Collector For Linux

In today's world, clipboard managers are the de facto apps when it comes to increasing general productivity within most OS environments. A capable clipboard manager is able to store tons of clipboard entries, all while offering support for a wide range of files and being easily accessible via a multitude of ways.

Be that as it may, when it comes to efficiently moving/copying files from one place to another, that's something that file managers are good at. There is, however, a third option and it's called Collector.

Collector is neither a clipboard manager, nor a file manager, yet it "borrows" elements from both. It's also important to note that Collector is a free and open-source, Linux-only application (a GTK/Libadwaita app to be more precise).

What is Collector precisely? According to the app's GitHub repository description, it's a "Linux alternative to Dropover for Mac." The whole point of Collector is basically to make drag and drop a lot lot easier.

To be more precise, it functions as a sort of "parking space" for your files.

This is the best part about Collector - the way it works. It's nothing complicated - you drag and drop files onto its GUI (or paste clipboard content - such as web links), and once you've "gathered" enough files, you simply drag and drop them to any desired location (or, even easier,  you can paste them using CTRL+V).

The whole gist of this app is to not have two or more open side-by-side windows.

There's a lot to love about this app. For starters, I am a big fan of the fact that I can have as many open Collector windows as I want. The fact that the app also allows users to browse and preview all dropped (or stashed) items is also a big plus.

It's quite obvious that the developer behind Collector didn't want to limit the app to just simple desktop files. Hence, you can drag images directly from the web browser and download them automatically (and it even works with Google Images).

Another feature that's not really of much benefit to me (but it might be for others) is Collector's ability to group text drops into a single CSV file.

Even though Collector is inspired by Dropover for macOS, it's not nearly as polished as the aforementioned app. It doesn't have the same level of polish when it comes to GUI effects and options, and there's not really much in terms of customization either.

Still, it's a damn good app even without all the bells and whistles. It's simple, it's reliable, and it feels very natural to use (I mean, who doesn't prefer a small box instead of another open window, right?).

Hence, if you're the type of person who needs to move around a bunch of files regularly (on Linux), then there's really no reason not to try Collector. Could it be better? Sure. Is it brilliant as it is? Yes (at least in my opinion).