View source for Norton Commander

{{Short description|Discontinued orthodox file manager software}}
{{About|the software package|the motorcycle of the same name|Norton Commander (motorcycle)}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2012}}
{{Infobox software
| name                   = Norton Commander
| screenshot             = Norton Commander 5.51.png
| caption                = Norton Commander v.5.51 for DOS. Note the long file names present when running on Windows.
| author                 = [[John Socha]]
| developer              = 
| programming language   = C, assembly
| released               = {{start date and age|1986}}
| latest release version = 5.51
| latest release date    = {{start date and age|1998|07|01|df=yes}}
| operating system       = [[MS-DOS]]
| discontinued           = yes
| genre                  = [[File manager]]
| license                = [[Commercial software|Commercial]] [[proprietary software]]
}}

'''Norton Commander''' ('''NC''') is a discontinued prototypical [[orthodox file manager]] (OFM), written by [[John Socha]] and released by [[Peter Norton Computing]] (later acquired in 1990 by the [[NortonLifeLock|Symantec]] corporation). NC provides a [[text-based user interface]] for managing files on top of [[MS-DOS]]. It was officially produced between 1986 and 1998. The last MS-DOS version of Norton Commander, 5.51, was released on July 1, 1998.

A related product, ''Norton Desktop'', a graphical [[Shell (computing)|shell]] for MS-DOS and Windows, succeeded Norton Commander. It came in two variants, ''Norton Desktop for DOS'' and ''Norton Desktop for Windows''.

==Background==
[[File:Captain norton.png|thumb|upright|Commander Norton [[mascot]] including his trademark cap and white gloves, used in NC 5.51 [[computer icons]]|left]]

{{Quotation|I started work on what became known as the Norton Commander in the fall of 1984 while I was still a graduate student in Applied Physics at Cornell University. The first versions were entirely in assembly language, but that was too time-consuming, so I soon switched to a blend of C and assembly language at a time when most "real programmers" wouldn't touch C.|John Socha described his work on NC{{ref|Bezr}}}}

John Socha started work on Norton Commander in 1984; at the time, he called it "Visual DOS" or "VDOS".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.softpanorama.org/OFM/Paradigm/Ch03/norton_commander.shtml|first=Nikolai|last=Bezroukov|year=2005 |title=The History of Development of Norton Commander |work=[[Softpanorama]] |quote=As John Socha recollected the events (personal communication): 'I started work on what became known as the Norton Commander in the fall of 1984 ... At the time I called it Visual DOS, with the abbreviation of VDOS instead of the usual two-letter abbreviations used at the time.'}}</ref>

Norton Commander was easy to use because it had a constant view of two file manipulation objects at once. After starting the program the user sees two panels with file lists. Each panel can be easily configured to show information about the other panel, a [[directory tree]], or a number of other options. At the bottom of the screen, Norton Commander displays a list of commands that are extended on demand by the [[Control key|CTRL]] and [[Alt key|ALT]] keys. Thus, without heavy use of the mouse (although mouse functionality was integrated around version 3.0), the user is able to perform many file manipulation actions quickly and efficiently. Additionally, it also includes a built-in text file viewer (invoked with F3 key) and text file editor (invoked with F4 key).

Norton Commander was very popular during the DOS era and it has been extensively cloned. For example, the [[IntelliJ IDEA|IntelliJ IDE]] used to include a "Commander" plugin that performed file manipulation using the same shortcut keys as Norton Commander<ref>{{cite web|title=Commander Tool Window|url=http://www.jetbrains.com/idea/webhelp/commander-tool-window.html|access-date=9 August 2012|archive-date=11 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200511131428/https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/commander-tool-window.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> but the plugin is now obsolete.<ref>{{cite web|title=Commander|url=https://plugins.jetbrains.com/plugin/7706-commander|access-date=6 July 2018}}</ref>

===Long filenames===
[[Windows 95]] included a new graphical shell called [[Windows Explorer]] and supported [[long filename]]s (LFN). Symantec released Norton Commander 5.51 to support long filenames using the standard Windows [[Application Programming Interface|APIs]]. In order to preserve LFNs while working in [[real mode]], Norton Commander 5.51 required the use of a [[terminate-and-stay-resident]] (TSR) utility. Norton Commander did not have native support for LFNs in real mode and would truncate them.

===End of life===
According to former Peter Norton Group developer Mark Lawler, after Symantec had acquired Peter Norton Computing, Symantec had speculated Microsoft Windows would be a success, so the key PNC resources had been diverted, while new programmers for the Windows platform were hired. [[Enrique Salem]] (who eventually became Symantec's CEO) led the development of a Windows shell replacement for [[Windows File Manager]] and [[Program Manager]] released as Norton Desktop for Windows.

==Norton Commander for Windows==
Norton Commander for Windows was a Windows 95 variant of the classical DOS file manager.

===1.0===
Version 1.0 was first released in 1996. It supported both Windows 95 and [[Windows NT]].

This version fully integrated with Windows features such as the [[Recycle Bin (Windows)|Recycle Bin]] and [[QuickView|Quick View]]. Quick View feature was supported via the included basic Quick View Plus.

Version 1.02 added [[Windows 98]] support.

===2.0===
[[File:NortonCommanderWin.png|thumb|Norton Commander v.2.01 for Windows
]]
Version 2.0 was released in 2000. It supports [[Windows 2000]] and functions under [[Windows XP]], [[Windows Vista]], and [[Windows 7]]. Installer included Network Utilities, Norton Commander Scheduler, and the Norton Commander.

Network Utilities allows for viewing devices and systems on network, connecting to remote systems, mapping [[network drive]]s, network monitoring, and more.

