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Looking at What Vista Lacks Compared to Leopard

by , 2:15 PM EDT, April 30th, 2008

Microsoft is often accused of copying other OSes, but there is a healthy list of eighteen features that Windows should have, but doesn't, according to PCWorld. The list is a eye-opening catalog of what Vista users are missing.

In fact, Robert Strohmeyer wrote, while Windows is the world's dominant OS, when comparing it to Mac OS X and Linux, Vista can seem very incomplete.

Here's the list sans the author's extensive discussion:

  1. Expose
  2. Virtual Workspaces
  3. Back to My Mac
  4. Screen Sharing
  5. Time Machine
  6. ISO Burning of CDs
  7. Stickies
  8. Podcast Capture
  9. Software Repositories (Linux, BSD)
  10. Desktop Cube (Linux, BSD)
  11. Application Dock
  12. Automated Screen Shots
  13. Multitouch Gestures
  14. Cover Flow
  15. Preinstalled Apache Web Server
  16. POSIX compliance
  17. Standardized Menu Bar
  18. Applications as single directory

While the list is heavily Mac-centric and could be interpreted as a Mac OS X promotion in disguise, it also serves as a healthy reminder of what Microsoft has either been unable to copy or has been prevented from copying via Apple patents. In either case, the article is an eye-opener for anyone who may be considering moving from a Mac to Windows and what life would be like.

Observer Comments

Show: Subjects Only | Full Comments
View Name:Guest
Subject: What about a Windows List
Close Name:jimothy Posts: 567 Joined: 04 Jun 2004
Subject: One more feature Vista lacks

19. Don't suck.

Close Name:mahuti -   TMO Staff Posts: 363 Joined: 09 Jan 2003
Subject: Back to My Mac

Back to My Mac is also missing for Mac users

Or at least terribly done, totally flaky, and or useless.

Close Name:Sir Harry Flashman Posts: 583 Joined: 08 Feb 2007
Subject: What does it have?

Quote
Guest wrote:
I'm die hard Mac, however without a list illustrating features Vista has that Mac OS X doesn't this post cannot be conducive to a healthy evaluation.


Can you give us at least a short list?

View Name:Guest
Subject: More items
View Name:Guest
Subject: Wrong!!
View Name:Guest
Subject: "Screen Sharing"
View Name:Guest
Subject: Na Na Na Naa
View Name:Guest
Subject: Animated Desktops on OSX: yes
Close Name:UpQuark Posts: 78 Joined: 26 Aug 2001
Subject: WallSaver too

Is a great program to enable movable backgrounds... Free!

Close Name:UpQuark Posts: 78 Joined: 26 Aug 2001
Subject: windows list..

Right on...

Close Name:UpQuark Posts: 78 Joined: 26 Aug 2001
Subject:

Your first question is right on. What is essential is up to the user.


Quote
Guest wrote:
Very weak pro-OS X stuff. What part of the list is essential???
And, there are equivalent things on Vista that Leopard doesn't have - 'they' had Time Machine before Apple - they just don't call it Time Machine.
Mac doesn't have animated or video desktops... I could go on.
Point is the Mac kicks Windows ass but we don't need these dumb "lists" as nothing in the list is essential. Both OS's can run the important Apps, (and there are thousands of more Apps and games for Windows - put that on the Windows has it, but not the Mac list.
Dumb lists like this make Apple fans look desperate for approval.

Installing Leopard on my iBook crashed the thing - I lost Airport, I couldn't boot up; Permissions couldn't be repaired which was the 'fix' for Airport. Very frustrating and un-Apple like. I wonder if Vista has those features!?

Close Name:UpQuark Posts: 78 Joined: 26 Aug 2001
Subject: I don't see these soo much as strenghts as just

Eye candy for macs.

Podcast capture requires OS Server, btw, so useless without.

Dude, Windows RDC and Mac screen sharing are NOT the same thing - mac screen sharing blows RDC out of the water. Similar in scope, yes, but completely different in implementation and function.

iChat vid conference blows MSN away on the windows side.

