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Microsoft has been steadily increasing its influence over
standards. Sometimes it forces a new standard through shear
monopolistic power, such as bundling Internet Explorer with Windows.
These displays of raw power distract the public from far more
subversive and far-reaching initiatives from Redmond. Through the
.Net initiative and the Smart-tags feature of Office XP, Microsoft
has been slowly laying the groundwork for a coup of unprecedented
proportions. Borrowing a few ideas from Apple and other sources,
Microsoft has found an unlikely weapon in its quest for computing
dominance: a file system.
To understand how a file system could be so influential, it is
helpful to consider the history of file systems. A "flat" file system
is the simplest type of file system, where all of the files of the
disk are in one list without directories. Many mainframes operate in
this mode and can sort through tremendously long lists of files with
amazing speed.
The next step in file system evolution was a baby step that
started on IBM mainframes and migrated to MS-DOS. The three-letter
file suffix used with IBM mainframes (and later DOS) was the first
addition of meta-data to each file. Meta-data is descriptor data, or
added data that describes the file. The three-letter suffix only
allowed the barest of information to be appended to each file,
denoting what "type" of file one was working with. This paucity is
logical considering the constraints on disk space and the processing
speed limitations of computers 30 years ago.
The next step in file system evolution was the addition of
directories, or hierarchal storage, to the file system paradigm. As
users added more files to their systems, lists became inefficient,
because they could not be easily scanned and compared in the same way
text files could be compared. MS-DOS contains directories and
three-letter suffixes, but it was designed with the limitations of a
floppy disk and a sixteen-bit processor in mind.
The first truly post-modern file system is the Macintosh's HFS
(Heirarchical Filing System). Basically, every file was linked (via
the resource fork) to meta-data that provided far more information
about the file than could be provided by a three character
descriptor. This added meta-data (resource fork) allows files to keep
track of their creator applications, allows shortcuts (aliases) to
follow the executable to which they were linked, and so forth. The
implementation of forks makes the file system somewhat slower than
comparable, less-intelligent file systems, but many find the
tradeoffs acceptable.
It would appear that Microsoft has finally embraced meta-data big
time. Soon, every file created by a Microsoft application on a local
machine will have associated meta-data (i.e., Smart Tags). Third
party support for Smart Tags may appear in the future. Microsoft's
.Net initiative outlines standards for network based data as well. By
wrapping everything in meta-data, Smart Tags on local PCs, and .Net
over networks, Microsoft is laying the groundwork for its next
step.
Microsoft plans to release a version of Windows with a SQL-based
file system (SQL is a relational database program). If it does not
appear in Windows 2002 (the successor to WindowsXP), it will appear
in the subsequent release of Windows. Moving to a SQL-based system
turns the file system into an intelligent database. By pre-wrapping
everything in meta-data, Microsoft is preparing to create an
ultimately searchable and possibly intelligent file system by adding
an intelligent and extensible search engine (SQL).
This will firmly entrench SQL as the standard database and will be
the first step towards eradicating competing companies like Oracle.
Why use Oracle when SQL can integrate with the file system and handle
data so much more intelligently? In many ways, it will have the same
effect as integrating Internet Explorer: devastating any competition.
Publishing a database driven website will be a simple function of the
operating system.
For home and office users, the prospective benefits could be
tremendous. Imagine working on a newsletter describing the latest
release of Microsoft Office. You click on "insert graphic" and the OS
brings up a dialogue box that includes not only a file tree, but also
a list of Microsoft Office screen shots. The Smart Tags appended to
the screen shots allow the SQL-based file system to make intelligent
suggestions.
This also poses huge security issues. For example, will the Smart
Tags be used to track your commercial buying habits, website
visitation, or credit card numbers? Will Microsoft have access to
your Smart Tags?
Microsoft is borrowing an old idea that was expounded upon by
Apple and taking it to the next level. Throughout the early nineties,
Apple worked on a number of exciting technologies that simply were
ahead of their time. OpenDoc could have brought advanced
functionality to Macs, however, through different means and with
reduced performance. Taligent and Pink also could have transformed
how users and files interact, but both projects were stillborn. Apple
was loosing money on these projects, so it is understandable that
they were discontinued.
However, Apple has gone too far in the other direction, away from
innovation. Mac OS X is the ultimate "me too" operating system.
It has all the features of Unix, with a dock and Display PDF - just
like NeXT, which had the power of Unix with a dock and Display
Postscript. It is easier to use, and Macs are about user experience,
but Microsoft, while monopolistic and all around unpleasant, is
producing technology after technology, from C# to .Net to Smart Tags.
Hopefully now that Apple has a robust OS to base their innovations
on, they will again focus at least in part on creating new
technologies.
Apple has time to counter Microsoft's initiatives or adapt
OS X to work with them. Microsoft rarely gets it right the first
time, so the first iteration of their SQL based file system is likely
to be horribly implemented. The fact that the file system is such an
esoteric part of the operating system could allow Microsoft to slip
under everyone's radar and would severely limit the scope of any
lawsuit brought against the company. Hopefully, the SQL file system
will act as a catalyst for competition, forcing Apple or others to
create better alternative technologies to improve computing.
Chris Lozaga is a
technical writer and has documented software for the IBM SP super
computer and the AIX Operating System. He is no longer an IBM
employee; this article represents his opinion and his opinion only.
It is in no way indicative of the views of his employers, past or
present.
Share your perspective on the Mac by emailing with "My Turn" as your subject.
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