no cheating
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If I remember correctly, it was a regular folder with a special icon. The intention was that you could drag&drop it to some removable media to move between computers.
I guess MS envisioned it as a digital replacement for the physical suitcase of documents you’d bring to/from work.
Furthermore, this “digital replacement” strategy can be seen in other (now mostly defunct) MS programs such as that program that was bundled with windows 3.11 ( I think it was called wincard.exe) that mimiced a rolodex.
I’ll take my MCSE now, thank you.
EDIT: Seems there was some sync stuff with it as well. I’ll settle for some junior certification, thank you.
It was more than just a special icon for a folder, it had special behaviour too. Without looking it up (in the spirit of the meme), I seem to remember that it would automatically sync the files any time that you insert the floppy disk, kind of like having Dropbox but without the internet. The idea being that you would have files on your computer that you could take with you somewhere else (in your briefcase, on a floppy disk) and all instances of that briefcase would automatically sync the latest updates of the files without you having to manually copy them and work out which was the latest version of a file.
It was more than just a special icon for a folder, it had special behaviour too.
How much you bet that the code is still somewhere in explorer.exe?
Wait, isn’t this similiar to the homesyncd thing?
I bet it’s the same code that does the same sync today
I’d put even money that Offline Files is the same code just with a different UI.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out that OneDrive has some of that code
I’d give you both the award.
I think it was very slightly more than a regular folder in that there was a sync wizard IIRC.
I think you set it up with a piece of removable media and then you could press the sync button when it was present to take the newest file from either the removable media or the local disk. I also vaguely remember a conflict resolution screen where if both copies had changed you could keep one, the other or both. I’m trying to remember if you could have a 3-point sync where you used the removable media as a way of keeping the briefcase on your home and work computers in sync, but I never used that feature if it did exist.
So yeah, It didn’t do much more than just dragging and dropping (as I think the OS dialog had similar conflict resolution at least from windows 98ish) but the two way aspect was pretty useful.
Yep - it kept files in sync.
I never used it, though I always thought it was useful idea. Not sure how problematic it could be how did it handle collisions?)
It handled collisions very very poorly.
I used it for a while, but gave up after it shit its pants when a file had been independently modified on the two systems.
The “digital replacement” nonsense is also why we now have “folders” instead of “directories”. This thing gave me so many awkward flashbacks.
Go back 40/50 years, and most people then thought of directories as an index (see telephone directory), and folders were thing that contained/were files within a filing cabinet.
I still have a hard time calling them folders, it gives me a little eye twitch to say “folder”, though I know the icon is a folder, and it makes it easier for the average person to grok.
Fuck the icon. You don’t
mkfoldyoumkdir. You don’tcfyoucd. They’re obviously directories.Lol, preach!
Yeeeah, I’m there, too. It helps that in my native language people still use “directory” frequently. It’s an obscure enough word that it just took on that primary meaning smoothly. Folder is more confusing.
I always felt that way, even at the time. All the skeuomorphism seems silly now, but it felt even sillier coming from DOS and being used to things being very abstract before.
I completely changed my mind on this a bunch of years ago when I did a lot of work with LDAP. “Directory” may have seemed a good choice at the time, but now we have so many things which are directories and fit the IRL definition better, to look up information. Meanwhile “folders” fit the IRL definition better, for things that contain and organize files
At this point they’re both used so interchangeably it doesn’t matter, honestly. “Directory” is going to keep slipping out for me because it’s grandfathered in, but I genuinely don’t even keep track of which one I use more frequently or which platforms use one or the other in their messaging.
Meanwhile apple tells you to put your removable media in the trash.
That always bothered me, from the start.
“Apple is more intuitive” oh really?
It’s awful. It’s like if you used a menu called Start to shut down Windows.
Lol, yea, that annoyed the hell out of me from… The start! 😁
At least it wasn’t trashing a floppy to eject it (oh, so I’m not erasing the whole disk, because trashing a folder deletes the entire folder).
They both have issues like this, I just find Apple to be less intuitive in general (and I’ve worked with it since about 1985, even spent a couple years doing desktop publishing with a Mac for work).
