Moving over
What it takes
Set up one connection definition per machine; the file surface, the terminal and the desktop all read from it.
You already want one pane local and one pane remote
ForkLift treats remote storage as just another pane, which is exactly the right instinct. Vandle extends it: the second pane can be another server, and the same record also opens a shell.
Credit where it is due
ForkLift is a genuinely good file manager that happens to speak remote protocols, and its sync and batch rename work is the sort of thing you only miss once it is gone.
What changes
Four things you get that you did not have.
- Both panes can be remote, so a transfer between two servers never passes through your machine.
- A terminal surface on the same connection, for the moment a copy fails on permissions.
- A route per connection rather than a system-wide proxy.
- Windows and Linux too, with the same inventory.
Side by side
ForkLift and Vandle
| Aspect | ForkLift | Vandle |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | macOS | Windows, Linux, macOS |
| Second pane | Local or remote | Local or remote, with a connection picker in each header |
| Shell | Not covered | A terminal on the same connection |
| Routing | System proxy | A route per connection or per folder |
And the rest of it
Four more protocols came along
Replacing one tool gets you five. Whatever else that machine speaks is already a row on the same record - and every one of them takes the route you assigned.
Web
Real browsing, properly routed
SSH
A terminal that keeps up
SFTP
Two remote panes, no detour
WebDAV
The other half of file transfer
RDP
Desktops on a native surface
Local
Your own machine, in the same list
Also compared