I love my mac, (and have had several over the years) but there are things what windows does that I wish mac's did. My macs home/end keys don't work for sentences. In windows, the home/end keys move the cursor to the start (left) of a sentence while the end key moves the cursor to the end (right) of a sentence.
I would love to rename a file in the open/save dialog box, which you can do in windows. Keyboard short cuts for open/save dialog box always work in windows. Not always for a Mac. Also, in windows, you can tab between buttons in a dialog box and the buttons are highlighted - not so on a mac.

On the mac side, multi-tasking ROCKS. In windows, - try to unzip a large file(say like SP3 for xp), have iTunes playing a song, and run a quicktime movie. Good luck. Just for kicks, while all of that is going on with my Mac, I can still BURN A DVD without loss of data to the DVD.

Installing apps is a breeze on a mac. Uninstalling is a bit of a trick.

My mac never complains about unused icons on my desktop. My mac Never pouts about the network not being connected. Wait, it is, no wait it isn't. I like that I get notified, but please don't kill me with the messages. One of my long time windows buddies just picked up a macbook - he is troubled that he doesn't tinker with it like he does with his windows laptop. He was worried about registry bloat -not so on a mac. He may never have to blow away and reinstall Mac OS to get his performance back. He will do so soon with his PC laptop.

He installed a newer larger HD in his macbook. He used superduper(free for this feature) to make a bootable image of his current HD onto the new HD via a USB to HD connector. Removed the old and plugged in the new HD and was off. Didn't need any more reboots than just a power on.

I like that my Mac has a built in FTP server
Has Apache
Has ruby on rails
has Perl
has X11. I use all of those.

I like that Parallels ROCKS. I have tried Fusion and like it, but prefer Parallels. Cool to have choices.


My two cents..

View Name:Guest
Subject: fixing permissions
Close Name:Intruder -   TMO Mac Specialist Posts: 2843 Joined: 07 Jul 2004
Subject:

Video desktops are available for the Mac through shareware (if you really want to waste processor cycles that way). Have been for years.

Close Name:coaten Posts: 2946 Joined: 10 Oct 2001
Subject:

Quote
Intruder wrote:
Video desktops are available for the Mac through shareware (if you really want to waste processor cycles that way). Have been for years.


And, you know, I've never understood the appeal. I tried one and the flickering of small parts of my desktop that sat around the periphery of active windows was intolerably annoying. Am I missing something?

View Name:Guest
Subject: Windows Help System
Close Name:Sir Harry Flashman Posts: 583 Joined: 08 Feb 2007
Subject: I guess it depends on the use

Quote
coaten wrote:
Quote
Intruder wrote:
Video desktops are available for the Mac through shareware (if you really want to waste processor cycles that way). Have been for years.


And, you know, I've never understood the appeal. I tried one and the flickering of small parts of my desktop that sat around the periphery of active windows was intolerably annoying. Am I missing something?


Some people like that kind of stuff, I guess a lot depends how the person uses, or "views", their computer. I use mine mostly for work so I want a clean desktop that is a solid color that doesn't distract. Gamers and others who use the computer for things other than mostly work seem to like the eye candy.

View Name:Guest
Subject: Re: What does it have?
View Name:Guest
Subject: Re: Windows Help System
Close Name:daemon Posts: 305 Joined: 17 May 2007
Subject:

Or you could do what it told you to do and start the wireless zero configuration service.

Maybe I'm just used to doing the obvious.

Quote
Guest wrote:
I have to disagree with you on this. While in 10.0-10.3 the OS X help was way too slow, this has been fixed in 10.4+.

And Windows Help has never helped me... for example, I recently installed a wireless card on a PC, and it told me I needed to start the wireless zero conf service... help doesn't return anything on this. (Apparently once a wireless card is installed, it start automatically next time you restart.)

View Name:Guest
Subject: Windows Registry...a nightmare since Windows 95
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