first of all, there shouldn't be a difference between 'my computer' and the internet.
'my computer' is just another location that the computer searches. and when I'm offline, that's the only place it looks.
i hate 'start', 'programs' and all that. all the programs i download / install should get categorised automatically as far as i'm concerned. a few questions regarding what the application will be used for, during installation, should help the computer in this.
i shouldn't have to keep my files / documents / pictures / music in neat folders. that's what the computer's there for! from what i'm currently doing, the computer should be able to figure out where i'll need a particular application. for example, if i'm pulling up the calculator, when i'm in the 'order' page of a website, then in the future, the calculator application should automatically come up. similarly, whenever i select a region of text, my textpad should come up automatically! why do i need different apps for copying pictures / text etc. etc. etc.? why can't the desktop 'scrap' file be used more intelligently?
similarly, for pictures, the computer should organise my photos automatically in the following order - by a) location b) faces c) dates.
for music, organisation could be by tempo. music should automatically be organised into easy listening, rock, etc. etc. and then further into artists and albums. this way, when i want to compile a 'party' playlist, all i have to do is look under the 'party' category! randomise should work across categories.
finally, there shouldn't be a 'heirarchy' of folders to store stuff in. rather, there should be many areas where the same file appears intelligently. and everywhere it should be the 'shortcuts' and 'links' that should appear, not the actual file itself. the file should get organised by the computer in a way that the computer itself finds most useful, for example, if i'm using the media player all the time, then the media player should automatically launch every time i start windows and should be stored near the boot sector on the hard drive so that it loads the fastest. why should i have to bother with helping the computer? it should be smart enough to help itself by observing a stupid human!-- abh1jit, Jul 11 2004 search not sort - apple's new os http://www.wired.co...,2125,64069,00.html [xclamp, Oct 04 2004] Clippy's popularity... http://www.cnn.com/...esults/1487781.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/POLL/results/1487781.html [Porsche911, Oct 04 2004] Commercial Database OS http://www.halfbake...ial_20Database_20OSAn OS based on RDBMS fundamentals [zen_tom, Oct 04 2004] i can't say how I know, but degrees of what you mention will be included in future window releases.-- jonthegeologist, Jul 11 2004 What he said, but I can tell you how I know - it's been in the press for quite a while now.-- DrCurry, Jul 11 2004 Hear hear! (I, for one, actually would like to keep the hierarchy folders though, a 'flat' system would leave a directory much too large, and would disassociate related projects too distantly).-- RayfordSteele, Jul 11 2004 this idea is teetering on rant territory, but as [DrCurry] states, apple and microsoft are planning on implementing features which eliminate the need for a strict hierarchical file structure. (link)-- xclamp, Jul 11 2004 A proper content addressable scheme should allow you to develop and use a query which results in the “flat” storage system being returned--rendered--as a heirarchical representation. This could be as folders, sub-folders and files or what-have-you. Also, there would be no limit to the different heirarchies a user could establish. For example, a user might have a query with parameters that returns a heirarchical representation of the dates of the origins of files, with the top level folders named as years, months or weeks and the folders below being a subordinate length of time (months, weeks, days or hours, even).-- bristolz, Jul 11 2004 sorry [abh1jit] but imagining the operating system you describe makes me shiver uncomfortably. I don't want a machine to try and second-guess what I'm about to do next - why? - because it's going to get it wrong.
What if you had a resonably intelligent person hanging around you all day offering you biscuits or various untensils when they thought you were about to eat/do something. It might be ok for a while, but could get pretty annoying before long, even if they got it right 95% of the time.
I'd rather do the work and tell a machine what I want to do, and, if I get really lazy, I want a machine *I* can program to try and second guess me. At least then it wont be imposing someone elses ideas of how I should use my computer.
On a final note, how many people enjoyed the Microsoft PaperClip's attempts at doing what you describe? Sorry, but this idea is not for me.-- zen_tom, Jul 12 2004 Agree with zen_tom. I want my PC to put its files in predictable places like install directories. I don't want to find myself chasing all over my PC because some virus has programmed it not to include program icons in any file view. Furthermore, the less that starts up when I turn the PC on, the better. I'm intelligent enough to start _exactly_ which program I need, rather than waiting for Windows to load a selection. That said, the adaptive start menu on XP is quite handy.
