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Golems, smart objects, and the file metaphor (Interconnected)

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I often wonder what it would be like to have “Open File” and “Save As” for lightbulbs, online grocery stores, and messaging apps. It’s hard to explain what files used to be like because they’ve changed so much. Files used to be independent from apps. The way it used to work was that you would open a standard file format in an app, say a TIFF (image) or an RTF (text file) or an MP3, and you would play the file or edit it. And then you would open the exact same file in a different app for different capabilities. Nowadays, if an app deals with files at all, you import files into the app and maybe export versions later, but the working doc itself is sealed in a library, or in a special format that nothing else can open. Files used to be objects you could manipulate. Nowadays apps take care of versioning, and sharing, and often organising. But before, you would duplicate the file object directly, or drag it onto a chat window, or whatever. You can’t drag a Google Doc; the file isn’t a direc

Golems, smart objects, and the file metaphor 20.52, Monday 1 Feb 2021 Link to this post I often wonder what it would be like to have “Open File” and “Save As” for lightbulbs, online grocery stores, and messaging apps. It’s hard to explain what files used to be like because they’ve changed so much. Files used to be independent from apps. The way it used to work was that you would open a standard file format in an app, say a TIFF (image) or an RTF (text file) or an MP3, and you would play the file or edit it. And then you would open the exact same file in a different app for different capabiliti

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