sMoRTy71.com: Searching for the Perfect OS

Searching for the Perfect OS
Apple is declaring the use of folders in the OS as an outdated way of organizing information. This criticism is meant to show how OS X's upcoming Spotlight search feature is superior to the use of folders in Windows. Ultimately, though, it is an apples-to-oranges comparison.

While I think having a robust search engine for finding information is great (even Microsoft is planning a similar feature in Longhorn), there is still a place for folders as a way of organizing information.

IMO, the reason why people have trouble with folders is that they don't use them properly. They download and/or save files in any ol' directory they see without thinking about how to retrieve it later. Folders require the user to be able to group things logically so that they can find it later. Declaring search the solution to the folder problem is just a way of avoiding what is, again IMO, a user problem.

And a search-only model falls apart pretty quickly. What if you want to access all of your digital photos? It sure is nice to have a "digital photos" folder (maybe even with a shortcut on your desktop) to go to instead of a search results screen with thousands of images, some of which aren't your digital photos.

So, while I think a powerful search feature is needed in any OS, I see it as a complement to the organization of information in folders, not a replacement. But I guess that message doesn't allow Steve Jobs to feed his enormous ego by declaring Windows dreary and outdated.