Digital Home Thoughts: Add 'Mac OS's Best Features' to Windows

"Despite the claims of either operating systems' acolytes, both Windows and Mac OS X are very capable OS's that, at least functionally, are more similar than they are different.... But we will concede that there are some UI features unique to each OS that do help enhance the computing experience.... The good news for Windows users, though, is that these features have made their way over to Windows with the help of third-party software. Here are four of the best Mac OS's Aqua UI features that can be emulated in Windows with free utilities."

If you find yourself suffering from Mac OS envy, Norman Chan's article provides options for adding four Mac-like features to Windows. I am not familiar with the Mac OS, and so must take the author's word that these are the "best features" it provides - but if they are, I cannot help but wonder what the fuss is all about. In any case, Rocketdock is proposed as a stand-in for Mac's Dock feature, while Switcher stands in for Expose. But while Rocketdock and Switcher both seem to be well regarded applications, they also have some limitations: Rocketdock supports Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7, but 32-bit only; while Switcher requires Windows Vista and Aero, and thus skips Windows 2000 and XP. (The last release of Switcher was in October 2007, and I could find no mention of Windows 7 on their site.) The article also shows you how to add "Two-Finger Scrolling" and "Cover Flow" functionality to your Windows installation. Are these, indeed, the "best features" of the Mac OS? And, if so, are the proposed options the best ones for adding these functions to Windows?