Re: On folders vs. directories and history [was: how to compare...]

["Loris Bennett" <loris.bennett@fu-berlin.de>]

Nicolas George <george@nsup.org> writes:

> tomas@tuxteam.de (12023-11-03):
>> The other is related: folder has become the culture of those
>> who want to "sell you knowledge", i.e. of those whose business
>> model is based on keeping you dumb.
>
> Ear, ear!
>
> Also, that metaphor is easy, but it is very shaky. In the physical
> world, I have *sometimes* seen a folder inside a folder, but a folder
> inside a folder inside a folder inside a folder…

If I think of the main non-digital directory I have dealt with in my
life it was a telephone directory.  That also did not contain further
directories within itself.  Surely 'directory' is also just a more or
less apt metaphor, which may indeed be better if you have a technical
background or, as Greg correctly pointed out, if you are dealing with
the Unix command line.

Regarding Tomas' assertion, I'm not sure I buy into the argument
regarding dumbing-down.  I am presume it does go on, but I don't really
think that one is stepping on to Big Tech's slippery slope to stupidity
by calling a 'directory' a 'folder' any more one would be by calling a
pointing device a 'mouse' despite its rather limited resemblance to the
actual rodent.

Cheers,

Loris

-- 
This signature is currently under constuction.