While I'm working I occasionally encounter incredibly subtle features of applications I'm using that amaze me. Examples:<p>1. Emacs iterative search ignores case unless you type a capital letter in the search-string.<p>2.Vim's move-cursor-left/right doesn't go to the next/previous line.<p>3.This site: whiting out downvoted comments.<p>What's an application you use that has a subtle feature that surprises you?
Not a feature, but go to <a href="http://photojojo.com/store" rel="nofollow">http://photojojo.com/store</a> and add something to your cart. Always gets me.
Windows 7 had a ton of these:<p><pre><code> - Dragging to the side/top of the screen
- Being able to drag a window away from the top of the screen without minimizing it first
- Preview of windows when running your mouse over the task bar
- Desktop slideshow
- Progress bar in task bar (http://rurl.org/28nt)
- Functions built into the task bar (for example, you can see controls for iTunes by just mousing over it in the task bar)
- Snipping Tool
</code></pre>
I'm sure there's a few features I missed because I take them for granted now- but I remember being amazed by the little things.
Google Chromes feature, whereby you can drag a tab into its own window, and then drag it back (or to another). I use this every day, and it hurts that I can't do it in other apps.
I love textmate's subtle and predictable completion. No abnoxious popup menu, it also forces you to learn and focus on the page to predict the popup.<p>apt-get completion in ubuntu<p>firebug's command history
re 1: `set ignorecase` in your vimrc to have Vim behave the same way.<p>edit: why am I being downmodded for sharing info about replicating the functionality in the biggest competitor to emacs?
alias<p>When you can make a command and its arguments simple enough that your mother, who never uses a computer, can use it, then you've done well by the world. <3 alias
The various ways of taking screenshots in OS X. Something I do nearly every day and am amazed at just how much thought and refinement went into the process.