Being able to search based on metadata, file names and file contents across multiple folders, share points and even multiple servers will make locating documents much simpler. Imagine, for example, a situation in which a colleague asks you to update a grant proposal or an InDesign file for XYZ company. You don't know the file name or whether it is in a group folder, his public folder or in some other location on your department's share point. Being able to search among all Spotlight's criteria -- or even just the ability to look at file contents for XYZ company -- will make locating the file much easier than locating information in any file on a network has ever been.

Spotlight under Leopard Server will also respect file permissions and access control lists (ACL). That's critical because it means that while Spotlight would theoretically have access to all information stored on a server, users won't. Making Spotlight fully respect Mac OS X's permission structure is actually quite a feat for Apple to tackle (though clearly one that it needed to) because of the varying levels of access people might have. That would include access rights assigned explicitly, through group and nested group membership, POSIX permissions and ACLs.

You don't want a situation where someone is denied access to a file while browsing through the Finder because they lack permission to an enclosing folder, but can access that file through a Spotlight search because of permissions on a subfolder or even on the file itself. Apple's Leopard Server Sneak Peek page for Spotlight states that Leopard Server will ensure that if you cannot browse to a file, you will not be able to locate it with Spotlight. No doubt, this is a challenge for Apple's engineers. But for users and systems administrators it will mean fewer security headaches down the road.

Recent items

During the WWDC keynote, Apple also announced that Spotlight in Leopard will include a "recent items" feature. Recent Items is such a pervasive theme in Mac OS X, and in many applications, that it's a bit surprising Spotlight didn't already have such a feature. Being able to recall recently found items or items that you were recently working with is a huge advantage. How many times have you been working on a file, saved it and then not realized where it was saved? This is especially true when you open files on a server or a remote Mac, or files that you receive via e-mail or other messaging means. Those are typically stored in a temp directory of some form.