I never liked calling it the Start menu. I understand why they did it (makes it obvious for new users), but I could never think of a better name.
Explain please?
The apple way to eject a disk was to drag the disk icon into the trash.
What the fuck
Since OS X they swapped the trash icon for an eject icon when you start dragging a removable disk. So they hint at it in some way.
Incidentally, this is why the trash icon is on the right side of the dock, and cannot be removed. You need it to eject disks due to a decision to account for the lack of a second mouse button.
Briefcase cased, so SyncThing could sync.
Lol, nice.
Offline Files is essentially the same functionality as the briefcase (no idea if it’s the same code).
You mentioned wincard, but you didn’t mention Bob. If you don’t know about it, you should really look.
I have a copy. So, so, so, so awful
Yeah, but I love that it exists. I also have a copy.
I full agreement.
I’ll load it up occasionally just to revisit. Conceptually interesting, just God awful implementation.
Norton Desktop was a GUI to replace Windows Program Manager in Win 3.1/NT 3.51 in the early 90’s that had a Desktop concept (Windows 95 looked much like it), though it had some Bob-like functionality if I remember right.
I’ll have to look into that. Im not familiar enough to with Norton desktop to know about those features. I have many fond memories of windows 3.1 and NT 3.51 though. First desktop and personal server oses I ever ran. Interestingly enough, I ran windows 3.1 on an IBM PS1, and on boot it had a desktop replacement type graphical menu to access some organizational tools. I wonder how many more things like that were common and I just didn’t have any experience with them.
this “digital replacement” strategy
skeuomorphism
TIL…
I guess MS envisioned it as a digital replacement for the physical suitcase of documents you’d bring to/from work.
The whole computer was originally visualized as a digital office replacement. That’s why you have the “desktop,” like an actual desk top surface to work on. Files had icons that looked like papers, folders looked like the tan file folders you’d store in a filing cabinet. Plus a slew of other office-related parallels.
The briefcase was just a continuation of that digital theme. Office workers would bring their work files home in a briefcase to work on later, then bring back to the office the next day. Microsoft tried to digitally replicate that by creating a briefcase folder that would automatically sync your files to a floppy disk, so you didn’t have to do it yourself. The Internet kinda ruined that concept, though. Now you can just email yourself files, text them to yourself on your phone, or store them in a cloud service to edit live on the site.
Specialty folder which did automatic syncing between devices.
When it felt like it
True that.
Cloud syncing without a subscription? What is this, socialism?
Wasn’t even cloud. Just local device connected by cable. I know mystery how that worked. We kind of asked for dystopia thoug. I remember people complaining about having one extra cable.
The cloud hadn’t even been invented back then. It was all nonstop sunshine 24/7 so you had to close Windows from time to time in order to get any sleep.
device connected by cable
How’s that not cloud?
You did a dial up from home.
I remember the icon, but I never knew that was it’s purpose.
Unless you had pocket PC or PDA you never needed to touch it. And those were expensive business toys back in the day.
When I was a kid I scored a Compaq iPaq for cheap on eBay. I even got the expansion pack for it that slid over the device with a dial up modem. When we would travel away from home, I could get on MSN messenger and chat with friends on there. I thought that was pretty cool at the time.
Oh. Same. I had HP iPaq and loved that thing. Used it as smart phone and had a dumb phone next to it. I was so proud of my setup.
Or just a thumb drive?
This is a year or two before USB. Windows 98 was the first with built in USB support.
I was using briefcase in 2001 or so. You probably could have used it with a zip drive or superdisk before that. But
I hated floppies. I lost so much data on them. They were very unreliable. I actually lost an internship because a floppy failed when I was trying to use it. Rather than blaming the person who was stupid enough to rely on a floppy as the SOLE location of that info, they blamed me. It held AutoCAD drawings that were going in and out of a machine shop. I’m still bitter.
You’re a better person than they ever were. Just remember that you’ll never blame an innocent intern for the mistakes of others.
Trying to remember if those existed at the time. And am not remembering anything.
Apparently it wasn’t removed till win 10…
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/24426-add-briefcase-new-context-menu-windows-10-a.html
I didn’t use it before USB drives cause we usually used laplink to transfer big file collections…
Oh wow. I did not know that. I remember it during Win 95/98 era.
