Comments on: How do YOU explain file management?

By: Craft shows in Mississippi

Craft shows in Mississippi — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:58:14 +0000

File Management is complicated most of the time especially if you lots of files to organize everyday. I save most of my files in other hard drive and if I have an extra time I usually arrange them according to file type and extensions.

By: bdo

bdo — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:57:13 +0000

Consider this to explain file management:
Your state capitol is the core of any OS. The capitol is the most likely place where the kernel hides. Next are the roads from the capitol to many cities. The cities are other programs installed on the system. The roads from one city to the other city are two programs working together. Your home, or house,is the residency of any personal files created.

By: Klaxophone

Klaxophone — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 12:34:13 +0000

How about this: It’s like a library, with a card catalog, shelves, and a bunch of books. And a recycle bin. And maybe an incinerator in the basement. You can write a book, fill out an index card (or cards) describing it, put the book on the shelf, etc.

By: George

George — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 04:12:23 +0000

Neat people have neat files, sloppy people can’t be cured, I fall in the latter catagory.

Well as Webs could tell you, I have no business telling anyone else to be neater. My object here is just helping users understand kinds of files, kinds of drives, servers, searching, and what’s what so when they dive into the clutter they have a better chance of getting what they want. And the Windows’ fixation on ‘drive letters’ does not help.

There’s something in our culture that resists working toward understanding; we want procedures! But procedures break. In the long run they waste more mental effort than understanding will ever use.

By: webs05

webs05 — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 01:13:05 +0000

Tis a very tough job indeed. I have tried file cabinet analogy as well and some have picked up others have not. It really does almost seem like a dichotomy, some will pick it up others will not.

I have told those I have worked with in the past that they need to keep working at it or they will lose it. And I have told others to spend the time to learn good habits now so that things are easier in the long run. The concept doesn’t take off very well. Even though plenty of the folks I work with practice good habits with their profession and other areas of life.

By: WeeDram

WeeDram — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 01:11:42 +0000

James: I think you have hit the nail on the head. Whether that (neat vs. sloppy) is simply habit or neural wiring, I’m not sure. I think it probably is a bit of either, perhaps even both in a single individual.

By: vw bug

vw bug — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:13:18 +0000

I’ve tried different things… like the filing cabinet, or when I worked with guys that did wiring, we talked about how important it was to keep the wiring straight and have it documented correctly… like putting files on a computer. Grouping was the big thing. I basically figured out how my audience grouped things in their work enviroment and tried to extrapolate it to computer files. Being a visual person, I had a tendency to draw pictures. Did it work? I don’t know, I never checked their files a year after working with them. Good luck!

By: Jim

Jim — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 23:56:07 +0000

I try to explain this to people by using a filing cabinet with folders and how that is arranged. It is amazing to me that most people I have worked with can understand the filing cabinet analogy just fine, but completely lose the concept as soon as they sit down at a computer. I don’t know what else to try.

By: james old guy

james old guy — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0000

Neat people have neat files, sloppy people can’t be cured, I fall in the latter catagory.

By: gerry rosser

gerry rosser — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:49:03 +0000

I’ve never found “file management” to be particularly difficult, so I can’t help you. I guess it’s like trying to explain a sense of direction to somebody who doesn’t have it.

Sometimes, if we are out driving to an unaccustomed destination, and we come to a place we could turn, or must, it amazes me how often my Honey picks the wrong direction (of course, I step in). As in, if you are going somewhere NW of where you are, and are going N (still short of its latitude) and come to a “T” intersection, it is obvious/automatic, you turn left or W. Not so with Honey, and, I am amazed to know, many others.