bottom of the screen and were extended through the use of CTRL and ALT modifiers, facilitating quick operations without relying heavily on mouse input—although mouse compatibility was introduced around version 3.0. Integrated utilities included a text viewer accessible via F3 and a text editor launched with F4.
During the DOS era, Norton Commander gained significant traction and inspired many imitations. For example, the IntelliJ IDEA integrated development environment once featured a "Commander" plugin that mimicked Norton Commander’s shortcut keys for file navigation, although this plugin has since been discontinued.
Long filenames
With the arrival of Windows 95, which introduced the graphical shell Windows Explorer and support for long filenames (LFNs), Norton Commander version 5.51 incorporated LFN handling through standard Windows APIs. Nevertheless, to maintain LFN functionality in real mode, users needed to employ a terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) program because Norton Commander itself did not natively support LFNs in real mode and would truncate filenames otherwise.
End of life
Following Symantec’s acquisition of Peter Norton Computing, many critical resources were redirected toward Windows software development in anticipation of Microsoft's growing dominance. Under the leadership of Enrique Salem, who later became Symantec’s CEO, the team created Norton Desktop for Windows—a shell replacement designed to supplant both Windows File Manager and Program Manager.
Norton Commander for Windows
The Windows iteration of Norton Commander adapted the classic DOS file manager experience for the Windows 95 operating system.
1.0
Launched in 1996, version 1.0 supported both Windows 95 and Windows NT. It integrated with native Windows features such as the Recycle Bin and included a basic Quick View Plus utility for previewing files. Version 1.02 expanded compatibility to include Windows 98.
2.0
Released in 2000, version 2.0 added support for Windows 2000 and was compatible with subsequent systems including Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. The installation package contained Network Utilities, Norton Commander Scheduler, along with the file manager itself.
Network Utilities provided capabilities such as device and system monitoring across networks, remote connection management, network drive mapping, and network activity observation.
Norton Commander preserved essential functionalities from previous versions: handling file compression and decompression across multiple formats, access to networking tools, disk cleanup utilities, folder comparison features, and FTP client management.
The last version issued for Windows was 2.01.
Norton Commander for OS/2
The initial release, version 1.0, arrived in December 1992 tailored for OS/2 2.0, supporting HPFS and FAT file systems. However, unlike other versions, it did not include a command prompt feature.
By mid-1993, Symantec had lowered the price to $49 before eventually ceasing its distribution.
Reception
In its January 1988 issue, InfoWorld commended Norton Commander 1.0 for its rapid performance, efficient memory consumption, side-by-side directory comparisons, and user-friendly interface—remarkably without a directory tree—even though it had seen few updates since its debut. Similarly, BYTE magazine in January 1989 honored Norton Commander 2.0 for DOS with a "Distinction," emphasizing its straightforward navigation of densely populated hard drives.
Norton Commander-inspired software
A wide range of applications have adopted the Norton Commander interface style originally developed by John Socha, spanning multiple platforms and user bases:
- ACE Archiver (early DOS editions) incorporated a Norton Commander-like UI
- Altap Salamander on Windows
- BeFAR designed for BeOS
- Commander One available for macOS
- Demos Commander targeting Unix and Linux systems
- Directory Opus launched on Amiga (1990) and later on Windows (2001)
- DOS Command Center (DCC) compatible with DOS and Windows 95
- DOS Navigator for DOS environments
- Double Commander supporting Windows and Linux
- FAR Manager across Windows, macOS, and Linux
- fman available on Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms
- Ghost Commander for Android devices
- GNOME Commander tailored to Unix-like operating systems
- HiFile supporting Windows, Mac, and Linux
- Krusader developed for Unix-like systems
- Midnight Commander operable on Unix-like platforms—including macOS—and Windows
- muCommander built on the Java platform
- PowerDesk by Avanquest, bundled with Microsoft’s Windows NT 4.0 Resource Kits
- Stereo Shell designed for DOS
- The DOS Controller created by Søren Kragh
- Total Commander for Windows environments
- Volkov Commander for DOS
- WinNC compatible with Windows 10
- The DOS version 2.50 of RAR archive manager previously featured a Norton Commander-style interface
- Xfolders designed for OS X
References in popular culture
- Norton Commander's legacy influenced the song "Norton Commander" by Montreal-based indie band Men I Trust, capturing sentiments of dependability and nostalgia linked to the software.
- A mobile game named Progressbar95 includes an unlockable "Progress Commander" mode inspired by the classic file manager.
See also
References
- Nikolai Bezroukov (2005). The History of Development of Norton Commander (NC line of OFMs)
External links
- The History of Development of Norton Commander (Softpanorama)
- 21st Century Nostalgia A Tribute to Norton Commander 5.0
- Norton Desktop for Windows 1.0 A graphical review in the GUI Gallery