Lobrow - manage your files with a web browser

Lobrow provides a different way to access the files on your computer.

Why bother ?

Lobrow provides a consistent, simplified user interface (no right-clicks) that works (and looks) the same on all platforms
extensible range of options for customizing appearance and functionality - easy to map new commands to existing file types - e.g.,
- open a folder with emacs
- open a jar file with an archive manager
- etc ...
open mulitple windows (browser pages) to view and compare file folders with the duplicate tab feature of your browser
clipboard contents are visible and editable from each browser page
for many tasks related to the management of your files, Lobrow can be a useful tool

System requirements ?

How does it work (overview) ?

Executable .jar file starts a small, local web server
During startup, web server launches default browser on local desktop with a generated URL
Folder navigation and file management functions [copy, rename/move, delete] are directed from browser page(s) and executed at the local web server
OS default options for opening specific file types remain available via Lobrow's "open (system)" command. e.g., if file is a folder, Lobrow "open (system)" command invokes the OS default "file manager" to display folder contents
Preview / playback of media (images, audio, video) can be natively handled by the browser (local web server supports basic media streaming)
When browser completes the session (i.e., last open page is closed), local web server terminates

Is it free ?

YES - Lobrow is free software released under GPLv3 license.
Lobrow utilizes a number of open-source solutions and technologies provided by third parties
click here for licensing details and acknowledgements

Caveats ?

WARNING: when you delete file or folder with Lobrow - it's gone! Lobrow does not interface with the "Recycle Bin" or "Trash Bin" of your OS - so you will generally not be able to "restore" a deleted item.
Lobrow can be resource intensive:
- many of the optional settings related to UI display can tax your browser and lead to perceptable delays at browser refresh on smaller/slower systems. Turn "background images" off and disable "auto pane width" if you want to lighten the load on your browser. Make sure you're using the latest version of your browser (Lobrow involves a lot of javascript and the most current version of any browser will provide better performance).
- directory trees with large numbers of branches will be much slower to render in Lobrow than they would in a native OS file manager. Part of the reason for this is that you'll typically get more information about a directory tree with Lobrow:
  - Each branch (folder) in a directory tree is annotated with "[f/d]" where "f" is the number of files in the folder and "d" is the number of child folders.
  - The value displayed for "size" of a folder is the total size of all files in the folder (not including child folders).
  Remember, you can invoke the default file manager on your system from within Lobrow (using the "open (system)" command).

OK ?

Feedback ?

Where did this come from ?

Lobrow was designed/developed by Larry Dickson, Infix Consulting, Orillia, ON Canada
homepage for this application: www.infix-systems.com/lobrow