Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by ams6110 5403 days ago
The point that (most) users just want to "find their files" and not "explore the filesystem" is a good one. That said I think both Apple and Microsoft have not found the optimal solution but instead seem to be stuck in local maxima.

I actually tend to use the shell for almost all file management tasks. But it seems to me to be an exercise in futility to try and make a file manager app that pleases both users who just "want to find their files" and those who want to be able to organize them in a specific way or for other reasons need more direct visualization of the underlying filesystem.
1 comments
masklinn 5403 days ago
> That said I think both Apple and Microsoft have not found the optimal solution but instead seem to be stuck in local maxima.

The Finder is not a maxima in any search space. It's always been terrible (where always == since OSX was first released) and it has not significantly improved over time.

As to Windows's explorer, I've find it regressing over time: I have not found 7's explorer to be superior to 2k/XP's under any metric, instead it's more confusing (menubar randomly hiding and showing), it defaults to completely pointless and insane options (Burn as one third of the sparse toolbar? Really?) and the search UI is a severe downgrade from XP's once you get to your results.

link
iaskwhy 5403 days ago
On the upside you have the amazing breadcrumbs... I do prefer Windows 7's explorer to any other version before.
link
masklinn 5403 days ago
> On the upside you have the amazing breadcrumbs...

The only use I've had so far for them was confusing me as to how I could edit the address bar to jump to an arbitrary location. I've yet to use these things at all, although I don't mind them much.

Same as the finder's path bar (or the contextual crumbs menu on finder titles), checked out, never used.

link