While catching up on Scoble the other day, I followed a link to Rory Blyth. Rory suggests that the Virtual Folders feature in Windows Vista needs a new name.

Unfortunately for the Vista team, the problem goes deeper than the name. The Virtual Folders feature could easily cause people to accidentally erase or overlook important files.

And -- bad news for smug Mac users -- the Smart Folders feature in Mac OS X is only slightly less confusing and just as dangerous.

Since Apple popularized the graphic user interface, the file folder has been the dominant metaphor used to represent computerized filing systems. Many users are blissfully unaware that the folders on the Desktop are just graphical representations of directories on their hard drive.

Although most users eventually learn to create, move, and copy folders, some never grasp the folder metaphor. They tend to store everything on the Desktop to keep it in sight. (Work a Monday morning shift in an IT department and you'll discover that this is not unusual. In fact, right-clicking is Advanced Computer Literacy for many people.)

The root of the Virtual Folders problem is the shortcut (Mac version = the alias). Many people can't tell the difference between a Word document (for example) and a shortcut to a Word document. Never mind that shortcuts have a nifty arrow in the corner of their icons -- this very idea of the shortcut confuses many users.

Those who grasp the concept of the shortcut move on to consider the folder shortcut. It's a shortcut to a folder, but it's not actually a folder. You click on it to open a folder that's stored elsewhere.

So why does it look like a folder?

What's the problem?
When you make a copy of a file, you get a duplicate of the original file. What happens when you make a copy of a shortcut? You don't get a copy of the original item. You get a second pointer to the original item. This seems to surprise a lot of people.

Folder shortcuts, Virtual Folders and Smart Folders are not folders. They're shortcuts to saved searches -- lists of items that have something in common.

Unfortunately, this is way too abstract for many users. If it looks like a folder and opens like a folder, it should behave like a folder, right?

What if you want to make a copy of the folder?

When you copy a folder, you get a duplicate of the folder and all the files inside that folder.

But what happens if you make a copy of a folder shortcut, or a Virtual Folder or Smart Folder? Instead of a folder full of stuff you get a copy of a shortcut to a saved search.

Does your brain hurt yet?

Imagine this all-too-likely scenario:
- I want to make a backup copy of all my Word files.
- I create a Virtual Folder that displays all my Word files.
- I copy the Virtual Folder to a blank CD.
- I view the Virtual Folder on CD to ensure it's there.
- I store the CD for future use.
- My hard drive crashes.
- I pop in the CD to restore my Word files.
- The Virtual Folder on the CD points to missing files.
- I join the torch-bearing crowd headed for Redmond.

Mac users have much the same problem with Smart Folders (the Finder version of Smart Playlists from iTunes). They're not really folders. They're saved search results that update themselves automatically.

Here's what Apple did right: Smart Folders (and Smart Playlists) are visually different from regular folders. The folder color and custom icon are meant to remind you that a Smart Folder is not the same as a regular folder.

Unfortunately, this visual cue may not be enough to prevent a Mac user from making a backup of a Smart Folder in an attempt to protect the files that appear to be inside.

So. That's a very long way of saying that "Saved Searches" is probably a better name than Virtual Folders, but the Windows Vista team has probably already had this discussion. The name "Virtual Folders" was chosen for a reason. It's a warning: "Beware! These folders are virtual. They're not real!"

Buyer beware.

Virtual Folders P.S.
Bonus confusion: according to the WindowsDevCenter article about Vista beta 1, the Start menu item called "Music" is a Virtual Folder, but the directory it points to is called "Albums" (not "Music"). Which is it?