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>In terms of tagging, that's never taken off. Why? ... >because you can call the same thing by different names I guess for software packages some sort of hier

>In terms of tagging, that's never taken off. Why? ... >because you can call the same thing by different names I guess for software packages some sort of hierarchy seems essential. At least for documents I always imagined that tags would be perfect. It seems that documents always fit in multiple hierarchies... On the other hand, if you really want no hierarchy in software packages, some standard tags are necessary. Like 'ConfigFile', 'Active', ... Also one should keep in mind that data in software is also in most cases not hierarchical. Hierarchical databases are a weird animal that nobody uses. Maybe hierarchical filesystems have constraint our minds so much that we cannot easily imagine some other way. Regarding the rest... I think as well that Unix has some problems, mostly due to old design. Having to use regexes to match file names is so error-prone, I think only for document file names that would be okay. I really like the innovative approach of Windows Power Shell eventhough the syntax is still too weird.

chris_wot 11y ago
A file system is so because it adopted the metaphor of a filing system, which was hierarchical in nature itself. It's main advantage was that it enforced order, and once you knew the filing systems you could easily locate your important records. The reason it is ubiquitous is that the human mind needs order, and a filesystem imposes this. It ain't perfect, but it works.
- blablabla123 11y ago
  Sure, but you don't necessarily need a hierarchical order. Of course the whole desktop computer is a metaphor of the desk and the first commercially successful graphical interfaces resemble a desk. And GUIs are what most people use most of the time, even most devs tend to start their terminal from the desktop in a window, which appears a bit like paper, laying on the desk. It's interesting that only few graphical operating environments break with this convention. It seems there hasn't been much conceptual innovation in the space of "desktop computing". Even the tablet seems to represent either a piece laying on the table or the table itself, depending on the size. It should be more efficient to design systems based on the available digital infrastructure, instead of designing them based on partially obsolete office table infrastructure.
- gardano 11y ago
  Seems to me that what is needed is consistency. A hierarchical file systems represents something metaphorically 'physical'. A tagging system seems to me to be too ad-hoc, and therefore untrustworthy. If I know I left a file in a folder, I know it will always be there. If I tagged a file with some sort of mnemonic, then it's on me to remember what burst of inspiration told me to tag it as such.

chris_wot 11y ago

A file system is so because it adopted the metaphor of a filing system, which was hierarchical in nature itself. It's main advantage was that it enforced order, and once you knew the filing systems you could easily locate your important records. The reason it is ubiquitous is that the human mind needs order, and a filesystem imposes this. It ain't perfect, but it works.

blablabla123 11y ago
Sure, but you don't necessarily need a hierarchical order. Of course the whole desktop computer is a metaphor of the desk and the first commercially successful graphical interfaces resemble a desk. And GUIs are what most people use most of the time, even most devs tend to start their terminal from the desktop in a window, which appears a bit like paper, laying on the desk. It's interesting that only few graphical operating environments break with this convention. It seems there hasn't been much conceptual innovation in the space of "desktop computing". Even the tablet seems to represent either a piece laying on the table or the table itself, depending on the size. It should be more efficient to design systems based on the available digital infrastructure, instead of designing them based on partially obsolete office table infrastructure.
gardano 11y ago
Seems to me that what is needed is consistency. A hierarchical file systems represents something metaphorically 'physical'. A tagging system seems to me to be too ad-hoc, and therefore untrustworthy. If I know I left a file in a folder, I know it will always be there. If I tagged a file with some sort of mnemonic, then it's on me to remember what burst of inspiration told me to tag it as such.