The first time I've I've used a Mac PC, I rememnber I was surprised and
attracted on a feature that the wonderful Mac Os X GUI has: Exposè.
Exposè is a feature that permits you to instantly access any open
window with a single keystroke, display all open windows as thumbnails, viewing
windows with different opacity or hide some of that with a wonderful effect for
your eyes. When I saw it, my first words were something like "I want it on
Windows"...
I remember the first alpha version of Longhorn, where 3D effects were quite
good and windows transparency was not so good as you can see on a Mac. After
that alpha, I've never heared more about Exposè-like feature on
Longhorn (now Vista) and I was worried: Is Microsoft thinking to abandon this
feature?
Today I've received the answer: NO... Microsoft has showed a preview of
a Vista Beta 2 version (we'll see it at the PDC) with a new
Exposè-like feature, a bit different from the Mac ones but really very
interesting (windows are stacked side by side with 3D effects).
This is certainly not a foundamental feature for an OS like Vista,
but these little new things on the user interface make the user (and his eyes)
more happy I think... 