i don't think anybody's seriously questioning the general
utility of search capabilities. but the directed graph we
currently have is very useful for all sorts of things. it
is, for example, a very "natural" (but see later) layout
for source trees and related documentation.

i really like (and have for a while) the "tagging" idea
(although i don't think i ever thought to call it that).
it's still active on the part of the user (which i like,
but folks interested in having the idea of saving go away
likely won't), and organizes things based on ideas the
user has about the document, not arbitrary search.

there is no "natural" way to store files on a computer.
our brains weren't designed for it. any scheme we come up
with to store them runs smack up against that. we can try
to find useful ways that we can adapt easily to, but that
really is the best we're getting. and be very careful
about choosing what seem to be "natural" ways to store or
organize stuff - read "The Anti-Mac Interface" or any of
the many papers on how the desktop metaphor seriously
limits the utility of an interface.

i can't find the attribution just now, but "the only
intuitive user interface is the nipple. after that, it's
all learned."
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