Show all file sizes in kB?

[Subhuti]

Hello!


I have just installed Linux Mint Cinnamon and am trying to make it fit my tastes.

I don't know anything about Linux.

I think it's a beatiful, neat system, but I am a bit puzzled that I can't get the filesizes to show up in a single format. I would like to show sizes in kilobytes, like in Windows, so I can quicky judge how big a file is by the number of ciphers. I find it visually confusing to see "bytes," "MB", "GB", etc. after every number. I want the same scale for all files.

My first impression looking in the preferences in the file explorer (Nemo, I think it's called) is that it is not possible, and that really puzzles me, as I have heard about how configurable Linux is compared to Windows.

Thank you.

Isak Lytting

[killer de bug]

In this case I think Windows is broken. If the size is not being correctly displayed with the correct unit, this is unreadable. Especially now that you can get files over a Gb, can you imagine if this is displayed in kb?
The unit is part of the number. Get used to it, and you will see it will be really easy to see the file sizes and to compare them.

[Termy]

Yeah, that's all very well and wonderful, and I do agree, but it also doesn't help the OP's preference, which isn't in line with how things go in the Linux world. If you want it, you shall have it, if it's doable. Remember the small print in your signature. You'd likely have to request this feature from the developer of whichever software is relevant here, OP. (either that or edit the source code yourself, which I don't recommend unless you know what you're doing)

[killer de bug]

but it also doesn't help the OP's preference, which isn't in line with how things go in the Linux world. If you want it, you shall have it, if it's doable.

Then the road of editing Nemo code source is in front of you. Which means that you will have to patch any new version of Nemo...
Sure it's doable. Is it worth the effort? That's a different question.

Maybe a different file manager would give different results.

[chrisuk]

I doubt Nemo can do it, but it's easy enough from the commandline... just type ls -la --block-size=k into a terminal

[Termy]

I doubt Nemo can do it, but it's easy enough from the commandline... just type ls -la --block-size=k into a terminal

Or just: ls -Ask

[phd21]

Hi Subhuti,

Welcome to the wonderful world of Linux Mint and its excellent forum!

It would help to know more about your system setup. If you run "inxi -Fxzd" from the console terminal prompt, highlight the results, copy and paste them back here, that should provide enough information.

There are also a few file managers that anyone can install in addition to the one that is already installed in any edition and version of Linux Mint, and some can display various file size formats and or sort by them too. In my KDE system there is an application called "KDirStat" (k4dirstat) that displays the files in text and graphically, other desktop users can use "QDirStat".

7 Great Apps to View Disk Usage in Linux
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-an ... -in-linux/

QDirStat : Nathan Rennie-Waldock
https://launchpad.net/~nathan-renniewal ... u/qdirstat

QDirStat: who ate the space? – Tuxdiary
http://tuxdiary.com/2016/02/19/qdirstat/

Console Terminal methods:

How do I view file sizes (KB,MB,GB) with “ls” in Linux? – drewsymo
https://drewsymo.com/2016/05/09/how-do- ... -in-linux/

Using "Tree" - Is there terminal command to list folder size and corresponding file sizes within on Ubuntu 14.04 - Super User
https://superuser.com/questions/869969/ ... izes-withi


Hope this helps ...

[Subhuti]

Sorry for not responding to your replies.

I have been so busy with reinstalling Windows 7 and all my programs and fiddling with the settings to make them the way they I used to have them.

It may be that I can get used to seeing the file sizes shown like that, but I am not sure I want to. I like looking at the numbers. And it's not difficult to spot GB files. The greater the number of ciphers, the larger the file. And there is a comma added every 3 ciphers to make it more easy to distinguish when another factor of 1000 has been passed. If I was dealing with files 20 ciphers long, or 40 ciphers, or 200 ciphers, then it might be difficult to distinguish sizes, and I would probably prefer a notation with exponents or something. But since the largest files I have are around 10 GB, the way it works now is actually very sufficient for my needs.

