Things I'd like to see in Microsoft products which I envy in UNIX.
Through the years of using Windows I envied UNIX people with some of the following things which I was unable to achieve on Windows. As years passed lots of this was implemented in new releases of Windows but some are still missing.
1. Efficient and secure remote control of computer (like ssh in UNIX). Not an issue anymore with introduction of Terminal Services in all versions of Windows 2000 server. 128-bit encryption, full GUI, excellent perfomance, cut and paste support (file copying added in .NET server).
2. Stability (ability to run months/years without BSODs etc). Not an issue anymore with right hardware and software. I've not seen BSODs on properly configured machines for years now.
3. Have minimum amount of services running on default installation. Not an issue anymore with Windows 2008 Core installation which has minimum amount of non-relevant OS overhead..
4. Ability to install hotfixes and service packs without reboot. Not fixed yet and hard to understand why. Every small hotfix requires reboot. If FrontPage Server extensions is updated then whole system is getting rebooted instead of stopping IISAdmin service and replacing ISAPI filter.
5. Rich shell script support. Not an issue anymore with introduction of Windows Scripting Host, WMI and powershell.