

What's your favorite OS feature of all time? - msredmond
http://redmondmag.com/articles/2011/01/25/10-great-features-in-10-different-oses.aspx

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qjz
My favorite is X11's select-to-copy, middle-click-to-paste feature. It
bewilders me that this isn't standard on all platforms. It only takes two
simple clicks to copy and paste, yet some people find it unintuitive (or even
downright hate it). I think it's a huge time-saver.

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SwellJoe
This was instantly what came to mind for me, followed by tab completion in the
shell (expanded by the bash-completion package to become utter perfection).

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stsmytherie
Tab completion is a good one! According to Wikipedia, "one of the first
examples appeared in the Berkeley Timesharing System for the SDS 940"
(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Command-line_completion>).

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iuguy
I knew they wouldn't have mentioned my two favourite Amiga OS features: Pre-
emptive multitasking and the Workbench screen model. At a time when PC users
were still struggling with blocky DOS screens, the Amiga offered a virtual
desktop type environment through workbench screens (which could be dragged up
and down over each other or flipped backwards and forwards) and proper
multitasking meaning that things in the background screens would carry on
running.

The other OS feature is one that I only started playing with a couple of years
ago on the ZX Spectrum. The ZX Spectrum has a fairly unique way of drawing the
screen in monochrome 256x192 pixels and a 32x24 8x8 pixel colour attribute
cell system. Ignoring the monochrome (which was what I used to use in the 80s)
and manipulating 8x8 cells directly means that the entire screen is
represented by 768 bytes of memory. This lets me play around with colourful 3d
in ways I could only imagine as a kid. Sad, I know, but I'm just a big kid in
the end.

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stsmytherie
Amiga is one of the big OSes I never got a chance to play with, though I know
it had some innovative features and very loyal users.

Other than finding an old Amiga, is there a practical way to give it a try
today?

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iuguy
You'll need an emulator called UAE (<http://www.amigaemulator.org/>) or a port
like WinUAE (which comes with a frontend and is much easier), a Kickstart file
for the right system (Kickstart is the name for the Rom and varied from Amiga
to Amiga) and some floppy disk images for the games themselves. There's a
WinUAE guide here: <http://www.tweakguides.com/Amiga_1.html> and a more
general beginner's guide here: <http://cpc464.back2roots.org/menu.htm>

It's very different to modern OSes if you don't tweak around but as a modern
alternative the Icarus AROS distribution (<http://www.icarosdesktop.org/>)
provides a modern continuation of the Workbench experience.

~~~
stsmytherie
Outstanding. I will give this a go ASAP.

PS: I'm the author of this article. Had a great time thinking about all the
fun systems I've played with over the years and researching their history.

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iuguy
Don't get me wrong, it's a good article and I enjoyed it. Props for mentioning
BeOS, $deity bless her and all who sail in her ;)

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stsmytherie
No worries. I love the feedback. Fodder for a second installment? Keep the
ideas coming.

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iuguy
Ok, in no particular order:

* Built in BASIC on the Commodore PET

* Folders in MS DOS (CP/M didn't have them)

* The trashcan in Macintosh System 6

* The start bar in OS/2

* I can't think of a single unique thing about Atari TOS

* The stability of Windows 2000 (compared to 9x and NT)

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justinxreese
I'm not sure how we want to define "OS feature", but Spotlight is amazing.

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hollerith
package managers like Apt and Arch Linux's pacman.

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trafficlight
Absolutely. "Oh, I need <insert obscure file> to compile this?" apt-get and 15
seconds later, I'm good to go.

