Windows has Explorer. Mac OS has Finder. GNOME has Nautilus. And KDE had, up to a number of months ago, Konqueror. Now, together with the up-and-coming KDE 4, a simple file manager named Dolphin takes on file management. So how does Dolphin stack up?

Dolphin is KDE 4’s default file manager, and is a departure from KDE 3, which relied on Konqueror for file management. Unlike Konqueror, which functions as a web browser and many other things, Dolphin is specifically used for file management.

KDE users have for a long time had the jack-of-all-trades, all-singing-all-dancing Konqueror for file management. In KDE 4 we’ll be joined by the new Dolphin which will be the default file manager.

Konqueror, KDE's default file manager and browser, is a good all-around tool, but that doesn't necessarily mean it fits all your file management needs.

If you’ve never given your file manager much thought, maybe it’s time to look at the wide range of features offered by Linux file management tools.

File management is not a sexy job, but it is something you probably do a lot of. Nautilus, the default Gnome file manager, does a pretty good job, but it does have a few shortcomings. Of course you are not limited to Nautilus, and I have found the LXDE file manager PCMANFM quite handy. Here's why.

The traditional file permission model, where read, write, and execute permissions are set on each file for the user, group, and others (UGO) has one drawback: It can't be used to define per-user or per-group permissions. For that, you need to employ access control lists (ACL). Eiciel is a graphical tool that integrates with the Nautilus file manager and allows for easy ACL management.

Dolphin was intended to replace Konqueror as the default file manager in KDE 4. The scope of Dolphin was to only provide a compact and easy-to-use file manager, without all the features and uses Konqueror has. And (I think) it succeeded. In the beginning most of the users were reticent regarding this idea, since Konqueror provided anything one could possibly ask from a file manager.

As most of you already know, Dolphin is the new KDE 4 default file manager. The KDE 3 version introduced a new way for file management on KDE. It introduced, for the first time in KDE world, a simple KDE file manager, easy to follow and use. Let's see how Dolphin looks, and how it's an improvement of file management.