Just 平生一笑

前段时间，以CBI特约记者的身份，通过电子邮件采访了Total Commander的作者Christian Ghisler，深深为其胸怀宽广的人格魅力所震撼。不过细想起来，Christian Ghisler能有这么高的眼界，与其所在的国度和生活质量不无关系。"仓廪实而知礼节"，相信随着祖国的强大，我们之中同样会出现越来越多的此类人。当然，在这中间，还需要有社会的风骨和忠孝礼义信传统的继承和发扬。前路漫漫，中国之崛起与我们每个人息息相关。

乱发了一通感慨，还是尽快把此次采访的中文整理稿和英文原稿跟大家分享吧！

软件的流行源于其自身的魅力----独家专访Total Commander作者Christian Ghisler

这是一个绚丽多彩的时代，不管是WinXP、Mac OS还是现在大家都热切关注的Vista，都离不开一个特性----优秀的视觉体验。但却有那么一款软件，公然与华丽背道而驰，至今还维持着Windows标准窗口的"简陋"界面。更令人惊奇的是，它还赢得了一代代电脑爱好者的芳心，且呈愈演愈烈之势。这款神奇的软件，就是被诸多电脑玩家倍为推崇的Total Commander。

Total Commander是一款全能的文件管理器，它比Windows自带的资源管理器强大许多。依靠本身的程序和众多的插件，Total Commander几乎可以实现你想要的所有功能。搜索、复制、移动、改名、删除......；文件内容比较、同步文件夹、批量重命名文件、分割合并文件、创建/检查文件校验 (MD5/SFV) ......；Zip、RAR、7z、TAR、GZ、ARJ、CAB等各类文件的解压缩；Word、Excel、影视音频文件的预览和查看......；网页浏览、FTP下载、文件内容查找替换......。可以说，只有想不到，没有做不到，以至于有人用其替代Windows的Explorer，随机启动作为外壳使用。

开发Total Commander的是瑞士的Christian Ghisler，他已经在Total Commander身上花费了14年的心血。在2007年刚刚到来的时刻，我们很荣幸地通过电子邮件采访到Ghisler本人，请这位软件牛人亮相"高手面对面"，和我们中国的读者一起分享他的软件开发所得。

高手榜：

Christian Ghisler：来自瑞士，现年37岁，14年前开发了Total Commander，现与其兄弟全职维护Total Commander。他们的主要工作是Total Commander管理和技术支持，每周只能抽出4个早晨的时间从事Total Commander新功能的开发。
产品介绍：Christian Ghisler开发的软件主要就是Total Commander，它是一款著名的磁盘文件管理软件，提供超越Windows资源管理器的功能，在全世界拥有众多的注册用户。http://www.ghisler.com/是Total Commander的官方网站，在那里你可以了解到更多信息。

在Windows上找不到任何双窗口的管理器

家用电脑：Christian Ghisler，很高兴您能接受我们的采访。首先请谈谈你对中国的印象，另外，不知道您是否清楚，在中国，由您开发的Total Commander深受电脑高手喜爱，拥有众多的用。
Christian Ghisler：中国快速的经济增长给了我很深的印象，她现在已经成为一个强有力的经济体。不过除了经济增长，在其它方面中国也在展示她的影响力。比如，去年我们看到了来自中国的第一部电视连续剧－－Snow Heaven（雪域迷城），这部充满了奇幻色彩的电视剧是中文发音德文字幕的，而在以前我们看的电视剧基本上全是来自美国的。另外，我很高兴已经有了一个中文版本的Total Commander，这使得我们的软件可以在中国使用。

家用电脑：Total Commander的功能跟Windows自带的资源管理器有些类似，但远比资源管理器好用，不知道您当时是出于什么原因开发它的，难道是因为资源管理器不够好用吗？或者说想在一个软件中实现所有的功能？
Christian Ghisler：Total Commander的开发始于14年前，当时在Windows上我找不到任何双窗口的文件管理器，DOS下倒是有很多，象DOS Command Center和原来的Norton Commander。因此,作为业余项目，我开始开发Total Commander，直到她变成我的生活。

