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FinkCommander 0.5.5

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(5) 4.4

User interface for Fink. Free

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Steven J. Burr

FinkCommander is a graphical user interface for the Fink software packaging system for Mac OS X. It provides an intuitive front-end to the Fink command-line tools for downloading and installing Unix software. The source code is available.

What's New

Version 0.5.5:

Universal binary for 10.4, 10.5, 10.6 on 32- and 64-bit PowerPC and Intel (thanks, Madd_the_sane).
Feedback e-mail indicates whether it's positive or negative feedback (thanks, Brendan Cully).
Japanese translation (thanks, Mamoru Komachi).

Requirements

PPC / Intel
Mac OS X 10.1 or later
Fink
Developer Tools to install Fink packages from source
April 2002 Developer Tools to compile FinkCommander source

Fink

+1
Free

Binary package manager.
Rudix

+1
Free

Collection of utilities, ...

FinkCommander User Discussion (Write a Review)

ver. 0.x:

(5)

Your rating: Now say why...

Overall:

(5)

sort: smiles | time

+25

Schoschie commented on 21 Apr 2007

FinkCommander is a very nice tool. However, for those not scared of the Terminal, fink is really *very* easy to use without a GUI.

The only commands you basically need to know are:

fink list thesoftwareyourelookingfor
-- scans the available packages and lists those that match your query.

fink install thesoftwareyourelookingfor
-- install the package you want.

That's really about it.

[Version 0.5.4]

1 Reply

+17

asmeurer replied on 31 Jan 2009

Also, "fink apropos theappyouarelookingfor" searches the descriptions too. You should also run "fink selfupdate" and then "fink update-all" every once in a while to update the fink package descriptions and update everything you have installed. Of course, fink --help will tell you all of this. Considering FinkCommander doesn't work very well (at least in Leopard), I too would recommend just using the command line. Most of these programs must be invoked from the command line anyway, so you might as well just use it.

+121

hced reviewed on 21 Jan 2007

Works perfectly. I dig it.

[Version 0.5.4]

Clytie reviewed on 24 Jun 2005

A must-have in your toolbox. FinkCommander makes it easy for any Mac OSX user to download and install Unix/Linux packages, all from within its helpful GUI!

Ooh, what an exciting shopping list... ;)

FinkCommander is working away in the background on my iBook right now, installing a package with all sorts of dependencies and fusses, none of which I have to worry about, because FinkCommander is doing it all. Hit "Install" and get on with your work.

It updates its package list every time you open it, and you can do that manually as well. It checks for updates. I think it even does laundry, as long as you put your dirty socks in your PATH.

from Clytie

[Version 0.5.3]

Anonymous reviewed on 31 Dec 2004

Easier to use linux apps but not easy. We already have VLC, Mplayer, Gimp and Firefox. Others linux apps are pretty bad.

[Version 0.5.3]

1 Reply

Anonymous commented on 09 Jul 2005

That's not entirely true.. There are a lot of apps on that list, and a lot of them are a lot of use to a lot of people.. They're just a bit specific.

+14

Brian Kendig commented on 17 May 2004

This app could use a lot of polish. Menu items such as "Dist-upgrade Packages" and "Selfupdate-rsync" are as cryptic as trying to figure out what the same commands do in command-line Fink. The icons in the toolbar make little sense (why is there an "Install" and an "Install Binary", and what are "Positive" and "Negative" for?) The readme file provides nothing useful about how to use the application. And the app icon is jagged and grainy compared to other Mac OS X icons, and I don't understand why it has an X Windows logo on it, seeing as how the application doesn't run under X Windows!

[Version 0.5.3]

1 Reply

Anonymous commented on 09 Jul 2005

"Dist-upgrade Packages" looks through your downloaded packages and makes sure they are all up to date, and if not, updates them. "Selfupdate-rsync" does just that - it updates the fink tool. The binary packages are precompiled for your system but can sometimes lead to issues because your own computer didn't compile it itself. The advantage here is with binaries though, because they take almost no time at all compared to the uncompiled versions to install. The "Positive" and "Negative" are a *gasp* rating system! You said: "The readme file provides nothing useful about how to use the application." All of the questions you posted here are core elements of the Fink Project, not Fink Commander. It's not Fink Commander's job to make the Fink tool easier to figure out, it's only here to help us USE it. It's a lot nicer to select something in a menubar, especially for someone like yourself that has probably never opened the terminal before. You might try actually looking up some information about Fink, and see if it actually does anything for you. Otherwise, this might be a little be beyond you. "And the app icon is jagged and grainy compared to other Mac OS X icons, and I don't understand why it has an X Windows logo on it, seeing as how the application doesn't run under X Windows!" *sigh* You're just full of compliments today, aren't you? Although I am also a big proponent of interface contiguity, sometimes the application itself does turn out to be more important than the icon. Fink initially did run in X-Free86. Thanks for your keen insight.

Anonymous reviewed on 16 Mar 2003

Essential tool if you're using Fink. Makes it easy to see at a glance which packages you have installed and which packages need updating. All of Fink's commands are available via the menus - no need to memorize them. Looking forward to future versions!

[Version 0.5]

Anonymous reviewed on 12 Nov 2002

This package is just perfect for the newly-initiated. Knowing the arcane and cryptic commands can be very daunting; a point-and-click interface is just what the doctor ordered and this works quite intuitively. And it's FREE. Thanks!

[Version 0.4.2]

1 Reply

Anonymous commented on 18 Apr 2004

All FC really does is replace arcane and cryptic terminal commands with arcane and cryptic menu items. To install a package via the command line, it's just 'fink install [package name]'.

Machgsn commented on 11 Jul 2002

This app, when used in conjuction with Fink, makes installing Unix software easier than installing Mac software. Programs I somehow couldn't get to install using fink's dselect or apt-get installed with fink commander. Highly recommended.

[Version 0.3.2]

charleslo had trouble on 26 Mar 2006

For those of us who is using an Intel Mac, here is an Universal Binary build of FinkCommander 0.5.4: http://homepage.mac.com/charleslo/

[Version 0.5.4]

1 Reply

shmuelmikel replied on 03 May 2006

Wont even launch on my MacBook Pro.

+25

Schoschie had trouble on 13 Jan 2006

Hi, just freshly installed the Fink package and FinkCommander. However, when I launch FinkCommander, the icon just bounces for a while in the Dock and then it crashes, even before any GUI elements appear. Any solution? Thanks :)

[Version 0.5.4]

1 Reply

+25

Schoschie replied on 13 Jan 2006

Oh, never mind. Just read this on the developer's page:

As of version 0.5.0, the FinkCommander binary will run only on Jaguar.

(using Tiger, so... *damn*)

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