XTree is a file manager

File manager

A file manager or file browser is a computer program that provides a user interface to work with file systems. The most common operations performed on files or groups of files are: create, open, edit, view, print, play, rename, move, copy, delete, search/find, and modify file attributes, properties...

 software originally designed for use under DOS

DOS

DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...

. It was published by Executive Systems and first released on 1 April 1985, and became highly popular. The program used a character mode interface which had many elements typically associated with a graphical user interface

Graphical user interface

In computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...

.

The program filled a required niche in the market, as DOS shipped with only a command-line

Command-line interface

A command-line interface is a mechanism for interacting with a computer operating system or software by typing commands to perform specific tasks...

 file manager, until the generally unsuccessful DOS shell

DOS Shell

The DOS Shell is a file manager, debuted in MS-DOS and IBM DOS 4.0 . It was discontinued after version 6.0, but retained as part of the "Supplemental Disk" until 6.22 for MS-DOS; as such, it was not a core part of the operating system throughout its evolution, but rather an add-on...

 that was provided with MS-DOS 4.0. Even at this point, the speed and features of XTreeGold were superior (specifically support for the ZIP compression

Data compression

In computer science and information theory, data compression, source coding or bit-rate reduction is the process of encoding information using fewer bits than the original representation would use....

 format and ability to undelete files). The program also had the benefit of requiring very little memory, essential at a time when less than 640 kB of memory were available for programs to run.

History

Even in its earliest version XTree contained features like listing all files of a branch including subdirectories, listing of all files on a disk, or viewing a file's contents in text or hexadecimal format (regardless of its file extension), that the Windows file manager is not capable of even in its latest Windows 7 version.

XTree was supplemented by the enhanced XTreePro in 1988, which added features for working with multiple disk drives, speed improvements, and brought the keyboard commands more in line with other common DOS programs. A version of XTreePro with Novell Netware

Novell NetWare

NetWare is a network operating system developed by Novell, Inc. It initially used cooperative multitasking to run various services on a personal computer, with network protocols based on the archetypal Xerox Network Systems stack....

 connectivity debuted in late 1988. XTreeProGold/XTreeGold suceeded Xtree Pro in 1989, adding pull-down menus to enhance the interface, additional file viewers, and the choice of a Norton Commander

Norton Commander

Norton Commander was a prototypical orthodox file manager , written by John Socha and released by Peter Norton Computing . NC is a file manager which provides a text user interface on top of DOS. It was officially produced by Symantec between 1986 and 1998...

-style split pane between locations on different disks. The first GUI-enabled XTree product was XTreeMac, also launched in 1989, which brought the XTree interface metaphors to the Macintosh System

Mac OS

Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...

 as a Finder replacement. While the Macintosh System software already had competent file management, XTreeMac made it easier to move and copy files and added undelete and enhanced file finding tools.

Also in 1989, the company ran a four month 'Software Amnesty for Everyone' allowing users of pirated copies of XTree to register them for a small fee. 5,000 licenses sold for $20 each.

XTree suffered a terminal decline after the widespread adoption of Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

. The built in Windows file manager had a vaguely similar appearance to XTree, and while it lacked the speed, keyboard shortcuts and power, it did benefit greatly from being included with Windows.

In 1992 XTree for Windows was released. The product dropped many of the features liked in the DOS versions, with undeletion and file editing particularly noticeable by their absence. The program also took considerably longer to load than both DOS Xtree and other Windows file managers, and operations like viewing files were slower. Despite this, features like native support for file compression and a wide range of file viewers made it the most feature complete Windows file manager of that year. It was not a success for the company. In 1993, the XTree Company was sold to Central Point Software

Central Point Software

Central Point Software, Inc. was a leading software utilities maker for the PC market, supplying utilities software for the DOS and Microsoft Windows markets. It also made Apple II copy programs.-History:...

, which was in turn acquired by Symantec

Symantec

Symantec Corporation is the largest maker of security software for computers. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and is a Fortune 500 company and a member of the S&P 500 stock market index.-History:...

 in 1994, and in 1995 production of XTree products was halted.

Clones

The popularity of the program has led many enthusiasts to develop clone versions that work with modern operating systems. Known clones include XFile

Xfile

Xfile is a file manager developed by Rixstep, built as a Finder replacement for the Mac OS X operating system. Its features are mostly congruent with those accessible by generic Unix systems....

, ZTreeWin

ZTreeWin

ZTreeWin, an orthodox file manager for Microsoft Windows, is a clone of XTree. Like XTree, it logs filenames and attributes into memory so that search and sort operations are extremely fast. By making use of the large memories of modern computers it allows the logging of millions of...

, Unixtree and Ytree.

The authors and users commonly view these clones as a tribute to the original XTree program rather than a competitor (especially since XTree is no longer commercially available).

External links

• What happened to XTreeGold ?
  • The history of XTree
• XTree fan page
• XFile – XTree for Windows
• ZTreeWin File Manager, and ZTreeBold for OS/2
• Unixtree File Manager
• Ytree; a UNIX Filemanager also in many Linux Distributions
• Servant Salamander