[PCWorld]

Post your comments for 18 Features Windows Should Have (but Doesn't) here

[mscrivo]

Are you kidding me? "Windows doesn't have any kind of built in web server" ... have you never heard of IIS? Has been bundled with all versions of windows since Windows 2000 I believe.

[Yakumo]

RocketDock - FREE - rocketdock.com/
Stickies - FREE - [http://www.zhornsoftware.co.uk/]


Switcher - FREE Expose clone - [http://insentient.net/] - (uses vista 3d desktop, so very resource light and fast, but vista only)


XP/Vista Virtual Desktops - FREE - [http://www.codeplex.com/vdm] (thumbnail previews, the works)


Before it was Otaku Deskpace , the software was called Yodm3d and was free, the last free version, 1.4 is still available on [http://www.klitetools.com/comments.php?catid=58&id=5280]



Windows Web server IIS is built into many (most?all?) distributions of windows 2k/xp/vista but not installed by default, use add/remove windows components. (as a dev I still preffer runing apache 2.2 locally though)

[zipzap]

Oh yea, MS really want to put more built in software... so they can get sued for being uncompetitive and monopolistic and all that rubbish.

[JonathanKay]

Does anyone at PC World still use Windows? Because this seems to prove that you don't.

Just because it's in OS X doesn't mean it should be in Windows -- unless you really think uninspired, unusable, mindless form over function is the way to go...

[zipzap]

Things PC World should have but doesn't:

1) Brains
2) More Brains
3) A little more brains

[reynoldsj]

Item 2 -- Microsoft offers this for free as a "PowerToy" addon... Item 3 and 4 -- XP Pro and some versions of Vista have Remote Desktop built in. Item 8 -- Who cares? Item 9 -- Vista has Windows Marketplace built in, which is a software repository. Item 12 -- there are many free programs to do this. Item 14 -- who cares? Item 15 -- Windows DOES have a built in web server... IIS is included with XP Pro and Vista Home Premium and Business versions (it's just not installed by default). Not to mention that older versions also had a built-in web server called Personal Web Server. Item 18 -- This is a nice feature of the Mac, but there are plenty of stand-alone EXE programs for Windows. Whether or not the program needs to be installed, and whether or not it installs extra files, is dependent on the programmer. There are in fact "bloatware" programs for the Mac that load extra files on the system.

PC World is so anti-Windows these days it's not surprising to see articles like this.

[reynoldsj]

4) Even more brains
5) Unbiased articles
6) Lots and lots of brains

[tuneslover]

windows has alternatives plus a lots of 'supported software!' actually u tried to compare windows with mac. if i do the same for mac, i can find out 180 features MAC or linux should have.

[ic3m4n]

This is one of the worst articles I've ever read... ever. You can easly do those things on Windows with a couple downloads. I'm not sure IIS enabled on every desktop in the world is necessary, or even aremotely good idea. I could attack every one of these ideas... but I already wasted enough time browsing this article...

[cullend]

This is quite possibley the worst piece of dribble I have seen come out of this pathetic rag in a long time. I must ask, do you actually use Windows? If you do, you'll see almost all of this is there. So are you saying you would like to see the implimentation of it copied EXACTLY? And what idiot said "Put a server in!" worst idea ever! Great, let's open up consumers to hack attacks over web servers. Oh and I seem to recall Microsoft making a server product... Geez, the name escapes me of their server offerings... OH! I know! Windows SERVER.

And if they put more software in, you'll complain saying it is anti-competitive.

To continue the trend:
7) A healthy portion of brains that would make Hannibal Lecteur squirm.
8) A PC
9) A copy of Windows
10) Ability to write articles without bias.

[Jeffreybt]

Talk about a joke of a Article

it's almost like you are a apple fanboy who has never even used windows and gets all his windows information from a mac switch ads.

[Pooch]

Without making any personal attacks against the writer, I'm sure that he's not at all versed in the MS Windows system. Most of those "features" wouldn't be used in a million years by mainstream users. A few of those mentioned have been picked up years ago by most savvy Windows users.

Pooch

[Jaybonaut]

Vista has the Snipping Tool.

Go ahead, look it up.

'screenshots are hard! whine sniffle!'

[leojei]

Nice article~

As for sticky notes I think Vista has a sidebar gadget that does this.

Also for Screen sharing, check SharedView 1.0 from MS download, I think that provides the functionality that you've mentionedin iChat.

I don't really agree on the feature that having a unified menu sitting at top of the screen (rather than having individual menu strip in the application window). Apps for Vista have a tendency to loss the menu bar (eg. IE hid the menu by default, WLM (Messenger) hid the menu bar by default). I think this is a trend to simply hide the menu bar as the most-used features are accessible through other UIs in the window. Not to mention that some apps don't use menu at all.

[beckerjr]

To the author:

A link to blog post that rips your inane "article" to shreds.



To PC World:

Is it your policy to hire Apple fanboys?

[yoshi122]

Most of the comments so far are missing the point.
If you need to install an add-on or a third-party app to accomplish functionality, you cannot call that a "feature" of Windows, even if those add-ons or third party apps are free.
The point the article is making is that Windows lacks functionality out of the box. Whether motivated users can find free ways to make up for Windows' shortcomings is another story.

[bguy1986]

You can deffinetly tell this guy is a Mac lover. He obviously never used XP or Vista. I'll just go threw this article now.

1. ) Expose

ITS CALLED ALT-TAB. Or to get a nicer way to look at it, Windows Button - TAB! DUH!!

2.) Virtual Workspaces

Virtual PC or minimize stuff. I don't understand this program. This program is just useless. Windows also has show desktop, which will minimize everything.

3. Back to My Mac

remote desktop

4. Screen Sharing

again, remote desktop, or windows remote assistance

5. Time Machine

actually makes a good point here, but home server is easy, but not as cheap as a removable hard drive. Windows does backup files tho. so windows does have it.

6. ISO Burning

good point, he actually wins this arguement

7. Stickies

vista has it in the side bar

8. Podcast Capture

i don't do anything with podcasts

9. Software Repositories

its called google, why would you need this?

10. Desktop Cube

windows button - TAB

11. Application Dock

QUICK START - Pretty easy and clean to me. having crap flot around isn't clean

12. Automated Screen Shots

this might come in handy. 2 things windows could use so far!!!!

13. Multitouch Trackpad Gestures

not xp or vista... but laptop builders could make this... i don't feel the need for this but this is POINT #3

14. Cover Flow

I'm not an IDIOT... I can read. Vista has more icon images and larger icons to make this possible.

15. Pre-Installed Web Server

posted before, windows has this

16. POSIX Compliance

not sure how this works but i only need one operating system...

17. Standardized Menu Ribbon

Windows has this.... press alt in vista and you get it to.

18. Single-File Applications

retarded. why does this matter.... you click and icon and the program runs, big deal if it has more than 1 file, you don't see it

[reynoldsj]

I think we all agree that this article is complete rubish. The author of this article clearly has never used Windows and is a Mac lover. He probably swicthed to the Mac based on Apple's propoganda marketing and factually-innacurate ads.

[crestind]

Terrible list.
Memory hogging dock? Weren't they just complaining about memory consumption with Vista yesterday?