December 2001
The Next Computer Interface
The desktop metaphor was a brilliant innovation-30 years ago. Now it's an unmanageable mess, and the search is on for a better way to handle information.
By Claire Tristram
"The desktop is dead," declares David Gelernter. Gelernter is referring to the "desktop metaphor"-the term frequently used for the hierarchical system of files, folders and icons that we use to manage information stored on our home or office computers. At the annual gathering of technophiles at TechXNY/PC Expo 2001 in New York last June, he told the rapt crowd attending his keynote speech that the desktop metaphor is nothing more than virtual Tupperware. "Our electronic documents are scattered by the thousands in all sorts of little containers all over the place," he said. "The more information and the more computers in our lives, the more of a nuisance this system becomes."
![]() | Select from the choices above to read the entire article. |
Customer Service
|
Magazine Services
|
Subscribe
|
Other
|
Advertise
|


