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Some of the coolest OS features are nowhere to be found in Windows XP or Vista. Here are 18 brilliant features that Microsoft should beg for, borrow, or steal–plus tips on how you can add many of them to your PC now.
Robert Strohmeyer, PC World

Love it or hate it, Microsoft Windows is the world’s most dominant operating system. But when you look at some of the hot features found in competitors such as Linux and Mac OS X, both XP and Vista can seem a little incomplete.

From intuitive interface features like Apple’s application dock and Cover Flow to basic media capabilities such as ISO burning, Windows often falls short on built-in goodies. And some features that other operating systems offer by default– such as 64-bit processing and business-networking tools–require a premium-version license in Windows.

We took a good look at a variety of OSs, from the Mac to Linux to PC-BSD and beyond, and we rounded up a list of our favorite features–few of which come standard in any version of Windows. We even considered some operating systems of yore, and recalled a couple of cool features that Microsoft still hasn’t caught on to. Some of these features simply aren’t available for Windows at all, owing to the way the OS is designed. But you can add most of them to XP or Vista with the help of third-party applications, and we’ll show you how to get them.

1. Expose

Available on: Mac

It’s an elegantly simple idea, and it has been available on the Mac since 2003. When you want a clear view of all the application windows that are open at any one time, you just press F3, and a ittle feature called Expose arranges them all as thumbnails spread neatly across your screen. Click one, and it pops to the front while the rest snap back into position behind it.

With the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft deployed a feature called Flip3D that attempts to simplify window management in a slightly different way. Flip3D lets users flip through three-dimensional renderings of whatever windows are open on the desktop, but it doesn’t offer nearly the same instantaneous visibility that Expose does.

Fortunately, a few downloads can add Expose-like thumbnails to your Windows machine. One little tool called iEx for Windows does the trick for free; but the installation is a little awkward, as you have to drag the downloaded files into the correct folders on your PC. A more refined program, TopDesk, installs automatically in XP and Vista–but it will set you back $20 after the 14-day free trial.

2. Virtual Workspaces

Available on: Linux, PC-BSD, Mac

Linux users have long enjoyed the freedom to keep large numbers of applications running simultaneously–without being overwhelmed by screen clutter–thanks to the power of virtual workspaces. In a typical Linux installation, at boot time four workspaces spring into existence automatically, signified by a little map on the control panel in the corner of the screen. As the user opens more programs, thumbnail icons of them appear in the workspace switcher, indicating which program windows are running in each workspace. To change workspaces, the user simply clicks the appropriate area on the workspace switcher or uses a keystroke combination such as Shift-Right Arrow to move between them.

With multiple workspaces comes the ability to organize the Linux desktop environment by task, by application type, by priority, or any other way you care to slice it. It’s particularly handy for keeping a handful of applications out of sight and out of mind, without having to shut them down. For instance, I like to keep my messaging and communications apps in a separate workspace from my document-creation programs as a way of staying focused while I work.

Apple added this concept to OS X with the launch of Leopard in October 2007, although Leopard’s Spaces feature lacks dynamic thumbnails (something its Linux forebears offer) in the Dock icon. To get workspaces on Windows, however, you’ll have to do some downloading. XP users have an easy solution with the Microsoft Virtual Desktop Manager, a free download from Microsoft’s PowerToys collection. For Vista, you must turn to one of several third-party utilities. My favorite among them is a freebie called Dexpot, which offers a wide variety of configuration options.

3. Back to My Mac

Available on: Mac

Nothing quite matches the feeling you get when you sit down at your office desk, boot up your PC, and realize that the most recent version of the document you’ve been working on is stranded 50 miles away on your home machine. If both of your computers were Macs running Leopard, you could use Back to My Mac (coupled with Apple’s $99-per-year .Mac service) to fire up a connection to the remote computer, grab whatever files you need, and even navigate the other machine’s desktop as if you were sitting right in front of it.

If either of your PCs are running Windows, however, all the .Mac accounts in the world won’t help you. Instead, try GoToMyPC. At a base price of $20 per month ($180 per year) for one PC, this service ain’t cheap. But it does give you unfettered access to your Windows computer from any Web browser.

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From poor marketing to missing components, here are my reasons why Vista will forever fail.

by John C. Dvorak

While the public’s attention seems to be swinging toward Windows 7 (the next iteration of the OS)—a topic I’ll address in the weeks ahead—the fact of the matter is that Vista remains. And it seems that the OS now has two distinct groups of users. One group happily uses Vista, with few concerns or complaints. In fact, many of them are baffled by all the grumbling. The other group is the fist-shaking Vista bashers who condemn each and every flaw the OS exhibits.

The latter group is by far the most vocal and easily drowns out the former group. Its complaints stem from the anti-Microsoft backlash, which reflects dissatisfaction with the company’s history, business practices, tactics, and bogus announcements. Much of the disgruntlement, however, can be attributed Vista itself—and the poor marketing job done by Microsoft.

I mention the bogus announcements above because, at some point, you do get a little tired of Microsoft making exaggerated promises and then never coming close to delivering the goods. In the case of Vista, it has to do with the three “pillars” that were announced early on. The OS really delivered on only one of the pillars, and that pillar was nothing but Windows dressing: Aero, the resource hog and performance sapper.

With the “pillars” in mind, I decided to take a look at the 11 reasons why Vista remains on shaky ground:

1) Market confusion. From the beginning, everyone moaned about the fact that there were simply too many versions of the OS for sale. Who needs all the variations? It’s stupid—plain and simple. What you want is the one best version, not a slew of namby-pamby ones. This happened because the folks at Microsoft know only how to merchandise and, seemingly, not how to market.

2) Code size. I’ve got two words for you: TOO BIG. Enough said.

3) Missing components. Yes, WinFS, the promised file system and a core pillar of Vista, isn’t there. The promises regarding the development of this file system go back to 1991. And Microsoft cannot make it a reality? Why?

4) Laptop battery-life drain. This was supposed to be fixed with special code and hybrid hard disks (HHD). Still, users have to resort to expensive silicon drives.

5) HHD fiasco. I’m still irked about being told by the HD industry that the benefits of the new generation of hard drives will “make people flock to Vista.” That was over two years ago, and suddenly there’s silence about the whole thing. One of these days, someone will tell me what really happened. My guess: It never worked correctly, and no one could make it work.

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