Norton Commander is little changed from previous versions, and includes [[file compression]]/de-compression of various formats, network utilities access, disk cleanup, files and folder compare, [[File Transfer Protocol|FTP]] connection management, and more.

The last Windows version of Norton Commander was 2.01.

==Norton Commander for OS/2==
Version 1.0 was released in December 1992. It supports [[OS/2]] 2.0 with [[High Performance File System|HPFS]] or [[file allocation table|FAT]] file system.

It does not include the [[command prompt]] found in other versions of Norton Commander.

In June 1993, Symantec lowered the price of Norton Commander for OS/2 to $49, and soon ceased sales.{{cn|date=September 2025}}

==Reception==
''[[InfoWorld]]'' in January 1988 noted that Norton Commander version 1.0 had not changed since its introduction but was still "way ahead of the pack". The magazine cited its speed, small memory use, ability to compare two directories at once, and intuitive user interface without a [[directory tree]].<ref name="walkenbach19880118">{{Cite magazine |last=Walkenbach |first=John |date=18 January 1988 |title=DOS Shells |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dz8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA44 |access-date=2025-05-25 |magazine=[[InfoWorld]] |pages=44–47 |volume=10 |issue=3}}</ref> ''[[BYTE]]'' in January 1989 listed Norton Commander 2.0 for DOS as among the "Distinction" winners of the BYTE Awards, stating that "navigating through a crowded hard disk is a breeze".<ref name="byte198901">{{Cite magazine |date=January 1989 |title=The BYTE Awards |url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1989-01/1989_01_BYTE_14-01_PC_Communications_and_Annual_Awards_and_Digitizing_Tablets#page/n371/mode/2up |magazine=BYTE |page=327}}</ref>

==Norton Commander-inspired software==
{{main|Orthodox file manager}}

There are many programs that follow the style of Norton Commander as created by John Socha. Examples are:
[[File:Stereo_Shell_S410.png|thumb|Stereo Shell v.S4.10 for DOS
]]
*[[ACE (compressed file format)|ACE Archiver]] for DOS in the first versions had a NC-inspired interactive interface
*[[Altap Salamander]] for [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]
*BeFAR<ref>[https://github.com/HaikuArchives/BeFAR BeFAR]</ref> for [[BeOS]]
*[[Commander One]] for [[macOS]]
*[[Demos Commander]] for [[Unix]] and [[Linux]]
*[[Directory Opus]] for [[Amiga]] (1990) and Windows (2001)
*DOS Command Center (DCC) DOS and Win95 versions
*[[DOS Navigator]] for [[DOS]]
*[[Double Commander]] for Windows and Linux
*[[FAR Manager]] for [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], OSX and [[Linux]] 
*fman<ref>[https://fman.io/ fman]</ref> for Windows, Mac and Linux
*Ghost Commander<ref>[https://sourceforge.net/projects/ghostcommander/ Ghost Commander]</ref> for [[Android (operating system)|Android]] systems
*[[GNOME Commander]] for [[Unix-like]] systems
*HiFile<ref>[https://www.hifile.app/ HiFile]</ref> for Windows, Mac and Linux
*[[Krusader]] for Unix-like systems
*[[Midnight Commander]] for Unix-like systems (including [[macOS]]) and Windows
*[[muCommander]] for [[Java (software platform)|Java platform]]
*[[Music on Console]] for Unix-like systems; actually a music player
*PowerDesk by [[Avanquest]], of which an evaluation version of Version 4 is included in Microsoft's [[Windows NT 4.0]] [[Resource Kit]]s
*Stereo Shell for DOS
*The DOS Controller by Søren Kragh
*[[Total Commander]] for Windows
*[[Volkov Commander]] for DOS
*WinNC<ref>[http://www.winnc.com WinNC]</ref> for [[Windows 10]]
*[[WinRAR|RAR]] [[file archiver|archive manager]] used to have Norton Commander-like interface, the last version with that interactive file manager interface look-alike was DOS version 2.50
*Xfolders for [[OS X]]
*[[Commander One]] for [[MacOS]]

== References in popular culture ==

* ''Norton Commander'' is a song released by the Montreal [[indie music|indie]] group, [[Men I Trust]]. While the song contains no literal references to the Norton Commander file manager, it is speculated that the song's subject matter of comfort and familiarity relate to the familiarity and reliability of the software.<ref>{{Citation|title=Men I Trust – Norton Commander (All We Need)|url=https://genius.com/Men-i-trust-norton-commander-all-we-need-lyrics|access-date=2021-05-18}}</ref>
* A mobile game called ''Progressbar95'' features an unlockable gamemode called "Progress Commander" based on the software.

==See also==
*[[Comparison of file managers]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
* {{note|Bezr}} Nikolai Bezroukov (2005). [http://www.softpanorama.org/OFM/Paradigm/Ch03/norton_commander.shtml The History of Development of Norton Commander (NC line of OFMs)]

==External links==
*[http://www.softpanorama.org/OFM/Paradigm/Ch03/norton_commander.shtml The History of Development of Norton Commander] (Softpanorama)
*[https://archive.today/20130706202244/http://www.sincerely-yours.me/archives/21st_century_nostalgia.php 21st Century Nostalgia] A Tribute to Norton Commander 5.0
*[http://toastytech.com/guis/ndw.html Norton Desktop for Windows 1.0] A graphical review in the GUI Gallery

{{file managers}}{{Symantec}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Orthodox file managers]]
[[Category:DOS software]]
[[Category:OS/2 software]]
[[Category:Utility software for Windows]]
[[Category:Norton (software)|Commander]]
[[Category:Gen Digital software]]
[[Category:Proprietary software]]
[[Category:Discontinued software]]
[[Category:1986 software]]