The way I understand it, it'll be like the Outlook 2003 search folders, so you could click on My Computer and see a list of all files above 100Mb in size etc.

What I really want to know, is if WinFS will index like Windows Desktop Search / Google Desktop does now. Hopefully not, and it's smart enough to update the index after each file operation, and thus is always up-to-date.

Its much more complex than that, mate. It will basicly store the file itself in a db, and create info fields about its contents, as well as provide access to the file. Thats a gross simplification, but it should give you the general idea.

This is primarely a filesystem. Improved search is just a perk of that system.

Thats why the comparison to a the other search systems are just silly.

Thanks, but the Channel9 descriptions highlight this as a common misconception. "Future Store" doesn't mean "File System". If you watch Jeff's video from a couple of months back his overview is essentially that NTFS is the file system - files are not "stored in a DB" but in fact a DB, not unlike today's search indecies, exists alongside the MFT.

You can't completely uproot the old notion of hierarchical file systems in WinFS, or you would break a huge majority of apps. Thus, NTFS+DB = WinFS.

Basically this means we can stop thinking about our data in terms of files, and instead think of it as part of the encyclopedia that is our computer. I'm looking forward to this!

Check this promo: http://tinyurl.com/6

No, it's an addon. The base file system is still NTFS. See the wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WinFS

(Sorry, meant this as a reply to someone's post below, not aedis')

What I would like to know is what effects the overhead in the new file system will have. Sure searching will be faster, but will actually going out and getting that data be any faster?

My hopes is that this will be an intelligent file system to where searches will actually be faster and that files could truly be organized better.

Desktop Searches are just a layer on top of a file system that provide a service by generating a database on top of the file system.

If a file system can be introduced in windows that seamlessly integrates this in a way that optimizes speed for searches and is extendable, this is a wonderful thing.

My bet is that with this not being an integral part of Longhaul (Vista is no fun), it's going to be limited in its scope and be a safe step towards progress rather than a radical departure into truly implementing a file system that is better than NTFS/FAT32. We'll see!

And this -IS- an alternate file system still right? The idea of this being an 'add-on' makes it truly seem like a Desktop Search that sits on-top of your existing file system...

"Windows would simply display the files associated with a particular request on demand."

Er....

Desktop Search? Wow...haven't we been doing that for a while now?

So what else does it do?

If I've got this right: The idea is to convert the directory structure into a virtual database of files.

It's more than a search. Files will be related to each other based on similar characteristics. I have no idea what those characteristics will be though...

I'm gonna stay tuned.

So instead of the current "desktop search" proggies out there that create their own database of relation objects, this one actually *replaces* the filesystem?

Er....?

I don't believe that for a second. Looks a little too much like "Oh no, there's no DOS under there...it's all 32-bit OS, baby", to me.

It augments the NTFS file system with a SQL database storage engine. Eventually, the goal is to replace the entire file system with this combined WinFS system.

For now, data can be stored like normal in the NTFS system but the metadata is indexed in the database. Thus, it can be better organized and sorted, but still pulls from a standard NTFS data stream and you can access your data like normal.

Down the road (Blackcomb or later), most data will be completely stored in the SQL database and Windows will interact with it directly. No files and folders to deal with, just information when you call it up.

There are a lot of advantages to this, not only with regards to organization. You can put ANY type of data in the WinFS store. E-mails and contacts, for example, which aren't necessarily tangible files -- or even calendar information. Another big advantage is speed.

Plus, you won't need a separate desktop search to index anything, because the filesystem itself will be indexed. Hope that clears things up.

I don't know about PC_Tool, but you cleared it up for me =)

So for now it's an advanced "desktop search", but will eventually replace the file-system with an SQL or SQL-like database.

Interesting.