But what are these apps using for tag storage? If they are using proprietary datastores this makes using them utterly unsatisfactory. The OS needs to provide transparent metadata, accessible to all; not rely on these information-rich data islands.

-nontroppo (January 22, 2009, 07:30 PM)

Exactly. If the tags or comments aren't accessible through a file manager such as Directory Opus (or even Windows Explorer), they're useless to me. When my primary OS was XP, I used the HobComment Explorer & Shell Extensions (http://www.dr-hoiby.com/CommentExt/index.php) to add comments to files and folders, but unfortunately this little utility doesn't work in Vista. Does anyone know of a Vista x64 compatible application (doesn't have to be freeware) that can add tags or comments to all file types and that stores the metadata with the file and not in a separate database?