There are many things I don't like about Windows, or about the Microsoft way of forcing things on people. But this is not one of the things I dislike.

Does any one of you know of a graphical file manager in which one can alter the way file-sizes are shown?

What if I had installed the Mate, KDE or xcfe versions of Mint? Would that have helped in this regard?

Thank you.

[phd21]

Hi "Subhuti",

There are many file managers available to use in all Linux Mint editions in addition to the one that is already installed. I have a few different file managers installed for testing and other features. My Linux Mint KDE comes with a superb file manager called Dolphin which I use 99% of the time and is very extensible, but I have not seen an option to change the file size display to only show KB (yet) which I personally do not need or care about.

Another file manager I have installed is called Double Commander and it does display the file sizes in KB and other formats, "float" is typically the default which shows various formats depending on the size of the file. See screenshot. This has many configuration options.

Install Double Commander File Manager On Ubuntu, Via PPA
http://sourcedigit.com/19217-install-do ... u-via-ppa/



Hope this helps ...

Double_Commander1.jpg

[Subhuti]

Thanks so much for your help, phd21! That seems like more what I was looking for. Maybe I am being foolish. Maybe I am just too old to change my ways anymore.

I just don't understand why these types of options aren't in Nemo. I had gotten the impression that Linux was based on a principle of configurability and choice. Of not supposing one knows what is best for the user, but letting the user decide what works best for him or her.

That's why I was a bit disappointed in the preferences options of Nemo. I am a total nitwit about Linux, so I don't know if it can all be changed behind the menus, using text-files and so on, but just the immediate impression I got, was not one of configurability. It reminded me more of something I would expect from Microsoft or Google or Apple.

When I tried to Install Linux Mint Cinnamon, I was hoping to find myself in a world of configurability. Of "it may look like this, but don't let that stop you." Of a principle of "to a reasonable extent, if it is possible to change, it should be possible to choose to change," or something like that. I don't know - something like everything being alterable by changing values in text-files. Like the way the numbers are formatted for display. Or which buttons or keys are mapped to which functions. Something like that. Maybe I am just being stubborn, I don't know which is right. Maybe I was expecting too much, too easily. Maybe it'll come if I put in the work...

Thank you.

[phd21]

Hi Subhuti,

You are welcome...

Double Commander does provide this for you.

You can change (customize) a lot in Linux, If you know what to do. But, customizing certain applications may not necessarily be an easy task.

Fortunately, there are many applications that can be installed which should provide most functions that anyone would want. And, you can always ask for new features too.

[phd21]

Hi Subhuti,

FYI: While researching your post and the Nemo file manager, I came across this article.

Nemo 3.4 and newer With Unity Patches And Without Cinnamon Dependencies Available In New PPA For Ubuntu
http://www.webupd8.org/2016/11/nemo-320 ... thout.html

I do not know if the Nemo File manager that is installed by default in Linux Mint Cinnamon is the same as from this PPA or not. But, when I go into Files (Nemo File Manager), and select Edit -> Preferences-> Display -> File Size and select a long format (decimal or Binary), restart nemo file manager, it now shows the bytes.

I am using KDE, so I did not install Nemo from the "Synaptic Package Manager (SPM)". I used the Webupd8 PPA from the link above, then went into "Synaptic Package Manager (SPM)" and installed most of the nemo plugins from the webupd8, restarted my system, and brought up nemo and there were a whole lot of nice new options including the bytes, file previews, etc...

Hope this helps ...

Nemo_FileManager1.jpg

Nemo_FileManager0.jpg

[Mute Ant]

If the programmer chose to make a GUI choice programmable, the dconf-editor program will find it and let you change it. Preferences like that are stored for each user, somewhere in their $HOME folder...

sudo apt-get install dconf-editor ### Just once to fetch the program and install it.

dconf-editor ### Then browse or search the keys.