Feature request - mc ( Midnight Commander )

Insight & Feedback
,
1

Please include mc ( Midnight Commander ) in the OS, really need it some times.. makes life better ;-).

2

Maybe there is a docker? Have you searched for it?

3

there is, but it’s not really a docker worthy one too run like that.. i have try’d it via docker.. and every time you want to use it you’ll have to enter the docker.. it’s bit of a hack ;-)..

4

Well, as much as i understand your personal liking, I am against that. ZimaOS has a filemanager, already.

Which top 3 features does mc has you would like to see in the current file manager?

5

file/folder permissions
umask for directorys
side by side folder view (for drag and drop and to compare)

and maybe keyboard shortcuts

1 Like
6

That one would be great. :ok_hand:t2:

1 Like
7

just read about a new Dolphin function(not released yet though) that could be something ZimaOS file manager could use.. i would use it
FileStash : FileStash - KDE Applications

8

Hey guys, you know what? According to your feedback, the Midnight Commander will be integrated into the future ZimaOS. :wink:

1 Like
9

looking forward to it.. and even better os..

10

It’s already integrated, and you’ll see the mc when the next beta release is released

2 Likes
11

can see it is in 1.5.2 now.. but there is an error when starting it.. guess that will be fixed for the next release..

though i can run the command fine if i do it like below

“MC_PROFILE_ROOT=/tmp/MCHOME mc”

and should have worked if i placed “export MC_PROFILE_ROOT=/tmp/MCHOME” in /etc/profile but from what i can test it only works with user not root.

though if i do a “source /etc/profile” it works

mc needs some config folder it can write to.. like tmp

12

Bug / Feature Request — Midnight Commander default config path (ZimaOS 1.5.2)

Summary

Midnight Commander (mc) is present in ZimaOS 1.5.2-beta but fails to launch unless a writable config directory is manually defined.

Observed behavior

Running:

mc

results in an error / does not launch.

Running with a custom config path works:

MC_PROFILE_ROOT=/tmp/MCHOME mc

Workaround (confirmed)

Adding the following to /etc/profile fixes the issue permanently:

export MC_PROFILE_ROOT=/tmp/MCHOME

Then run:

source /etc/profile

Root cause (likely)

mc requires a writable config directory (~/.config/mc or equivalent).
On ZimaOS, the default location appears to be missing or not writable.

Recommended fix (system level)

Set a default profile root during login, for example in /etc/profile:

export MC_PROFILE_ROOT=/tmp/MCHOME

(or use another persistent writable path)

Result after fix

  • mc launches normally
  • All ZimaOS mount points are visible and accessible:
    • /ESP
    • /ZIMA_BOOT
    • /ZIMA_RESCUE
    • /HDD-Storage
    • /ZIMA_USB
    • /ZimaOS-HD
    • /sda, /sdb

This would make Midnight Commander fully functional out-of-the-box for all users.

image
image1245Ă—1357 57 KB

Screenshot shows Midnight Commander running in /media and correctly displaying all active ZimaOS mount points.

13

Thanks for the feedback.

It seems that if you switch to root privilege, you can use mc directly.

I will forward the feedback to the team.

14

Thanks for your feedback, we will fix this issue in the next release.

15

Thanks Giorgio, and thanks to the team as well for implementing this.

Having mc available in ZimaOS is actually a big win for power users. It makes verifying mounts, managing volumes, and troubleshooting storage issues much faster and safer, especially during recoveries and migrations. It’s one of those small additions that brings a huge improvement to real-world workflows.

1 Like
16

Hey I´m waiting for this important Feature, how can I get this?