Ted Nelson used to refer to it as "the tyranny of the file". But he didn't really offer an alternative (other than Xanadu). And a hierarchical system of storag

Ted Nelson used to refer to it as "the tyranny of the file". But he didn't really offer an alternative (other than Xanadu). And a hierarchical system of storage is convenient for lots of people - once they understand what "hierarchy" means. I think understanding hierarchy is one of those epiphanies that a new computer user can sometimes have. Others simply don't seem to be able to grok it.