Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Google's War on Hierarchy, and the Death of Hierarchical Folders

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community
Roger Casselman sends along this link to a good analysis by John Hiler, one of the original visionaries of personal publishing. "If you examine Google's products closely," writes Hiler, "you may notice a surprising pattern: Google is attempting to organize the world's information without folders." This is a correct analysis and a correct strategy. The use of folders - and, indeed, any hierarchal system - breaks down after a few million items. This is as true for search as it is for business organizations.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
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Last Updated: Apr 28, 2024 12:29 p.m.

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