I'm using 'mc' on Linux from time to time and total commander on my mobile with the sftp plugin. Still remember Norton from back in the days this way ;-)

>and total commander on my mobile with the sftp plugin.

I think you may mean Ghost Commander, I use it on Android and it fits your description.

Why? Total Commander for Android is a thing.

Does this work well? I had a colleague who swore by it on account of it having (some) NTFS-capability by way of a plug-in.

Didn't know there was a Total Commander for Android. I use Ghost Commander which is nice and also has a SFTP plugin, but I'll have to check TC out!

Total Commander for Android has plugins for ftp(s), sftp, smb (windows shares), webdav, dropbox, gdrive.

https://www.ghisler.com/androidapp.htm

https://www.ghisler.com/androidplugins/googleplay/

We were using Volkov Commander because it was much smaller (and single-file executable IIRC). I tried Dos Navigator and FAR but these did too much for my liking. In the Windows XP era Windows/Total Commander was in style locally.

Totalcmd on windows. On Mac I’m using some off-brand klone that’s kinda ok but uses like 1GB of memory per instance window. Mac OS is such a shit show these days.

> They make file managing so comfortable compared to stuff like Windows Explorer or Nautilus (not saying they are bad though, I just prefer two panes).

When I’m on Windows and need two panes, I open two Windows Explorer windows.

It's not just about two independent panes. It's about two panes in a single context. With this, there can be shortcuts that act in files and which now don't just have a source (the selected files in the active pane) but also a destination (the inactive pane), so copying, symlinking and moving all can be done with a single key without the need to provide a destination.

Two explorer windows are independent of each other. Any move or copy requires two keyboard actions or the use of the mouse

You could in principle setup shortcuts the same way (treat right tab/second window as the automatic destination), but that'd definitely be more error prone vs a built-in dependency

A fan of optional 2-pane views, which unfortunately many of these file managers fail in providing, insisting on it being the only available option

I am. My desktop computing has shifted towards fish + vidir, but I use Total Commander for Android on my phone all the time. I have wondered why. What is the difference? Is it just the input method (easier to type shell commands on a physical keyboard)? Well, I don't think so.

The orthodox file manager was created for copying files between two disks. File management on my phone still follows the same pattern: copy or move something between the phone's storage and, for example, an SFTP remote. The remote directories are pretty stable; it makes sense to bookmark them.

Meanwhile, on my computer one-off mass copying has become rare compared to the era of removable media. Most of my mass file operations are moving files to or from a subdirectory in a code project or renaming them. This is an awkward fit for an OFM: you need to go to directory A, duplicate its path to the other pane, switch to the other pane, and then navigate up or down a level to directory B. A dynamic "parent directory" or "../foo/" second pane might help.

I haven't used many of the others, but I love Midnight Commander! Especially after enabling "Lynx-like motion" - it's so nice being able to walk around directories with arrow keys

Absolutely not. After the 90's I don't see a point of forcing or limiting oneself to working with two folders at a time.