How to install MC(midnight commander tool) on Debian 8.3

How to install MC(midnight commander tool) on Debian 8.3

Midnight commander is a free cross platform file manager that is developed as a console application with a text user interface. It includes the ability to view the contents of the RPM package files and to function as an FTP and FISH client. This tutorial covers the installation procedure of Midnight commander on Debian.

Installation procedure

To start the installation procedure, first add the repository in the target system using the nano command.

root@linuxhelp:~# nano /etc/apt/sources.list

A source.list file opens, add these lines in the file and save and exit from the file.

deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ stable main contrib non-free
deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian jessie main

Next update the target system using the apt-get update command and execute it.

root@linuxhelp:~# apt-get update
Hit http://ftp.debian.org jessie-updates InRelease
Ign http://ftp.de.debian.org jessie InRelease                        
Ign http://ftp.debian.org stable InRelease    
Hit http://ftp.de.debian.org jessie Release.gpg
Hit http://ftp.debian.org jessie-updates/main Sources
Hit http://ftp.de.debian.org jessie Release                 
Hit http://ftp.debian.org jessie-updates/contrib Sources
Get:1 http://ftp.debian.org jessie-updates/main amd64 Packages/DiffIndex [7,408 B]
Hit http://ftp.de.debian.org jessie/main amd64 Packages  
Hit http://ftp.debian.org jessie-updates/contrib amd64 Packages
Hit http://ftp.de.debian.org jessie/main Translation-en
Hit http://ftp.debian.org jessie-updates/contrib Translation-en
Get:2 http://ftp.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en/DiffIndex [2,704 B]
Hit http://ftp.debian.org stable Release.gpg                
Hit http://ftp.debian.org stable Release      
Hit http://ftp.debian.org stable/main amd64 Packages
Hit http://ftp.debian.org stable/contrib amd64 Packages
Hit http://ftp.debian.org stable/non-free amd64 Packages
Hit http://ftp.debian.org stable/contrib Translation-en
Hit http://ftp.debian.org stable/main Translation-en
Hit http://ftp.debian.org stable/non-free Translation-en
Fetched 10.1 kB in 3s (3,233 B/s)             
Reading package lists... Done

The updation process is done successfully. Now install the midnight commander tool by running the following command.

root@linuxhelp:~# apt-get install mc
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree      
Reading state information... Done
The following extra packages will be installed:
  mc-data
Suggested packages
  arj catdvi texlive-binaries dbview djvulibre-bin gv odt2txt python-boto
  python-tz zip
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  mc mc-data
0 upgraded, 2 newly installed, 0 to remove and 2 not upgraded.
Need to get 1,717 kB of archives.
After this operation, 7,006 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] y
Get:1 http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ stable/main mc-data all 3:4.8.13-3 [1,212 kB]
Get:2 http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ stable/main mc amd64 3:4.8.13-3 [506 kB]  
Fetched 1,717 kB in 12s (140 kB/s)                                            
Selecting previously unselected package mc-data.
(Reading database ... 181362 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../mc-data_3%3a4.8.13-3_all.deb ...
Unpacking mc-data (3:4.8.13-3) ...
Selecting previously unselected package mc.
Preparing to unpack .../mc_3%3a4.8.13-3_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking mc (3:4.8.13-3) ...
Processing triggers for hicolor-icon-theme (0.13-1) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.7.0.2-5) ...
Processing triggers for desktop-file-utils (0.22-1) ...
Processing triggers for gnome-menus (3.13.3-6) ...
Processing triggers for mime-support (3.58) ...
Setting up mc-data (3:4.8.13-3) ...
Setting up mc (3:4.8.13-3) ...
update-alternatives: using /usr/bin/mcview to provide /usr/bin/view (view) in auto mode

The installation process is completed. Type “ mc” on your terminal, or click the activities window and type “ midnight commander” and click the icon to open the application.

The midnight commander tool is running successfully.

Wasn' t that an easy installation process? Midnight commander tool can also rename groups of files unlike other file manager which can rename only one file at a time.

FAQ
Q
What is Midnight commander?
A
Midnight Commander is a free cross-platform file manager that is developed as a console application with a text user interface. It includes the ability to view the contents of the RPM package files and to function as an FTP and FISH client.
Q
What are the best alternatives for midnight commander tool?
A
FileZilla, Total Commander, Double Commander and are the alternatives of midnight commander tool.
Q
What else do I need to run MC? In Unix and windows
A
You need a POSIX (Unix compatible) operating system. If you are running Windows, use Cygwin for MC.
Q
How do I get the extension dependent pop-up menu to pop up on midnight commander tool?
A
Since this is a Gnome edition, this doesn't support this feature on midnight commander tool.
Q
How do I stay in the last directory when I exit Midnight Commander?
A
Use "Option -P is used for this" to stay in the last directory while exiting from Midnight Commander.