What is jfm?

jfm is a file manager written in C for the X11 windowing system, which is the graphical display system used on many Linux and Unix based desktops. Its name stands for just (a) file manager, and the project describes itself plainly: a lightweight way to browse and manage files on an X11 desktop. A screenshot in the README shows the interface in use, giving a sense of its simple, no frills look. Because it is written directly against X11 and uses libraries like libX11, libXft, and libXrender, jfm does not rely on a full desktop environment like GNOME or KDE. This makes it a good fit for people running minimal window managers who still want a graphical file manager rather than doing everything from a text based terminal. The dependency lists are split by operating system, one set for Void Linux and one for FreeBSD, which also tells a non-technical reader that this project is meant to run on Linux and BSD style systems, not Windows or macOS. Setting it up requires installing several development libraries first, including fontconfig, freetype, and pkg-config, then compiling the program from source using a C compiler. There is no mention of prebuilt binaries or an app store style install, so using jfm means being comfortable with a terminal and a build process. The project is small, with four stars, and the author notes that some of the code is borrowed from an existing plan9 style visual directory manager. It is licensed under the MIT license, which is a permissive license that allows free use, modification, and redistribution, including for commercial purposes, as long as the original copyright notice is kept. Overall, jfm is a niche, lightweight file manager aimed at technical Linux and BSD users who want a graphical way to manage files without the overhead of a full desktop environment.