家用电脑：这么一说我倒是想起来了，Total Commander的前身是同样大名鼎鼎的Windows Commander。能够历久而不衰，Total Commander靠的是什么？
Christian Ghisler：我想主要的原因是程序足够简单和强大。你可以很快的从简单的任务，如在两个目录间拷贝文件开始。而随着使用时间的增长，你会发现很多有用的技巧，如借助热键让任务执行的更快，使用批量命名，或者安装插件为Total Commander添加更多功能。在使用中体会发现的乐趣，这就是Total Commander的魅力所在。

我更喜欢自己编程来实现新的特性

家用电脑：这应该是软件设计的真谛吧！对了，据说直到现在，您还在使用Delphi 2.0编译器编写Total Commander，这是真的吗？为什么？
Christian Ghisler：之所以使用Delphi 2.0，是因为它非常快速，创建的代码很小。Delphi 2.0重编译程序不到1秒，这让开发者感觉非常舒服。

家用电脑：真正的高手啊！不过不知道是什么原因让您一直不更换自己的程序编译器，是因为习惯还是版权？
Christian Ghisler：我同样拥有以后所有版本的Delphi，但迁移到新版本上不仅需要对程序做出重大的变更，还会造成程序变大和变慢，因此我没有使用。

家用电脑：您如何理解程序员、编译器和新技术之间的关系？
Christian Ghisler：我喜欢自己完全控制新技术，而不是把它丢给编译器。新版本的Delphi支持Windows XP界面和其它新特性，但我更喜欢自己编程来实现。

更重要的是要增加付费用户的数量

家用电脑：也许您知道，在中国，有一些用户使用了盗版的Total Commander，不知道您对此，即对盗版软件有什么看法？
Christian Ghisler：我们的生活如此现实，我们试图让她变得更美好。我明白在许多国家，与薪水相比，Total Commander非常昂贵，因此我们能够容忍那些没有能力付费的用户使用未注册的版本。

家用电脑：确实，Total Commander一直以来是非常厚道的，只要启动时选择性的按下数字123，就可以无限期的正常使用软件。做出这种设置的原因是什么？
Christian Ghisler：我们的目标不只是减少未注册用户的数量，更重要的是要增加付费用户的数量。因此Total Commander在注册保护上做的很少，并且在未付费的情况下，能够不被修改的无限期使用下去，这种信任在我们的用户看来就像是借款。我们经常通过email收到用户的来信，说他们在使用多年以后，终于有能力负担起Total Commander的费用，非常想支持我们的工作。许多不能自己负担起费用的用户也将Total Commander带到他们的公司，然后由公司购买licence。我们也允许此类公司licence同时在家使用。

家用电脑：真的是很宽松的软件注册保护，这可能跟瑞士的环境有关吧！另外，我再问一句，您是如何理解自由软件、共享软件和商业软件的？
Christian Ghisler：我使用过上述所有类型的软件，它们分别针对不同的问题提供合适的解决方案。我同样会发布一些免费软件，比如Total Commander for PocketPC（我的业余工作:)）。我的一些软件还是开源软件，包括许多Total Commander的插件。

软件的流行源于其自身的魅力

家用电脑：接下来，我有几个有关你产品的问题提问。正式版的Total Commander 7大概什么时候推出？有什么主要的功能改进？
Christian Ghisler：Total Commander 7的正式版将在二月或三月发布，它有许多更新，包括更好看的界面和图标，一个独立的树形窗口，安全的FTP传输，lister中的文本鼠标，以及一个用内容进行对比的编辑器。你可以从我们的网站下载公测版自行测试新版本的功能。

家用电脑：Total Commander 7是否完全支持Unicode？
Christian Ghisler：不支持。Unicode的支持按照计划将在Total Commander 7.5或者8实现，这将意味着对Windows 95/98/ME的支持将减少或者消失（此类系统不支持Unicode）。

家用电脑：有没有考虑过在中国推广Total Commander？
Christian Ghisler：我没有在任何国家做过任何广告。Total Commander是由用户自发传播的，Total Commander在中国变得越来越流行，也是她自身的魅力！

家用电脑：嗯，Total Commander确实有着迷人的魅力，感谢你编出了这么好的软件。最后，请给我们的中国读者说几句。
Christian Ghisler：I wish you luck and all the best for your future!

采访的英文原稿

1. First of all, I'd like to ask you for some personal questions, such as how old you are and what's your work :D. How many hours a day do you spend in working with Total Command? Would you give us a personal photograph that will be on our newspaper?
Total Commander is the full time job of both my brother and myself. I'm now 37 years old, and I have been working on Total Commander for over 14 years. Most of my work is administrative and support, only 4 mornings per week are reserved to development.

2. What's your impression of China? Do you know there are lots of Total Commander consumers in China? Most of them are professional computer user.
I'm very impressed by the rapid economic development and growth of China, who has become a major economic power now. Not only the economy is growing, also other sectors: For example, we could watch the first TV series from China last year - normally most come from the USA! The series was a fantasy series called "Snow Heaven", and it was shown in Mandarin with German subtitles.
I'm glad to have also a Chinese language version of Total Commander available, so my program can be used also in China.

3. As we all know Total Commander is similar to Windows explorer in function, but Total Commander is more convenient than the latter. What is the reason for you to design the software? As a result of limited windows explore? wanna do all things in one program ?
When I started with Total Commander 14 years ago, I was missing a two window file manager on Windows. Various such programs existed for DOS, like DOS Command Center, or the original Norton Commander. But there was nothing comparable for Windows. So it started as a hobby project for myself only. It became my living much later.

4. As we all know Total Commander has a long history. Its preexistence edition, named Windows Commander, also had a great reputation. What is the key point of Total Commander about its flourish?
I think that the main reason is that the program is both simple and powerful. It's easy to start to use it for simple tasks like copying between two directories. But it also grows with your skills. More experienced users learn hotkeys to work very fast, use functions like the multi-rename tool, or install plugins to add many more features.

5. I've heard that you still use Delphi 2.0 Developer to compile Total Commander, is it really?how do you think about that?
I'm using Delphi 2 because it is very fast, and because it creates small code. It's nice to recompile the program within less than a second, this makes development very convenient.

6. We wonder that you would not like to change the program compiler, by reason of your own habit or the problem of copyright?
I own also later versions of Delphi, but switching would both require important changes to the program, and also make it larger and slower.

7. What do you think of the relationship among programmer, program compiler and new technique?
I like to to keep full control of new technology myself, and not leave it to the compiler. Newer Delphi versions come with support for the Windows XP look or other new features, but I prefer to do this myself by modifying the controls myself.

8. As you know Total Commander are used by some piratical users, what's your opinion on the pirated software?
It's a reality with which we have to live, so we try make the best of it. I understand that Total Commander is very expensive compared to the salaries in many countries, so we tolerate the usage of the unregistered version without paying by people who cannot afford it.

9. As far as we know, Total Commander is always honest and kind to her pirate users. For example, you can use the software without any limit as long as you start it and input the number 1 2 3. What's the reason of such kind of set?
Our goal is not to reduce the number of unregistered users, but to increase the number of paying users. Therefore Total Commander has very little protection, and can be used without paying indefintely even without any modifications. This trust in our users seems to pay off - we often receive e-mails from users who write that they finally could afford the program after
many years of usage, and wanted to support our work on Total Commander.
Many users who cannot afford the program themselves also bring it to their company, who then buys a licence. We also allow to use such a company licence also at home with only one licence.

10. What is your idea about free software, share software and commercial software?
I use all of them, there are solutions for many problems from all these types of software. I also publish many software as freeware, for example the Total Commander for PocketPC (my hobby). Some of my software is also open source, including many plugins.

11. When will Total Commander 7 publish? What is the main improvement of the 7 edition?
The final release of Total Commander 7 is planned for February or March. There are many improvements, including a better look with new icons, a separate tree window, secure FTP transfers, a text cursor in lister, and an editor in "Compare by content". You can try it out yourself, a public beta version is available on our homepage www.ghisler.com.

12. Could you tell us whether Total Commander 7 supports Unicode entirely?
No, this is planned for Total Commander 7.5 or 8. This will probably mean that support for Windows 95/98/ME would have to be reduced or even dropped (these systems do not support Unicode).

13. Have you considered popularize Total Commander in China?
I have never made any advertising in any country - Total Commander is mostly popularized by the users themselves. Total Commander is getting more and more popular in China too, all by itself!

14. Finally, could you say something to the Chinese readers, please?
I wish you luck and all the best for your future!