Photo Booth Managed by Library in Lion

[MacRumors]

Recent versions of iPhoto and Aperture have ditched the open folder system for a more secure "Library" format and, in Lion, Photo Booth takes the plunge as well.

The main reason for the switch from an open folder system to a closed, self-contained library is to keep more inexperienced users from breaking iPhoto by trying to "clean up" their computers.

The old iPhoto library was a mass of confusing folders, with dozens and dozens of folders. There were folders organized by date, with thumbnails, by master versions and more. Users who didn't know any better would frequently try to delete photos by going directly to the iPhoto Library folder and erasing files en masse. All they would do was break iPhoto.

Now all Apple's photo apps: iPhoto, Aperture, and Photo Booth have self-contained "libraries" to keep users out. The photos inside are only supposed to be opened by the applications that created them -- it's just like the file system on the iPad. Invisible, unalterable, and only to be opened by the application that created them.

Steve Jobs' quest to eliminate the file system continues.

Thanks Henry!

Article Link: Photo Booth Managed by Library in Lion

 

[Jerome Morrow]

At last.

 

[Gilj]

1 more step towards iOS Lion...

 

[iphonesarecool]

Nice!

This looks much better.

 

[Apple...]

Awesome!

"It just works."

 

[kjs862]

I think Apple should have just used iPhoto to manage photos taken with Photobooth with an Photobooth album, and also use the iPhoto library to store them.

 

[Jerome Morrow]

This news item was written by a person with no clue and a very big tin foil hat.

 

[ghostlyorb]

I love organization!

 

[ghostlyorb]

I think Apple should have just used iPhoto to manage photos taken with Photobooth with an Photobooth album, and also use the iPhoto library to store them.

I have wanted this feature for a long time....

 

[jonnysods]

It's a way cleaner method to keep files. I really like this. I don't miss Windows method of handling pics at all.

 

[VPrime]

I like the concept. Hide the filesystem on an app basis.
I just hope they don't make it OS wide... Ever

 

[Northgrove]

I dislike the idea if it's just for "keeping people out" since it's a less flexible system, but if it conserves space on the hard drive, it could be an improvement.

 

[Mal]

I dislike the idea if it's just for "keeping people out" since it's a less flexible system, but if it conserves space on the hard drive, it could be an improvement.

Apple has always made things to "keep people out" unless those people knew what they were doing. They've never removed access for those who wanted a way in, however. "Show Package Contents" is still a right-click away. I'm all for throwing out our outdated file system metaphor, however. I'd much rather the computer simply keep a database of files, and offer you a presentation of groupings of files based on what program you're using to access it. Apple's headed in the right direction with iOS, and I think Mac OS X has been headed there slower but for a long time. If the whole concept of the folder-based hierarchy could be eliminated, I feel that computing as a whole could move forward with a better approach. It only remains to be seen who will come up with the next metaphor that will be used.

jW

 

[RMo]

I dislike the idea if it's just for "keeping people out" since it's a less flexible system, but if it conserves space on the hard drive, it could be an improvement.

Pretty sure it doesn't. The iPhoto "library" is really just a special folder (like an .App folder) that appears in Finder as a single item. Beneath this facade, it's really a directory. (Look at it with ls in Terminal to see.) I imagine Photo Booth will do the same thing. You can try this with your existing iPhoto library or any .App or other special folder (.App, .pkg, etc.) by right-clicking and choosing "Show Package Contents."

As long as they don't do it with iTunes...

 

[jowie]

They should just do this to iTunes already and be done with it...

 

[PatrickCocoa]

Wait for it . . .

This thread is over a half hour old and the "you'll take my file system away when you pry it from my cold, dead hands" crowd hasn't shown up yet?

Maybe they're too busy rearranging their files or defragmenting.

 

[jowie]

As long as they don't do it with iTunes...

Why not?

 

[morespce54]

..."Show Package Contents" is still a right-click away...

jW

I really hope you're right about the "right-clicking-Show-Package-Contents" option still being available (and I couldn't see why not) because I'm sort of an old school type and I like to copy/paste some photos (or files) on my USB thumb-drive (specially the original versions) without having to go through the whole "send or share a (scale down) picture with your social friend(s)" type of options apps offer these days...


I agree with the folder-based metaphor getting a bit old but I'm so use to have (the impression of) control over *my* files.

 

[hollerz]

They should just do this to iTunes already and be done with it...

Yep. No problem with this at all. I don't think I've ever ploughed through the Photo folders looking for something - just do everything through the app. Wouldn't mind if they did it with iTunes too.

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

This thread is over a half hour old and the "you'll take my file system away when you pry it from my cold, dead hands" crowd hasn't shown up yet?

Maybe they're too busy rearranging their files or defragmenting.

You'll take away my file system away when you pry it from cold, dead hands.

edit sorry should have multi quoted but the guy who I replied to in my second post hadn't posted when i made this one

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

I really hope you're right about the "right-clicking-Show-Package-Contents" option still being available (and I couldn't see why not) because I'm sort of an old school type and I like to copy/paste some photos (or files) on my USB thumb-drive (specially the original versions) without having to go through the whole "send or share a (scale down) picture with your social friend(s)" type of options apps offer these days...


I agree with the folder-based metaphor getting a bit old but I'm so use to have (the impression of) control over *my* files.

After I upgraded from Tiger to SL (only because I got a new machine), I remember going to my Pictures folder and saying WTF why is my library an icon?

That was a bad day.

 

[jowie]

I really hope you're right about the "right-clicking-Show-Package-Contents" option still being available (and I couldn't see why not) because I'm sort of an old school type and I like to copy/paste some photos (or files) on my USB thumb-drive (specially the original versions) without having to go through the whole "send or share a (scale down) picture with your social friend(s)" type of options apps offer these days...

You will be able to. It will just be a normal Package directory, nothing more.

If you want to be able to copy a load of files to your thumb drive, you could still open up iPhoto and drag-and-drop them. It even works with whole Events.

I agree with the folder-based metaphor getting a bit old but I'm so use to have (the impression) of control over *my* files.

I feel your pain... But it is the future. At least, for the most common (media) file types anyway. Once you get used to it, it can be really powerful because the system knows a lot more about the files... Using the new Open Dialog options for iTunes and iPhoto is actually rather useful.

 

[kingtj]

Yeah, really ....

Nothing wrong with this approach... Originally, I disliked it because I felt like it encouraged a duplication of data. (EG. Instead of just drilling down into a folder and finding the photo you wanted to send someone, and attaching it to an email -- you're forced to export a duplicate of an existing copy in the library and then email THAT duplicate.)

But with #1, the size and low cost of today's hard drive storage, and #2, the fact that compressing all of the images up into a single "package" actually conserves some disk space? It really makes as much sense as anything else. If you export out a copy of a photo or photos to work with outside the application (iPhoto, Aperture or Photobooth as the case may be), you can always delete it when you're done. Not a big deal.

 

[jowie]

After I upgraded from Tiger to SL (only because I got a new machine), I remember going to my Pictures folder and saying WTF why is my library an icon?

That was a bad day.

...Until you realised you could open it like a folder and then everything was okay again?

 

[morespce54]

They should just do this to iTunes already and be done with it...

No! I really hope not (and I'm pretty sure they will... eventually... )

This thread is over a half hour old and the "you'll take my file system away when you pry it from my cold, dead hands" crowd hasn't shown up yet?

Maybe they're too busy rearranging their files or defragmenting.

Maybe... but lets face it, the time you'll save by not rearranging your files in the Finder is the time you'll spend rearranging them in your (whatever) app...