Spatial file manager
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In computing, a spatial file manager is a file manager that uses a spatial metaphor to represent files and folders as if they are real physical objects.
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Concepts
The main concepts of a spatial file manager are these:
- A window is an opened folder.
- Each folder in the filesystem is represented by its own unique window.
- Multiple folders can be open at the same time, allowing files to be moved around.
- Icons are files, applications, and folders.
Each folder window has its own preferences: a folder remembers its size, position, background and other settings when it is closed. When a folder is opened, the icon representing the folder changes—perhaps from an image showing a closed drawer to an opened one—and a new folder window is opened. A folder can not be moved into itself, and will warn the user if they attempt to do so. Opened files also appear in separate windows, rather than in the folder's Window.
The main alternative to a spatial file manager is a navigational file manager, the key difference being that, in the navigation style, usually only a single window is open, which changes its contents when the user moves to a different location, but keeps its on-screen size and location constant. The interface is somewhat like a web browser.
Examples of file managers that use a spatial metaphor by default include Amiga's Workbench, Apple's Finder before Mac OS X (now only meets some requirements), and GNOME's Nautilus from version 2.6 onwards. The Microsoft's Windows Explorer interface can function in a somewhat spatial manner, but does not meet all criteria to be a true spatial file manager: folders and icons do not reliably remember their locations and the arrangement of their contents.
Other objects
Some file managers represent other objects, such as a trash can for unwanted files, or computer or floppy disk icon to represent storage media. There may also be special folders that contain special items such as user preferences or the user's applications.
Advantages and disadvantages
A spatial file manager is closer to the way the people interact with the physical objects around them, such as desks, chairs and tables, and it is thought that it is easier for new computer users to understand and work with. However, the spatial metaphor can be awkward for those accustomed to more traditional file managers. One complaint is that spatial uses too many windows, leading to clutter.
Further, in a Windows 95 usability study by Microsoft, users of varying experience were said to be "confused" by the many windows: "Users of every type were confused by the Programs folder. We thought that having a folder on the desktop with other folders and links to programs inside it would be a natural transition for Windows 3.1 users accustomed to Program Manager, while being relatively easy to learn for beginners. We were wrong! Beginners quickly got lost in all of the folders (unlike File Cabinet, each folder opened into a different window) and other users had a lot of trouble deciding whether they were looking at the actual file system and its files or just links to actual files." [1] (http://www.acm.org/sigchi/chi96/proceedings/desbrief/Sullivan/kds_txt.htm)
See also
External links
- The spatial way (http://www.bytebot.net/geekdocs/spatial-nautilus.html)
- About the finder (http://arstechnica.com/paedia/f/finder/finder-1.html)fr:Gestionnaire de fichiers en mode spatial