This should be fun. Describe your own perfect OS by starting with a base (existing OS) and add some toppings (elements from various other OSes).

I'll start.

Core OS:
Take Windows XP Professional (32-bit) SP3, remove IE, Outlook, WMP.
Add start menu searching/Spotlight for application launching (i.e. type calc, press Enter to run Calculator) from Windows 7/Mac OS X.
Add multitouch touchpad gestures from Mac OS X (and hardware touchpad from MacBook).
Add Expose task switching from Mac OS X.
Add multiple desktop (2~4) switching from Linux/Mac.
Add console/shell/terminal from Linux/Mac.

Software:
Add Chrome browser as default browser.
Add Gmail as default email client.

My perfect OS, more or less. :)

P.S. I'm currently using XP, although I've tried 7 and briefly Mac OS X.
P.P.S. I've just realized Mac OS X has pretty much everything I'm looking for. I guess the main thing keeping me back is that I can't get hardware like this if I go for a 13" MBP. :(

It's Windows 7 but it lets you stab people through the Internet. Careful when your kids use it, they'll have less friends that way.

Start with:
- Win7 Ultimate 64-bit.

Replace Stock Components:
- Replace Task Manager with Process Explorer.
- Replace Search Indexer with something more "Power User" configurable (TBD).
- Replace Notepad/Wordpad with Notepad++.

Customize:
- Disable animation on minimize/maximize.
- Turn off smooth scrolling on all UI elements.
- Change all explorer windows to Details view (Filename, Size, Date, Attributes).
- Disable folder content type detection via registry.
- Change taskbar to double height, small icons, add toolbars 'My Computer' and 'Address Bar' to upper half.
- Switch keyboard to Japanese/Microsoft IME, undock the language bar so windows doesn't periodically nuke my taskbar layout.
- Switch time format to 23:59 yyyy-mm-dd.

Additions:
- VS2008, TortoiseSVN, TortoiseHg, Perforce, AraxisMerge
- Microsoft Security Essentials
- Live Mesh
- Steam, Ventrilo, Trillian
- CCCP, ffdshow, ZoomPlayer

Wishlist:
- Replace Desktop with an EagleMode/WinDirStat hybrid and have quick hotkey to toggle visibility of foreground apps without fucking up Z-order, minimization and maximization state like Windows inevitably does with its existing hotkeys.

- (EDIT) Also would like the same feature Benjamin just mentioned.

1. Take win32 XP.

2. Remove the ability for programs to uninstall without cleaning up the registry.

3. Replace Windows Firewall with ZoneAlarm

Take Ubuntu 10.04

Fix All Wine Bugs.


Thats it, actually.

Take Windows 7.
Add ability to close any Lounge thread I don't like.

Per-fect.

Core OS:

Windows 2000 Professional, SP4 with all updates (it was blazing fast)
Windows 7 driver support
OSX Spotlight
MacOS Classic responsiveness
Native desktop switching
BASH instead of Command Prompt/DOS
Seamless mouse gesture support throughout

That's about it. Guess I'm easy to please :P

Sounds more like building a distribution than an actual OS...

windows 7.


done.

dunno :) it works perfect and fast and all.

oh, and win home server as the center of your home, and all 'clients' only with ssds.

life is great.

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