"Everyone knows that the file browser that comes with Windows is a bit on the basic
side, so if you fancy yourself as something of a power user, it may be worth checking
out Directory Opus. Recently upgraded to a Windows 7-friendly, the feature-rich,
commercial file manager enjoys a fine heritage dating back to the days of Frontier
Elite and Sensible Soccer. That’s right – this program has been around so long that
it first debuted on the Amiga computer system way back in 1994!
Features galore!: Basically a super-turbo charged file manager and Windows
explorer replacement, DOpus lets you set up your workspace exactly how you want
it, with options galore for setting up user-definable file display views, customisable
toolbars and menus with tabbed folder views and file trees...
FTP-tastic: It was the same story with the built-in FTP application. Packing
a site manager and handy ‘quick connect’ option, we found it so fast and easy to
configure that it instantly elbowed out our long serving dedicated FTP client, CuteFTP.
And when we say it was fast, we mean fast: it ran rings around our old FTP program,
connecting and transferring at an impressive rate of knots...
Snappy folder reader: We were also wowed when we plugged a memory card into
our USB card reader. Instead of the usual finger-drumming wait while Vista rumbled
around trying to find the folder’s contents to display, Directory Opus brought up
the card’s contents near-instantly...
Image support: Viewing images was a doddle too, with the advanced, built-in
image viewer (with support for RAW images) quickly bringing up thumbnails, giving
the option to view image directories as slide shows, thumbnails, film strips or
single images. For quick image edits – like resizing and rotating – there’s no need
to leave the program, and there’s also geo-tagging support, which can grab the GPS
co-ordinates info included in an image’s EXIF information and present the shooting
location on Google Earth. Moreover, photos can be batch-edited and converted into
different file formats, and then exported via email, FTP or even sent directly to
sites like Flickr...
If, like us, you’re using the Google Desktop Search tool to rummage through your
desktop’s files, you’ll like the fact that you can search from within Directory
Opus, and there’s a ton of useful file utilities onboard like advanced search with
wildcard, duplicate finding and sophisticated rename functions...
The verdict: Although there’s no shortage of free and shareware file
managers available for the Windows Platform (including Free Commander and XPlorer2),
once you get used to working with Directory Opus, it really seems worth the extra
outlay....
After just a few hours use, we were completely sold on Directory Opus and it continues
to surprise us with unexpected features and useful shortcuts. At $85 (Australian
Dollars – roughly £40 in good ol’ British pounds), Directory Opus is not the cheapest
file manager, but we think it’s the best, and with a free download offering a 60
day evaluation period, you’d have to be as mad as a drunken wallaby not to give
it a go. The program is available in 32 and 64 bit versions for Windows. Score:
Functionality: 95% Ease of use: 75%"
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