The files have names such as vilma3.doc , vilma4.doc , vilfoo.doc and vilmaprob.doc . By the time the writer finished the article she had no time to make an index explaining the contents of each file. Finally, after opening and closing several files, she succeeds in finding the right file and starts working. When editing, she suddenly remembers that she had a slightly different version of a paragraph in another document. Once again, she has to start opening and closing files to find the right file.
Problems arise when a user wants to use the same information in many applications.
For example, a multimedia author, who has manipulated sound with SoundEdit, might want to use the sound in a multimedia presentation made with Macromedia Director. Since applications do not support all file formats, he has to find out which sound file formats Macromedia Director supports. After a study of sound file formats, he saves the file in a suitable format and imports it to Macromedia Director. Then, if he later views the presentation and wants to find a different sound sample, which he remembers recording in the same session, it will not be easy. This is because there is simply no connection between the Macromedia Director file and the original sound sample nor between the original sound sample and the second sample from the same session.