The real problem isn't "how do we organize files better?" but rather "why are we organizing files at all?"

dogweather
Sat, 26 Jul 2025 00:59:07 +0000
Chat / Discussions

I’ve been brainstorming about ways to solve the N-dimensional code organization problem, and am thinking about developing a Smalltalk-like code-browsing experience. Even after I left my Smalltalk job and moved to Java, I configured Eclipse to give me the same IDE experience: an object browser that let me focus on Classes and Methods, which was the level of abstraction I was working at. (And not files.)

How I see the problem:

When developers ask “Where does this file go? What do I call it?”, they’re really asking:

“How do I map this multi-dimensional concept onto a single hierarchical path?”

Example: A customer email notification worker

Domain: Customers

Technology: Worker

Integration: Email

Access: Internal

I think that the unit of thought should be:

Modules (not files)

Functions (not line numbers)

Concepts (not directories)

Relationships (not imports)

This is probably the most promising direction for truly solving the n-dimensional organization problem.

14 posts - 11 participants