[swiley]

The global filesystem is only a problem if you run lots of closed source/untrustworthy apps. Many of us don't and use the global filesystem very heavily and very much hope it does not go away.

[UK-AL]

Except for the vast majority of people are not IT experts. The store model is probably vastly safer for the average user.

[garganzol]

An average user is a myth. Every kind of average user has its own traits and they differ widely.

That's why there is such thing as system settings.

And yes, most desktop users are conscious when they work with files. Windows by default suggests "My Documents" folder as a target destination which is a pretty sane safe choice for all traits of average Joes.

[UK-AL]

That not the issue though. Programs that plaster your registry full of crap or replace or change os files etc

[flukus]

That can be solved by not requiring admin privileges to install software and getting rid of the registry, which was an awful idea to begin with.

[swiley]

Don't run stuff as root then.

[swiley]

Honestly I think not having a global filesystem makes things harder for the "average user." Most college students aren't going to only keep their word documents in word for example, they need to email them and upload them to tools like blackboard.

[kodfodrasz]

this is why shared storages are also needed, where apps can have a common view of some set of data.

[benaadams]

You go via the Save/Load dialogs which give access to a file; apps just aren't given non-permission/user-interaction file enumeration by default except for certain directories https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/uwp/files/file-acce...

[flukus]

Sounds like it's not possible to create a custom file manager, or space visualizer or anything like that?

[benaadams]

"System Level Access to All User Data" permission?

Though you can't submit to store with request for that permission: https://msdn.microsoft.com/windows/uwp/packaging/app-capabil...

[flukus]

But then all the data people care about will go there. How is that different from /home/user/ ?

[swiley]

In other words: a global filesystem.

[raesene6]

Unless you or someone you trust has audited an application, all apps are untrusted and should be given least privileges (e.g. the mobile/UWP model).

Personally I'd suggest that the trade off is whether the risks of global filesystems are worth it in productivity benefits.

For standard users (non IT-professionals) I think they are not and for IT professionals, in most cases, I think they are.

[kodfodrasz]

I guess you also only then need a firewall, if you use closed source software. When using OpenSource software you can always be sure that nothing will do unauthorized access to your network, willingly or accidentally...

[benaadams]

That's a bit naive... Just two examples

OpenSSL has had 22 vulnerabilities in 2016 so far [1]

Linux has has 336 vulnerabilities in 2016 so far [2]

[1] https://web.nvd.nist.gov/view/vuln/statistics-results?adv_se...

[2] https://web.nvd.nist.gov/view/vuln/statistics-results?adv_se...

[kodfodrasz]

I tried to point to the flaw in the parent comment's logic with a sarcastic answer. :)

[pjmlp]

Average users don't ever know where they are supposed to save their files.

Every time I visit family I get to sort out the files scattered around the hard disk.

[flukus]

Every time I call my mum I have to call my dads mobile first because she can't remember to press the button to hang up. Ther's only so much simplyfying you can do.

Funilly enough, in her 70's now she's taught herself to use a computer and can manage documents in the file system.

[ahoka]

I think it's the same tier as global variables: an anti-pattern.