Having photos organised by location is being worked on. The difficulty is that nobody wants to spend hours typing details into their PC. Instead, efforts are being made to have the computer listen to conversations when pictures are shown, and try to extract information about the photo from what people say about it. Cool? Creepy? I'm not sure.-- david_scothern, Jul 12 2004 I have to think MORE when using a so-called intelligent machine than when using a dumb one. Because now, in addition to my regular work, I have to double-check its decisions.-- phundug, Jul 12 2004 Exactly, I don't want to have a degree in advanced computing to be able to predict what my computer is about to do.
A computer is a dumb machine, and any attempt to behave any different is demeaning both to us and itself.-- zen_tom, Jul 12 2004 </rant>. This way, if you get the Donnie Darko sountrack, your computer will explode.-- yabba do yabba dabba, Jul 12 2004 Isn't this along the same lines as what Microsoft tried to do with "clippy"? Why would I want the OS to bring up notepad every time I highlight a block of text? Who says I want to use it in a new document? Maybe I just want to move it somewhere in the current document. Maybe I want to move it to another already-open document. Maybe I just want to invert the colors to make it stand out on a poorly chosen background color.
If you use a program enough to want it to start every time you boot, you can move it to your "startup" folder. I do my damnedest to make sure my computer loads as few programs as necessary at startup (a philosophy I try to convey to my mother every time she complains that it takes too long to boot and her computer is slow).
There's a reason there are "file type associations". These are useful. Click on an MP3 or a video file, and the appropriate player opens. It's faster and easier than selecting the player, clicking "file", "open", finding the directory and opening like that.
No file structure? Are you nuts? How often do directories have the same filename as another directory? A few filenames come to mind: readme.txtsetup.exeautorun.infuninstall.execonfig.txtyou'd have to have some extra attributes slapped onto the allocation table to keep track of the different files anyway. The current method is good at that. If you want a specific file, learn to use the built-in search function.
I don't want my computer organizing things for me. I want to put things where I want them to be. Software to find a face in a photo exists, but I wouldn't want my computer sorting for me on its own. Having it build a searchable database would be nice, however.
Music (mp3s, anyway) files can have searchable attributes added to them. I think it's called ID3.
Sorry [abh1jit], I have to call this a rant. Bone.
Oh, and when you're using the aforementioned search function in WinXP, you can tell it to search all your hard drives, removable storage, network, and the internet at the same time, so [baked].-- Freefall, Jul 12 2004 Palm OS on palmpilots acts like parts of this, sort of, and it works well.
Stores all files in one folder, links them to the application, only has one document filetype (.pdb), is completely state-persistant when you turn it off.
But then, it only has 16mb of storage.
I can't imagine running such a non-filesystem on a real machine, it would get cluttered in seconds.
As to auto-loading programs, you're fooling yourself if you think it won't realize that the main use of computers is to look at porn... and I don't think your girlfriend/mother/wife would be too happy when she borrows your computer for a minute.-- eulachon, Jul 12 2004 The only part of this idea I like is the database style ability of file types. This could be easiy implemented by a 3rd party app, and more than probably will be included in the next windows release. I would prefer the likes of Microsoft offered the option to install a completely basic version of their operating system, with no 'intelligent' applications. We can then build up any service we want.-- silverstormer, Jul 12 2004 Can't you already do that simply by using another operating system?-- jutta, Jul 12 2004 Yes and I totally support it, but I am tied to MS for a number of reasons and applications. I would love to compeletly convert.-- silverstormer, Jul 12 2004 A database-based os might be interesting, with files being stored, indexed abd linked according to system, application, and various user parameters.-- zen_tom, Jul 18 2004 I seem to remember some computer-industry-pioneer saying that the current Operating Systems have turned all our knowledge workers into "file clerks".
The way I read this idea (/rant?) is that the author wants to have the computer do the filing part automatically.-- hugesmile, Jul 18 2004 Genious idea! There already are several "OneNote" type applications out, doing a VERY good job at allowing you to quickly enter data, auto-organizing it, and getting your input about the catigorizatin while/after. Your proposal is about doing something similar with the computer programs.
The point is not the data but the PROGRAMS and EVERYTHING. There's nothing to worry about the computer getting it wrong, because if its doing anything unstandard (according to themed standards which YOU set) it will ask you, while giving you some good advice. It can also update after learning your habits etc.-- pashute, Feb 08 2006 I thought this was going to be about mushrooms (myco-) and 'puters.-- csea, Feb 09 2006 c:\>net use z: \\computername\devicename
I've just made a location part of my computer.
A matter of perspective perhaps? To me my computer is the box on my desk, everything else is a tool to manipulate "the old number box".-- Giblet, Feb 09 2006 random, halfbakery