"Folder" or "Directory"?

[Rolf Magnus]

On Thursday 16 October 2003 14:45, Craig Drummond wrote:

> > The AmigaOS uses drawers. Also I think there are icon sets that use
> > drawers
>
> Atari TOS had file-cabinets representing the disk-drives, adn then fodlers
> for folders, and "paper" for files.
>
> >  to
> > represent directories. In fact having files whithin folders is a strange
> > concept in itself.
>
> Why? Files are represented as pictures of paper (with an icon)

Which btw. doesn't make so much sense in German, where they are called 
"Datei", which is not the german word for file, but a new word (well, new as 
in "didn't exist before computers did").

> - and folders often have paper inside.

Well, but what about e.g. mp3 files? Their icon does not show a piece of 
paper, and I wonder how tones in a folder make sense, or videos oder packages 
(like .tar.gz, which btw can also be opened like folders).

> The fact is that *most* OS's use the term "Folder".

Which ones?

> Anyway, my argument was that they should use the same term if 
> they are to use the same icon. There may be different icon sets with
> "drawers" for folders - but the fact is that KDE's standard icon is a
> folder. Doesn't the fact that konqueror has the option to create a new
> directory, and then uses a "folder" to represent this, not seem silly?

Maybe. But maybe the icon should be changed then instead of the name.