Moroshka File Manager -- Dual Pane File Manager for MacOS X

I haven't used any version Mac OS a lot, but one of the things I've never really liked is Finder. Like Explorer in Windows, it's a very basic file manager that probably serves most people well enough. However, I've never been "most people". In Windows I use Directory Opus and/or Xyplorer -- two commercial file manager replacements. The borrowed Mac I use to test software for Software Gadgets has a commercial replacement for Finder (Pathfinder), but it is a bit too "Finder-like" for me. I've discovered a (currently) free dual pane file manager for MacOS that seems nice: Moroshka File Manager.

Moroshka File Manager isn't as powerful as the software I use on Windows but it is much easier for me to use than Finder. It's currently in beta and already has the following freatures:

* Dual pane
* Multitab layout support
* All standard file operations
* Multi-thread file management processing (several operations can run simultaneously)
* WebDAV/FTP/SSH/SMB client (works with IPv6 addresses)
* Internal pack-unpack support for more than 17 compression algorithms
* iPhone/iPod/iPad filesystem management (iTunes must be installed for this feature)
* Open ISO and UDF images as archives
* Extended Search
* "Brief Mode" to fit more files in less screen space

There's also a version for Windows in development which will allow you to use one file manager on both platforms. While Moroshka File Manager is still in beta, it seemed to work fine for me. It's a nice program is Finder isn't your thing and Pathfinder is out of your budget.

Rating: 3.5 Operating System: MacOS X 10.6 or later, Windows
License: Freeware
Price: Free
Version Tested: 1.0.23 Beta 4/OSX
Web Site: http://www.moroshkaproject.ru/