3.2. Indexes
Indexes (or indices to use another plural form) came when sequential file systems moved to disk. There is a rule in engineering that the new technology begins by mimicking the previous technology until it can find its own voice. Thus, the first movies had a fixed camera position to mimic a stage play until W. D. Griffith invented close-ups, trucking shots, dissolves, and most of the techniques we take for granted in film today. The first skyscrapers were built to look like Greek temples because that was what important public buildings looked like. You can easily add to this list or read any of the wonderful books by Henry Petroski on engineering (The Evolution of Useful Things: How Everyday Artifacts—From Forks and Pins to Paper ...
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