"An operating system in which the file structure disappears."

What is disappearing, as far as e.Digital is concerned, are the normally considered directive structures....or virtual allocation tables and the overhead to manage those virtual tables.

"every user interface study we've ever done […], [we found] it's pretty easy to learn how to use these things 'til you hit the file system and then the learning curve goes vertical. So you ask yourself, why is the file system the face of the OS? Wouldn't it be better if there was a better way to find stuff?"

"why is the file system the face of the OS?"

Because you have to format the space of the memory....

"Now, e-mail, there's always been a better way to find stuff. You don't keep your e-mail on your file system, right? The app manages it. And that was the breakthrough, as an example, in iTunes. You don't keep your music in the file system, that would be crazy. You keep it in this app that knows about music and knows how to find things in lots of different ways. Same with photos: we've got an app that knows all about photos. And these apps manage their own file storage. […]"

"there's always been a better way to find stuff."......it's not only about finding stuff....you need a traffic cop on the beat(OS format) to make sure data is not crashing into each other.

"You don't keep your e-mail on your file system, right?"....yes you do.

"The app manages it."..... To a point. However, individual file associations are still organized in the background at the file system layer, because the apps do not format/petition a common use of the memory.

"You don't keep your music in the file system, that would be crazy."....yes you do.

Yes you do to all of the above. Apps have always created files having attributes that the OS's orgnize. The Apps have just advanced to better orgnize their data, however, for the allocated space of the memory....that is managed by an OS.

"And eventually, the file system management is just gonna be an app for pros and consumers aren't gonna need to use it."

Not if you understand the OS and there's access to the API and hierarchy....What it comes down to.....e.g e.Digitals OS.....will there be access to their OS API...? For now, their interface to higher level OS's are more or less a hand off consideration configured to attributes of the OS, but the MOS can be a stand alone consideration. It can also stand in front of Apps and be configured for proprietary file attributes....in this case, the OS would become invisible and be part of the APP so to speak. While at the same time be the traffic cop of memory space for other Apps.

In order for things to happen it requires the ability to format the memory for common use by all Apps...or there would be memory space allocation confusion at the storage level.

"You won't see the preternaturally disciplined Cook doing something like that in a public forum."

Maybe not, however, the cat is out of the bag.

445 rules at many levels....

doni