this post was submitted on 18 Mar 2026
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I'm a bit confused. I use Nautilus/GNOME Files, and I quite honestly can't think of anything it's missing that I want. Can you be more specific about this missing basic functionality? Or is it just non-Nautilus file managers?
If anything, I'm frustrated that Windows File Manager doesn't have all the features I use on Nautilus. Here's eight that just come to mind off the top of my head.
Yeahbutt the view you choose for a given folder does not persist from session to session. It used to.... Nowadays, I use pcmanfm as a nautilus alternative, which features this retro feature. Persistence is important to me. I guess I can't see why it isn't to you....
I really want an Android-style (grid-view, spatial paradigm, or whatever) application launcher, but all I can find are so-called semantic launchers, which follow a series of key strokes. Well, nuts to that! Unless I write one with considerable personal effort, I am still stuck with a plethora of file managers of various types (orthodox and navigational), many of which are forks of older packages that try to subvert trends in user-interface design toward touch-friendly devices.
Is the GNOME app grid not a grid-view application launcher?
Fair enough about persistence, I can see why one might want it, but I genuinely haven't even thought about it in 10 years of use, and the overhead of one-click on occasion is pretty small. I probably click it less than once a month. So I can see why it's not implemented.
Interestingly it does persist other things like list sort order, so you'd have thought they'd offer the option. One wonders if they wouldn't happily accept a PR to add such a thing?
What is an android-style application launcher. You mean like as a default 'Open With' dialog? That feels like a niche want, but I mean fair enough to want it. Something like Junction not do it for you? Then just have file types you want to do that open via that instead.
Either way, it would be cool if Nautilus was extensible like GNOME shell. I don't deny this. I'm largely just confused by OPs claims.