"File Manager tightly represent the underlying file system model of the operating system. You may remember, Windows Vista in the early Longhorn development period presented another pillar called WinFS, a re-thinking of how file systems should work to make it easier for users to find/locate their files and material without having to worry too much where exactly they are stored. Just query the database for it, was the basic premise.
This drastic re-engineering got so complex that it ultimately got cut-out, to give it time to propely mature and stabilise for a much later version of Windows (certainly not in Windows 2008 or 7). How to abstract all these to make it look like a traditional NTFS system so we don't have to re-engineer all our applications and programs that only ""believe"" in old-school file systems, that is a monumental problem indeed.
Once this type of file system is in place, you can expect a paradigm shift to take place with the UI design of the ""file manager""."
"Is it because webbrosers bring money while file managers don't?
File managers don't bring money. What do you think people use in their everyday work to manipulate files ?
Try making a windows installation without internet explorer, and without windows explorer. Then you'll see by the outcry which ""makes more money"".
Is it because current file managers are just great and do the work? Why practically none of the alternate file managers for various platforms haven't become mainstream.
because they're used by a small percentage (0,0xx%) of people, compared to the people using windows explorer. most people (corporate users, most home users) - don't customize their file manager windows explorer does the job nicely
Think about IE4 and WindowsExplore back in '95, they were practically the same thing
IE was developed as a completely different product; and in '95 (and even before, while windows explorer was developed) nobody knew Internet would become what it has become
Now, we have new serious contenders ( such as Firefox and Chrome ) that are pulling IE8 in the shape it has. While the WindowsExplorer is pretty much the same old thing.
Well, are you missing something from it ? Apart from a few little details, which I even wouldn't say they're worth complaining for, it does the job quite nicely."
"There's a lot that's about to change in that field, I think.
With the rise of Web2.0 and (public) cloud computing, the focus has been moved towards 'personal content' and how you interact with it.
Operating systems have been working with this since ages (remember BeOS? and the file-attributes system?) but all provided ways-of-thinking and methods you would have to find your way in, get around with. Now with Web2.0 websites, the properties and attributes of the content take front stage and are used to create an intuitive and friendly interface, specialized to one or more types of content (flickr, youtube, google docs, facebook, etc.) and take care of storing, naming, indexing, sorting the items for you.
In a way 'file management' is kind of on its way out and 'content management' provides any and all things you did with creating folders and archives before. (Complete with a side-bar of adverts)"
