on 5 January 2004 : 18:16, misuba sez:
Sounds like you could use WinFS, or something like it (like what the BeFS could have been). Your computer really ought to be doing the filing for you, don't you think?
on 5 January 2004 : 18:56, justin sez:
Ted Nelson decided to build the perfect filing system instead of getting to work. I used to think that was silly, but today I see more of why that's tempting. It's either that or teach myself to be more Windows-friendly. I would say I'm waiting for Windows to catch up, but it is co-evolutional.
on 5 January 2004 : 19:04, misuba sez:
I have no doubts that WinFS will still fall short of what it could be. There is no technical reason anymore why you should have to remember what you named a file or where you put it. It's all just market inertia.
I keep hoping someone in the open-source OS arena will mount a major effort to do what Alan Cooper has had spec'd out since the first edition of About Face, but...
on 6 January 2004 : 15:05, Jason sez:
Sounds like you need the new Xserve Raid array. Just get a couple terrabytes of storage, get a good catalogging system, and you can access it from windows, mac, linux, or even the web. :)
on 6 January 2004 : 16:12, misuba sez:
on 7 January 2004 : 19:46, norm sez:
You might want to check out the brain. I've played around with the idea of using it for my own filing a few times, but have never been able to work up the motivation to really put it to use. They've got a 30 day demo of personal brain that you can try, or right now they also have a free beta of the upcoming release.
It's concept of links b/w information might work well for the way that you approach information (or at least the way that your web writing suggests that you approach information...). If you try it, lemme know how it works.
on 8 January 2004 : 12:16, Brian sez:
I've tried out The Brain, but it's really dreadful for day to day use. I suspect that some enterprising young programmer came up with an interesting graphics demo and tried to build a product around it. Over a certain number of links it bogs down terribly, and there's no real integration into the filesystem.
I've seen articles on slashdot describing how someone put their Home directory into CVS, giving them backups and file sync.
Isn't the Mac filesystem supposed to provide a certain degree of metadata storage? Maybe you could leverage that?
on 13 January 2004 : 14:53, Brad sez:
You might want to check out goodeasy by Mark Hurst. I'm trying to apply the stuff he talks about to my files. Heavily plain text based and focused on writing automation, it might be better for someone that writes more than I do. Most of my output is visual communication, not articles or columns. Good luck.
on 17 January 2004 : 06:16, Mark Crane sez:
http://www.eastgate.com/Tinderbox/ for os x might be helpful with some of your writing/filing needs.
There has to be a better search term for this kind of thing, other than "personal filing."
I remember one windows product with "fish" in the title but it was a tad buggy. It would scour your drive and categorize stuff.
on 17 January 2004 : 07:04, mark crane sez:
Just reread some of your PF stuff. I think creating multiple blogs, then putting all of your work on a server and gradually blogging yourself might work.
Another pc-only possibility is a program called "Nvivo." It's used by qualitative researchers to collect and sift through mountains of information, making connections, etc.
Steep learning curve, very powerful. They have a demo:
http://www.qsr.com.au/products/productoverview/product_overview.htm
on 5 February 2004 : 01:01, sq sez:
on 5 February 2004 : 01:03, sq sez: