Just a moment’s curiosity. I don’t know if PC and Mac are completely analagous, but I’m speaking as Mac user.
POLL COMING
Column view, by the way is where you have a kind of “drill down” series of columns to the right, going deeper and deeper into your folders while still seeing an overall list view.
And coverflow is… coverflow. An apple thing, I’m sure, where you have your list, but at the top you have an area where you can see the first page of the document. Like itunes with album covers.
In the modern PC world like Windows 7, you customize by folder. I keep most file folders at ‘Details’ that show things like modified date in a sortable list. Photo albums show thumbnails. Large icons where they aren’t necessary are amateurish and and a pain.
I voted “List,” but my answer is the same as Shagnasty’s. The Details view is the only view I don’t find to be annoying (unless I’m looking at thumbnails of photos).
Windows: List, but Details is fine. On Macs I’ve used recently, I find Column View to be a good idea in theory but cumbersome in execution.
I voted Column as I find that good for looking for files that may be in a folder that’s in a folder that’s in a folder… I hope you get the idea. If it’s for files in one folder, then icon view is fine, e.g. if looking in the Applications folder.
I guess it depends on what one is doing at the time. Looking for a file or wanting to launch an application, say.
I suppose Lion will change that now, with Mission Control.
In Windows, I use details view. I don’t think any of your options correspond to that. It’s not the same as list.
In Linux I use List view, which might be like what you call Column View. I’d rather use details, but that isn’t available.
I’ve learned to appreciate coverflow in very specific circumstances, such as working with images. but apart from that, efficiency requires List.
Column on Macs, and I’m still settling on sorting/grouping that Lion now offers.
Details view on XP, often with the folder list on the left rooted (via “Explore from Here”). Damn you, Windows 7! No Explore from Here option, crappy, always-moving folders in the file tree.
I voted List but I should have voted Some other answer. I like lists in general, but when I’m looking through images I prefer icons with the preview window dragged out for an enlarged view on the side (I’m using Windows 7).
I believe that depends on the file manager you’re using (nautilus, dolphin, thunar, marlin, &c.).
Depends. If there’s only a few items I like icons. If there are many (more than twenty, say) I like list.
I’m also posting from a LINUX machine, by the way. Mac and Windows aren’t the only choices.
List. You can see more files at a time.
However, for folders containing pictures, thumbnail view is the way to go.
+1. Like others, I’m not sure how this jibes with your poll.
I’ve been a devotee of Column View ever since it was introduced.
Likewise.
Usually details but sometimes tiles. I do like the coverflow for pictures though.
Details for me too.
Wonder if that is just a Doper thing or if most computer users are like that? One of the worst things that MS ever did was ship XP with the file extensions for known file types hidden. I want to see reality, not some filtered pretty version of reality.
I voted “Icons” but really it depends on how much stuff is in the folder. If it’s enough that seeing everything requires more than a bit of scrolling, I switch to “List” view.
I voted ‘some other answer’, mostly because I can and do use them all (except coverflow, that’s a Mac thing right?), but also 'cause I’ve always thought the file systems were all in need of major advances. It’s all based quite literally on actual file cabinets, and I guess once the system was set up to put files inside of folders it gave everyone a fuzzy feeling and nobody dared challenge the status quo. I don’t have a solution to the ‘problem’ (not that there is one exactly), but it seems that some group of super geeks will one day elevate us into a more enlightened use of our dearest freinds, the computers:)
details or list.
i use a file manager that gives details and set applications to show details when doing files.