With high-quality photography at our fingertips, it's hard to imagine that early cameras were the size of an entire room. The first camera was invented in 1816, and the first photo was taken in 1826.

For years, tech companies (well, certain tech companies) tooted their horns about a future in which files didn’t matter. You don’t even need a file manager of any sort, they told us—and, in fact, we ...