Pro Feature

Norton Commander Theme Setup

Transform Captain's Deck into a classic DOS-era file manager with the Norton Commander theme and optional CRT effects.

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What is Norton Commander?

Norton Commander was a legendary file manager for DOS, released in 1986. Its iconic blue panels, keyboard-driven interface, and function key bar influenced a generation of file managers.

Captain's Deck's Norton Commander theme faithfully recreates this classic look while keeping modern functionality.

Enabling the Theme

  1. Open Preferences (Cmd+,)
  2. Go to the Appearance tab
  3. Under Theme, select Norton Commander
  4. Close Preferences

The interface immediately transforms with the classic blue color scheme.

Theme Features

Color Scheme

  • Blue panels: Classic DOS blue background
  • Cyan highlights: Selected items and active panel
  • Yellow text: Directory names
  • White text: File names
  • Cyan status bar: Path and file information

Function Key Bar

The classic F1-F10 bar appears at the bottom, just like the original:

1 Help 2 Rename 3 View 4 Edit 5 Copy 6 Move 7 MkDir 8 Delete 9 Diff 10 Quit

CRT Effects

For the ultimate retro experience, enable CRT monitor simulation:

  1. In Preferences -> Appearance
  2. Enable CRT Effects

Available Effects

  • Scanlines: Horizontal lines simulating CRT display
  • Screen curve: Subtle curvature like old monitors
  • Phosphor glow: Soft bloom around bright text
  • Screen flicker: Very subtle refresh simulation (optional)

Adjusting Intensity

Use the slider to adjust effect intensity from subtle to pronounced.

Font Recommendations

For the most authentic look, use a bitmap-style font:

  • DOS fonts: Perfect DOS VGA 437, Px437 IBM VGA
  • System fonts: Monaco, Menlo
  • Programming fonts: JetBrains Mono, Fira Code

Installing DOS Fonts

  1. Download a DOS font (many available on sites like int10h.org)
  2. Double-click the .ttf file to open Font Book
  3. Click "Install Font"
  4. Select the font in Preferences -> Appearance -> Font

Keyboard Experience

The Norton Commander theme pairs perfectly with keyboard navigation:

  • Use Tab to switch panels
  • Navigate with arrow keys or Vim keys
  • Press function keys for operations
  • Type to jump to files

Enable "Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys" in macOS System Settings for the best experience.

Screenshot Gallery

Coming Soon: Screenshots of the Norton Commander theme in action, including default view, CRT effects enabled, and split view with terminal.

Switching Back

To return to the modern theme:

  1. Open Preferences -> Appearance
  2. Select Modern under Theme

Next Steps

Configuring Preferences Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet