Thursday, September 29, 2005
ACM News Service:
" "Death to Folders!"
Economist Technology Quarterly (09/05) Vol. 376, No. 8444, P. 30
The graphical user interface has begun to show its limitations as the vehicle for desktop navigation: Under the current file and folder system, content must be placed in a given location, and users must adhere to the filing system they created in order to effectively retrieve information from their desktop; disparate software further complicates the picture, as it is not uncommon to have information on the same personal contact stored in an email program, a calendar, and the computer's file system. However, Web search techniques could shed important light on a new method of desktop navigation. The exponential growth of the number of files on an average user's desktop is due largely to the greater storage capacities available for lower prices, but the search methods to navigate all that information have only recently received attention from Apple, Microsoft, and Google. To create a database of files on a computer is relatively simple, though in order to function effectively, it must be continuously updated to alter the indexes to any changes in a file. In its release of Mac OS X 10.4, Apple included Spotlight, a feature that queues up files for re-indexing as soon as they are altered, but waits to perform the actual indexing until the computer is idle so as not to compromise performance. Microsoft is not far behind with its WinFS system to be released in 2007; with the ability to see inside a file, rather than just search by its name, these new systems promise to render obsolete traditional file and folder systems. Though not every type of file contains information distinctive enough to offer insight into its content, the next generation of file management will rely heavily on user-issued tags that will inform more comprehensive and relevant searches.
Click Here to View Full Article "
" "Death to Folders!"
Economist Technology Quarterly (09/05) Vol. 376, No. 8444, P. 30
The graphical user interface has begun to show its limitations as the vehicle for desktop navigation: Under the current file and folder system, content must be placed in a given location, and users must adhere to the filing system they created in order to effectively retrieve information from their desktop; disparate software further complicates the picture, as it is not uncommon to have information on the same personal contact stored in an email program, a calendar, and the computer's file system. However, Web search techniques could shed important light on a new method of desktop navigation. The exponential growth of the number of files on an average user's desktop is due largely to the greater storage capacities available for lower prices, but the search methods to navigate all that information have only recently received attention from Apple, Microsoft, and Google. To create a database of files on a computer is relatively simple, though in order to function effectively, it must be continuously updated to alter the indexes to any changes in a file. In its release of Mac OS X 10.4, Apple included Spotlight, a feature that queues up files for re-indexing as soon as they are altered, but waits to perform the actual indexing until the computer is idle so as not to compromise performance. Microsoft is not far behind with its WinFS system to be released in 2007; with the ability to see inside a file, rather than just search by its name, these new systems promise to render obsolete traditional file and folder systems. Though not every type of file contains information distinctive enough to offer insight into its content, the next generation of file management will rely heavily on user-issued tags that will inform more comprehensive and relevant searches.
Click Here to View Full Article "
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