As computer hardware becomes less expensive and the dollars-per-gigabyte ratio of hard drives falls, the trend is to store huge numbers of files and never delete. For the average user, a hard drive may never reach capacity. As a result, traditional search methods have become proportionally slower and the file system as we know it has begun to reach a capabilities ceiling.
Manufactures such as Microsoft and Apple have developed database, and database-like, file storage systems that integrate with the OS itself. This allows for a mechanism whereby files are associated in a relational manner and searching possibilities open up greatly. As a result, the required folderization of files is quickly becoming deprecated and may soon be completely obsolete.
Many software programs index associated files with a tag-based referencing system; similar in concept to the catalogue used at the public library. Microsoft and Apple offer Google-like desktop search programs that allow more searching features. As tag usage in files becomes increasingly prevalent this trend will only continue.
