Breadcrumbs in 10.5 are as easy as View -> Show Path Bar, or do you mean something else?

The Finder has at least something on Windows Explorer: one thing I always miss on Windows is the ability to drag a file or directory onto an open/save dialog and have the dialog immediately navigate to and select that file or directory. Saves you from repeatedly navigating the filesystem.

Slightly related: I recently discovered you can drop a file directly onto file upload fields on web pages without even opening the open dialog.

Personally, I find column view to be light-years ahead of Explorer, alone.

Wow. I find it near useless.

finder has breadcrumbs. cmd-click the folder name on the top of the window. or do cmd-up-arrow.

That's not really a breadcrumb bar, it's the ability to go up a folder…

you're saying that cmd-up-arrow sucks because you want cmd-click? fine. use cmd-click to see more than one at a time.

and wait a second, it's also showing, constantly, at the bottom of my finder windows. so, look through the preferences and enable that.

if you mean something other than every folder in the path to the current folder by breadcrumbs then you have to clarify.