
What Metaphors Does a Modern Computer Employ? - wmhorne
Computers today utilize various metaphors. Terms like like &quot;files,&quot; &quot;folders,&quot; and &quot;desktop&quot; refer to known objects in the material world, and actions like &quot;sleep&quot; and &quot;hibernate&quot; relate to familiar human&#x2F;animal behaviors. I surmise that these allowed for a smooth transition into computing and for an intuitive user interface. Now that computers are so prevalent, however, I wonder if new metaphors are called for, or whether some can be dropped altogether.<p>Here are a few questions:<p>(1) What metaphors are most heavily-leveraged in contemporary computing?<p>(2) Are there new metaphors coming into use today? Are there any new metaphors you&#x27;d like to see come into use today, and would they (or should they) supplant the previous ones?<p>(3) Are there technologies that can now extend beyond metaphors that were previously required, and perhaps require none? A potential example: using &quot;tags&quot; rather than &quot;folders.&quot; Is there a physical correlate for &quot;tags&quot;? If digital files can have multiple tags, then it seems not; in the physical world, the same exact file simply couldn&#x27;t be in multiple folders at once. Could tags supplant folders forever, or do we need the familiar backing of folders, like the dollar used to need gold?
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greenyoda
> Is there a physical correlate for "tags"? If digital files can have multiple
> tags, then it seems not; in the physical world, the same exact file simply
> couldn't be in multiple folders at once.

This concept is much older than digital files. For example, in a traditional
card catalog that you'd find in a library, the same book could be indexed
under many different subject headings (each of which would correspond to a
"tag").

For example, I might find a biography of Marie Curie by looking in the card
catalog under "biography", "physics", "chemistry", "Nobel Prize winners" or
"Marie Curie". It would also be indexed under the book's title and any of the
authors' names.

