[darthcloud]

I used to be a big user of Total Commander back in the Win9x days (then Windows Commander)

I was actually too much used to it and I had a hard time using my friends computer at all using the default Windows explorer.

I probably updated to WinXP at some point and didn't reinstall it. Never felt the need to to install a double windows file manager since then. Even if it's clearly better than the default option.

[mrweasel]

Just two years ago I had a developer I worked with on a regular basis, he is a Total Commander power user. He never opens Explorer or navigates the file system outside Total Commander.

There is still a ton of weird Windows utilities being developed and maintained. While I personally don't like the platforms, there is a lot of safety in knowing that you can learn a tool and then almost 30 years later, it's still available.

I'm still confident that if you want to future-proof your application, C++ and Windows is the platform to go for. Even if I don't like it.

[hulitu]

Windows explorer is almost unusable. Microsoft poluting it with Downloads, Images, Videos and My Documents virtual folders (just to name a few) didn't help either.

[ziddoap]

What specific aspects do you find to be almost unusable?

There's room for improvement (new features are always nice), sure, but 'almost unusable' is quite the exaggeration when you consider that there is ~1B Windows installs and yet outside of small tech circles I've never once heard someone complain about Explorer or its usability.

It Just Works, pretty much all the time, and is easy enough and intuitive enough that I haven't even had to explain it to the tech-illiterates in my circle.

Does the Downloads folder really make you say 'this is unusable'?