I think that’s also an interesting distinction, Danny. The CLI kids are racing around one file without thinking about it, but I fear I’d lose my mind (and my “horizontal” grip) if I tried to do it all in one place.

The GTD schtick is pretty adamant about making everything scannable and contextualized to however you work (and think), so I can see how a more elite grepper might get around quicker in a terminal. I think, though, for most of us UI-bound lugs, the multiple file system has a satisfying sense of compartmentalization.

I wonder whether—as with the emergence of OS X a few years ago—we might start seeing some interesting convergences in the tools that folks of varied skill levels use to keep their acts together. (Keeping a good thought for TextMate right now.)