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Tag and Dump styles of File Management

In kind with Todd V's question about file management, I seek the experience of those who have come before.

I'm a graduate student and have found that the sudden increase in the amount and diversity of data that is coming into my computer completely broke (my trust in) my old filing system.

I find myself wishing there were an iTunes-like app for file management, no more spacial metaphors, just all my files with meta-data to group them and arrange them on the fly.

I am a Mac user, a Quicksilver cultist, and an (albeit confused) user of DevonThink Pro. I am considering abandoning the folder structure, and having a dread heap /Documents folder that I access entirely through desktop search technology like QS and Spotlight and organize ad hoc with DT and Smart Folders when I need.

My question is: have any of you implemented a system like this? Will it violently explode in my face? Do you tag? What sorts of tags do you use? Any advice on this sort of system would be greatly appreciated.

BMEguy's picture

In kind with Todd V's...

caseykoons;8147 wrote:
In kind with Todd V's question about file management, I seek the experience of those who have come before.

I'm a graduate student and have found that the sudden increase in the amount and diversity of data that is coming into my computer completely broke (my trust in) my old filing system.

I find myself wishing there were an iTunes-like app for file management, no more spacial metaphors, just all my files with meta-data to group them and arrange them on the fly.

I am a Mac user, a Quicksilver cultist, and an (albeit confused) user of DevonThink Pro. I am considering abandoning the folder structure, and having a dread heap /Documents folder that I access entirely through desktop search technology like QS and Spotlight and organize ad hoc with DT and Smart Folders when I need.

My question is: have any of you implemented a system like this? Will it violently explode in my face? Do you tag? What sorts of tags do you use? Any advice on this sort of system would be greatly appreciated.

Putting files in folders is a way of tagging them. The limitation is that you're only allowed to add one tag (unless you start aliasing them across multiple folders.) If you want a space-less, iTunes interface to files try EagleFiler and KIT. I know that KIT has tags now and that there has been talk of adding them to EagleFiler.
Tagging will only "blow up in your face," when you stop tagging everything as it comes in. A large back log of anonymous files will lead you to doubt the completeness of the results that are returned by your system.
The advantage of Devonthink is that it can classify and find relationships regardless of your tags.
My system is also still evolving, but I'll probably use one app to actively tag and annotate files (like KIT or perhaps Mori if the file linking is upgraded) and then DevonThink to index the exact same set of files for relationships that I didn't expect.

 
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