Android's file structure is bad, yes. But does iOS even have a file structure? In my very limited time using iOS, I couldn't find anything resembling a file explorer.
this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2023
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we had a ducking sane file structure on symbian. Before apple knew what smartphone means. We had sane file structure on siemens phones.
There's no excuse for the unholy abomination of what manufacturers call an "operating system" on a smartphone these days.
There isn't an equivalent on iOS
iOS has had a file explorer for years at this point
And it sucks
(not that google's files app isn't a mess either)
I think it's fine for the handsets, but if they're trying to push the iPad as a "semi computer" for the general consumer it really needs to be revamped. You can do many of the same things file managers do on other operating systems, but it's extremely non-intuitive at times — so many users think the functionality is missing. Because if they don't know it's there it might as well be!
It does have a files app now and it's so good compared to Android file apps right now
It does. But most of it is locked to the user. Mostly, it's just the user directory that you have access to, which is the correct way.
and where exactly is it saved?
On your phone, silly.
Android's file structure is so incomprehensible. I'm genuinely surprised there hasn't been any significant effort made to make it more readable. Pictures saved in app directories, downloads, camera, images, pictures, media, DCIM???.
I'm genuinely surprised there hasn't been any significant effort made to make it more readable.
Quite the opposite. They've tried to make it better, and in turn, they've made it worse.
They used to have a pretty straightforward Linux file structure, and you were expected to put things in the external Pictures folder. And downloads went to the external Downloads folder. Back then, internal storage was small and SDs were large, so apps couldn't really afford to store these things locally and the SD structure was well enough defined that it was pretty clear where pictures would go.
Now, Google has pushed against SD cards. They also started requiring more permissions for external storage. They've added some "documents" APIs that were supposed to make it easier to tag/find files, but it's a tangled mess and most apps don't touch it. And they've rewritten their storage model multiple times at this point. If you're writing a new app, it's unclear which model to even follow anymore because Google has created a giant cluster fuck of options and paradigms.
Google is actively making this problem worse and worse. I wish they had never tried to "fix" this in the first place.
xkcd “standards” comes to mind
We don't even have to link the relevant xkcds anymore
there was that joke where every joke is already known so instead of telling the joke they just say the number of it.
wonder if we ever get there, someone will just reply, xkcd 375
I feel like if anything they made effort to not have people touch the file manager ever
Open source developer and Linux enthusiast here. Although cluttered, Android's home directory is fairly simple to understand
The nightmare begins when you take a look at the root filesystem.
One time I was trying to port an OS to my phone and I had to figure out the Android init system. Went to source.android.com and what. the. fuck. Just as a side-by-side comparison:
Linux boot sequence:
Android boot sequence (unmodded, SIMPLE):
There are so many wrong things about it like why are there 11, 12 places to put programs (/system/bin, /bin, /usr/bin /system/usr/bin, /sbin, /system/usr/share/bin...)
Why the fuck drivers are scattered around folders instead of just /lib/modules
Why is the home directory /storage/emulated/0/ instead of just /home/0/ (also why the user is named "0")
Where the fuck is everything???
God (Linus Torvalds) forgive me but even Windows is better than that shit
i wonder if that graphic is up to date with system as root and A/B dynamic partitioning and whatever crazy new bullshit google invents with every release
I raise you all of these monstrosities:
- Phones launching with Android 13 without a dedicated partition for recovery mode
- Phones launching with Android 13 with two dedicated partitions for recovery mode (two because of A/B partitioning scheme)
- Phones launching with Android 13 with one dedicated partition for recovery mode (only one because A/B partitioning scheme is not used)
- Phones that launch with or upgrade to Android 12, that use a generic kernel image, without a dedicated partition for recovery mode
- Phones that launch with or upgrade to Android 12, that use a generic kernel image, with two dedicated partitions for recovery mode (A/B partitioning scheme)
- Phones that launch with or upgrade to Android 12, that use a generic kernel image, with one dedicated partition for recovery mode (non-A/B partitioning scheme)
- Phones that upgrade to Android 12, that does not use a generic kernel image, with no dedicated partition for recovery mode
- Phones that upgrade to Android 12, that does not use a generic kernel image, with dedicated partition(s) for recovery mode
In Android's defense however, a phone would likely use only one of these layouts at a time. The question of which of these layouts does a said phone uses though, that's a more complicated question.
That's not correct though. The GNU+Linux version is missing the bootloader and initramfs.
The Linux boot sequence link doesn't work for me
Init
^
|
Linux Kernel
Files are soo outdated. The user should not have to worry about "Files". What even is a " Directory"? Your nudes are on some guys computer in california but the world is in your hand. there is an app for everything, just use the apps, go with the flow, look at lots of ads, buy a tesla, tell your dirty secrets to google bard — everything is intuitive...
Took me a while to realise this was sarcasm!
z/common/Facebook/dlot/downloads/pics/angry birds/pics/common/ahshhysyyagg.png
You also downloaded ahshhysyyagg.png?
Download completed..
Files>downloads>empty 😔
Ah see, the problem is you were looking in /sdcard0/ which of course, refers to your internal storage and not your SD card which is probably called /0xgg0gdjdsjgg/ or something.
Yeah...I don't have any issues with file management on Android. There's a folder structure and that's all I really need. 🤷🏼♂️
My problem with it is how inconsistently things get placed.
App downloaded an image: it could be in the apps main data folder, DCIM, Pictures, Documents, or even a new folder at the base of the tree. Add an sd card and that list doubles as all those same locations exist separately on the sd card as well. (I've had images land in all 10 of these locations before)
/edit missed the 'download' folder. 12 possible locations.
Downloads have always gone to the downloads folder for me
But yes any app that takes/edits pictures can save them who the fuck knows where lol
Browsers put em in the downloads folder, but every other app is a wild west for me. Most Reddit and messaging apps I had downloaded to their own little folder.