Is Finder going away? What about folders?

chris cuillachris cuilla
Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
This article posits an opinion that Spotlight is the first nail in the coffin of Finder and even folders:



http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125...=wn_story_top5



Not sure I totally agree (though I am starting to think more carefully about "search as the UI" in some of my own designs these days).



I have thought for a long time that applications like iTunes and iPhoto were merely "specialized Finders"...and the Finder resdesign made that even more obvious. iCal, AddressBook could be viewed in this vein too.



Is search becoming "the" interface?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 5
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    I'm sure there will long be a place for static hierarchies under the user's control, but dynamic saved search criteria could easily supplant it.



    The end UI would look similar, but the underlying guts would be totally different.
  • Reply 2 of 5
    mr. memr. me Posts: 3,221member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Chris Cuilla

    This article posits an opinion that Spotlight is the first nail in the coffin of Finder and even folders:



    http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125...=wn_story_top5



    Not sure I totally agree (though I am starting to think more carefully about "search as the UI" in some of my own designs these days).



    I have thought for a long time that applications like iTunes and iPhoto were merely "specialized Finders"...and the Finder resdesign made that even more obvious. iCal, AddressBook could be viewed in this vein too.



    Is search becoming "the" interface?



    The Finder does two things. One is to allow the user to create the directory structure which allows him/her to store files. The second is to allow the user to navigate the computers directory structure to find particular files. Spotlight may supplant the format, but it does nothing for the latter.
  • Reply 3 of 5
    bergzbergz Posts: 1,045member
    other thread with a couple alternatives to Finder.

  • Reply 4 of 5
    kim kap solkim kap sol Posts: 2,987member
    I don't see the Finder going away. But I see it becoming 'just another app' like iTunes or iPhoto. It'll simply become a media content reader and organizer.



    Instead of being perma-launched, it'll be quittable and launchable on demand for those that want to open, say, a Smart Folder query they saved.



    Just like iTunes or iPhoto.
  • Reply 5 of 5
    code mastercode master Posts: 344member
    Searching may be all fine and dandy until the database becomes corrupted. Then it's back to the hierarchy while it builds a new one. On the other hand, when the folder trees are screwed, maybe searching in future models will keep working!
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