Oh! Today I learned that the briefcase was for. Thanks!
You are welcome. Am not sure even people who had pocket PC used it. I had HP iPaq and that one came with it’s own suite for syncing.
It was a zip file, essentially. You drag files into it, then you drag it to your usb memory stick and take it to work. At wprk, you drag it from the usb drive to your briefacse on the work computer and it updates with the newer copies. That’s about as much as I remember.
This is before usb. It was a dialup synchronizer between your work pc and your home one so that you could keep working on that Word doc.
Wow, I had definitely forgotten about briefcase. I remember clicking on it as a kid but don’t specifically recall what happened. There was no work computer for my folks, my mom worked at home (essentially), so I’m pretty sure it did nothing. I do remember being unsure of its function. I was young though so I was unsure about much.
I was at least barely an adult but not a professional so it had no function for me lol
I don’t think this was explicitly network connected? I’m fairly certain the original responder is mostly correct, except it would be a floppy disk instead of a USB drive.
MS OneDrive 0.1beta
Gpt4o the windows expert:
“ The meme references a somewhat obscure feature from older versions of Microsoft Windows called “Briefcase.” Here’s a brief explanation:
Windows Briefcase:
• Introduced in Windows 95 and present in several subsequent versions, the Briefcase was a special folder designed to help users keep files in sync between two locations, typically between a desktop and a laptop.
• You could create a Briefcase on your computer, add files to it, and then copy that Briefcase to another location, such as a floppy disk or another drive.
• When you made changes to the files on either location, you could use the Briefcase to update the files on both sides by synchronizing them. This feature was particularly useful in the era before widespread use of networked file sharing and cloud storage.
The meme humorously challenges a supposed “Windows expert” to explain this somewhat outdated and lesser-known feature, implying that true expertise includes knowledge of such old functionalities.”
OP specifically said “no cheating”!
I didn’t say i had the answer. just passed it on :)
For all i personally know this answer is completely made up, as is the danger with ai experts.
Oh nooooo!!! A cheater good lord what is going to happen to them. How will they ever find peace knowing they’ve committed the worst of crimes.
Dang so it was sneakernet dropbox for Windows 95? That’s honestly sick.
People don’t like spending time with their family so they found a way to let you take your work home before high speed internet and hard drives you can put in your pocket.
It was a feature in Windows 98 that no one used so they discontinued it.
It deletes your files for no reason
I think we all ignored that.
I used this all the time with a portable drive in college. I could work on my personal computer (not a laptop), then finish working in the school computer lab and print stuff out.
I remember just trying this out when I was in school. The idea seemed interesting. It was a folder you could store on portable media like a floppy, a USB, or maybe even a CD-RW(to be crazy). I remember it was still in XP.
It basically worked like manual file syncing. It tried to automate how you’d work on something and keep a portable version of the files up to date.
I seemed to have much more luck just doing the copying myself though…my “briefcase” folder felt clunky and prone to losing files in the worst case, or just being generally confusing.
In my first briefcase I stored my MS Paint drawings. I got a new job and bought a bigger briefcase, and now I put my Linux isos in there.
Wait, Linux ISOs are bigger than Paint drawings? 😆
They are if you get the organic kinds at the farmer’s market like I do
Wasn’t it basically a portable “My Documents” folder? It would sync up online, right? Or at least was easier to copy to a floppy, cd, or USB drive? I never actually used it but I always assumed that’s what it was for since it appeared in Windows once the Internet started being a major thing.
I actively used it to backup my art files onto USB, up until last year when it kept giving me error messages when I tried to update it, so I thought, screw it, manual drag and drop. I’m not sure if the amount or size of files got too big for it. Up till then, it was great for backups as it would automatically detect what had been updated and only transfer those files.
When did they remove the briefcase?
I remember it on Windows 98, but not XP.
Was it removed with the DOS/NT transition?
Or is it still around, just hidden?
It was definitely on XP
Probably around the time they rolled out OneDrive as a paid subscription service.
It was basically the early version of the Roaming folder. It would sync to a floppy disk.
It allowed you to synchronize files between computers over floppy disk.
