Most long term Ubuntu users here must have been familiar with the now defunct Nautilus-Elementary project. The project's lead, nicknamed ammonkey, is now working on a full blown Nautilus-Elementary inspired file browser for Linux called Marlin. Marlin is supposed to become the default file browser of Elementary OS in the near future. Though Marlin is still a work-in-progress, it already looks promising. Let's give Marlin a try in Ubuntu 11.10.
Marlin File Browser Project
Marlin File Browser Project
- Nautilus Elementary project kicked off with the intention of simplifying Nautilus file browser and users loved it. "How to install Nautilus Elementary in Ubuntu" was one of the most sought-after search terms in our blog. I used to get regular emails from readers asking about various aspects of the project.
- Well, all that is behind now. Marlin file browser is the successor of Nautilus Elementary project. While the latter was, afterall, just an improved Nautilus, Marlin intends to rediscover file browsing completely. And results are slowly starting to show up.
Marlin File Browser in Ubuntu 11.10 Unity
- Though these are still early days, Marlin file browser is pretty nicely integrated with Ubuntu Unity already.
- Yeah that's right, pretty decent Unity Quicklists support built-in. 'New Window as Root' is a nifty addition to an already awesome Quicklist.
- Latest iteration of Marlin file browser comes with a number of new feature additions to the right-click menu including really useful ones like 'Open in Terminal' and 'Compress'. There is this 'Delete Permanently' option which is also quite unique.
- Beautifully executed Marlin preferences menu. As you can see, there is extensions support as well. At the moment, Ubuntu One and Dropbox extensions for Marlin are available. [PS: Check out our collection of Dropbox alternatives for Linux]
- I did some crude speed tests comparing Marlin and Nautilus file browsers and I believe there is a noticeable difference already. In my netbook, Marlin was the fastest loading /usr/share/applications directory when compared to stock Nautilus.
How to Install Marlin in Ubuntu 11.10?
- Before installing, you must be aware of the fact that Marlin is still very much a work in progress and is technically not yet ready for prime time.
- Do the following in Terminal to install Marlin in Ubuntu (you will get regular updates too).
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:marlin-devs/marlin-daily sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install marlin
- Done. Now open Unity Dash and search for Marlin. That's it.