As some people know, I teach an online class on desktop publishing software. One thing that’s become apparent to me is that there is a growing population of computer users who don’t know what a file is and don’t seem to want to know.
This trend is a big problem, if you ask me.
The reality is that both desktop publishing and Web design (HTML) require you to not only know what a file is, but also be aware of where it is on your hard disk. To understand the concept of linking to a file, you have to understand the concept of a file first.
Frankly, I don’t see why the notion of a file is such a big deal. Maybe it’s because Microsoft has gone to such great lengths to shield us from this "difficult concept." I mean if you never make a folder and always stuff all your files in the My Documents folder, technically I suppose you could live your entire computing life without really understanding what you’re doing.
The thing is that computers aren’t any less complicated than they ever have been. Sometimes I feel fortunate that I was exposed to computers before they were so "friendly." I know what a file is. Since fewer and fewer other people appear to have this special knowledge, it means greater job security for me 😉