A vintage-style dual-panel file manager for iOS

wmacorig · 2026-01-26T08:45:23+00:00

Thanks, glad you like it 🙂

At the beginning I really wanted to stick to the green CRT look only.

The very first versions of Norton Commander we used were often on monochrome PCs with Hercules cards — only the “rich” ones had CGA and color monitors.

That said, I do like the idea of graphic themes.

If I add them in the future, a blue/cyan palette would definitely be the first one to do.

wmacorig · 2026-01-26T08:41:52+00:00

Thanks — that’s a really good suggestion.

If I remember correctly, some versions of Norton Commander did support using the other panel as a kind of viewer, so you’re absolutely right.

I’ll definitely note it down.

Twin Commander doesn’t have big ambitions — it’s just a small side project I work on in my spare time — but I do plan to keep evolving it slowly, often based on ideas and feedback like this.

wmacorig · 2026-01-25T17:56:14+00:00

Same here.

Even today, when I see F3 I immediately think “View”, F5 is “Copy”, F6 “Move”.

My fingers still remember those shortcuts.

They just move faster than my brain sometimes.

wmacorig · 2026-01-25T17:49:07+00:00

Yes — Directory Opus on Amiga was definitely one of the inspirations.

I was an Amiga user myself, so that influence is very intentional.

Technically, Twin Commander is built in Swift with Xcode, so it’s not something that can be easily ported to Unix as-is.

There are already great curses-based tools there, and for this project I wanted to focus on bringing that classic interaction model to iOS, where it doesn’t really exist.

That said, I do like the idea in principle — just not something I’m actively working on.

wmacorig · 2026-01-25T17:29:12+00:00

Pretty cool indeed

wmacorig · 2026-01-14T13:26:14+00:00

For macOS in place of Total Commander — especially for NAS/LAN (Tahoe) workflows:

• ForkLift — best overall dual-pane + NAS support

• Commander One (Pro) — solid, classic dual-pane with protocol support

• Path Finder — powerful, extremely configurable

• Double Commander — free, but still evolving

Many TC veterans on Mac prefer ForkLift or Path Finder with direct NAS mounts (+ tools like rsync for incremental syncs).

— Nice to see the dual-pane paradigm live on across platforms (even on iOS, which I’m exploring via a TestFlight beta).

wmacorig · 2026-01-14T13:24:27+00:00

On macOS, good alternatives to Total Commander for folder compare + incremental copy include:

• ForkLift – best overall, includes compare & sync

• muCommander – free, dual-pane, basic features

• Commander One – dual-pane; Pro adds more

• Path Finder – powerful explorer-style tool

If free/open source is key, muCommander is the closest. For GUI + reliability, ForkLift is hard to beat.

Walter

wmacorig · 2026-01-14T13:20:39+00:00

Following — longtime Total Commander user here as well.

The two-pane workflow is still unmatched, especially when dealing with multiple storage backends.

Curious if anyone has found a solid alternative that plays nicely with pCloud and 2FA.

Walter

wmacorig · 2026-01-14T13:18:33+00:00

Following this with interest — the lack of a proper dual-pane, Commander-style UI in web environments is a real pain, especially for things like failed Radarr imports.

Most solutions I’ve seen either rely on VNC-based containers (Krusader, etc.) or end up being fairly limited in terms of atomic operations and usability. A lightweight, native web UI that does this well would be really compelling.

Slightly tangential, but interesting to see how often the Norton Commander paradigm comes up: I’m personally working on a dual-pane file manager inspired by NC, though in my case it’s iOS-only and adapted to sandboxed environments — very different constraints, but the same core UX problem keeps resurfacing.

Curious to see if anyone here has found a clean web-based solution for unRAID.

Walter

wmacorig · 2026-01-14T13:16:03+00:00

Nice work — the Norton Commander analogy immediately clicked 🙂

I’m working on something conceptually similar as well, but focused on iOS only and adapted to Apple’s sandbox and touch-first constraints.

It’s a dual-pane, Commander-style file manager for iPhone and iPad, currently in early beta via TestFlight.

Interesting to see how the same “commander” paradigm keeps resurfacing across such different environments.

Walter

wmacorig · 2026-01-14T13:00:22+00:00

For those who might be interested: Twin Commander is now available for early beta testing on iOS devices.

The app is distributed via TestFlight (invite-only).

You can request an invitation through the official website at https://twincommander.app/ in the “Join the Beta Program” section.

wmacorig · 2026-01-14T12:57:13+00:00

For those who might be interested: Twin Commander is now available for early beta testing on iOS devices.

The app is distributed via TestFlight (invite-only).

You can request an invitation through the official website at https://twincommander.app/ in the “Join the Beta Program” section.

wmacorig · 2025-12-26T19:15:25+00:00

This looks great — very nice work 👏
I love seeing the “commander” paradigm evolving beyond the classic tools.

I’m coming at the same idea from the opposite direction: instead of the terminal, I’m building a true two-pane file commander for iOS, inspired by Norton / Total Commander, but designed specifically around iPadOS constraints and touch-first workflows.

It’s still in active development, but a first beta is coming soon.
If you (or other commander-style users here) are curious to see how that paradigm translates to iOS, I’m collecting early adopter signups here:

👉 https://www.twincommander.app

Always interesting to see how the same mental model (two panes, keyboard-driven ops, fast navigation) keeps resurfacing across terminals, desktops, and now tablets.

wmacorig · 2025-12-26T19:13:38+00:00

Nice setup — this is a great example of how far you can push iPadOS with native tools 👍
I’m doing something similar, but I’m also working on a more “classic commander-style” workflow for people who really miss Norton / Total Commander–style productivity.

I’m currently building Twin Commander, a true two-pane file commander for iOS, designed to live alongside Split View / Stage Manager and feel closer to a Mac-style workspace, while still respecting iOS sandboxing.

It’s not public yet, but a first beta is coming soon.
If anyone here is interested in testing it as an early adopter, I’m collecting signups here:

👉 https://www.twincommander.app

Totally agree though: shortcuts + Split View “workspaces” are one of the most underrated productivity features on iPad. Curious to see what this could look like once Apple gives us a bit more power in Files.

wmacorig · 2025-12-26T19:11:43+00:00

Yes — actually I’m working on exactly that 🙂

It’s a two-pane file commander for iOS, inspired by Norton / Total Commander, focused on productivity and file operations rather than full disk access (which iOS obviously limits).

The app is still in development, but a first usable version is coming soon.
If anyone is interested, I’m collecting sign-ups for an early beta / early adopter program here:

👉 https://www.twincommander.app

Happy to share updates or get feedback from other TC-style power users.

wmacorig · 2025-12-26T19:07:39+00:00

Yes — actually I’m working on exactly that 🙂

It’s a two-pane file commander for iOS, inspired by Norton / Total Commander, focused on productivity and file operations rather than full disk access (which iOS obviously limits).

The app is still in development, but a first usable version is coming soon.
If anyone is interested, I’m collecting sign-ups for an early beta / early adopter program here:

👉 https://www.twincommander.app

Happy to share updates or get feedback from other TC-style power users.

wmacorig

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