Marlin is a file browser for Linux based operating systems like Ubuntu. It is based on GTK3 and comes with a number of handy feature that are lacked by other file browsers. This includes Dropbox and Ubuntu One integration. Perhaps one of the best features of Marlin is its support for plugins which enables enhancing it to extend its functionality. For example, you can sync, share and publish your external folders with the help of plugins, including the option to fetch previous file versions from your Dropbox account.Marlin can be installed via the daily PPA of the elementary OS. You can install Marlin in Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot from the commands given below. Marlin can be installed on both GTK2 and GTK3, if you have compatible themes for them. It must be noted that the below given PPA might still be in the testing phase, so make sure that you check out the link given at the end of this post for more details, including updates for the nstallation of Marlin on Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin.
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:elementary-os/daily sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install marlin marlin-plugin-dropbox marlin-plugin-ubuntuone
Marlin is quite similar to Nautilus in appearance, however, it has more diverse options. Unlike Nautilus, files and folders in Marlin are selected by clicking on the “+” sign, while you can release a folder or a file via the “–” option. If you find these or any other attributes annoying, you can change them from Settings –> Preferences.
Marlin provides a number of listing options for files and folders, including an icon view, list view, and columns view. While the icon and list view are commonly found in many file browsers, the column view is more of a unique option that makes it easier to sort items ( as shown below).
Another unique feature of Marlin is that it allows giving Color to files and folders by selecting a color from the right-click menu. This way you can apply a number of color to items for easy identification. For example, you can select a specific color for video folders and a different one for folders containing important documents. This can help you sort and identify required folders/items in a glance.
You can enable Ubuntu One and Dropbox integration by clicking on the Cog button and selecting Settings –> Plugins. Once you access the Plugins section check (tick) your required plugin to activate it.
The Dropbox plugin provides the option to fetch previous versions of a file from your account, whereas, the Ubuntu One plugin provides the option to publish, share and synchronize external folders with your Ubuntu One account. All of these tasks can be easily performed via right-click menu.
You can also benefit from the compression features of Marlin, which work as good as Nautilus. The compression function in Marlin allows you to compress files and folder from the right-click menu. The compression utility of Marlin supports TAR, ZIP, CBR and other formats.
If you like Marlin after trying it out, then you can make it as your default file manager from Preferences –> Behavior (tab) –>“Make Marlin my default file manager”.
You can find out more details about Marlin builds, including updates for Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin from the link given below. For easier installation of Marlin and other applications, also check out Glimpse.
