("GNOME Search Tool" is the utility found in the GNOME panel menu
under Programs, then Utilities.)
A brief, and probably incomplete, synopsis is as follows:
"GNOME Search Tool":
- It forks another process to execute "find". This will fail on
systems where "find" is not GNU "find", when a GNU "find" specific
option is used. Also, forking a new process is wasteful and
unnecessary.
- It only allows you to "and" the search expressions. For example,
you can't search for files owned by one user *or* another user.
- It also does not allow you to "not" any of the search
expressions.
- Consequently, you have no control over the search
expressions.
- You can't search for multiple files.
- You can't search in multiple directories.
- It provides access some of the options available with GNU "find",
but nowhere near all of them. For example, some of the commonly used
options are totally omitted, such as searching for files according to
file sizes (e.g., find all files larger than 1MB).
- All searches are always case sensitive.
gnome-find:
- Does what "GNOME Search Tool" doesn't do, plus...
- Has file operations and archiving commands available on files
found from a search (e.g., copy, remove, print, etc.). These commands
are all configurable through the preferences dialog.
- Allows multiple windows, so you have multiple search results
without starting up another invocation of the program.
- Allows "manual" searching. That is, you can enter in your own,
customized, search command, for those arcane search options that just
can't be expressed using the GUI dialog.
- Can print file details in the results window, not just the full
pathname.
- A lot of other smaller refinements and improvements which just
aren't present in "GNOME Search Tool".
How?