Ask HN: Your favorite tiny feature?

by blintson on 12/30/2009, 12:05 AM with 18 comments

While I'm working I occasionally encounter incredibly subtle features of applications I'm using that amaze me. Examples:

1. Emacs iterative search ignores case unless you type a capital letter in the search-string.

2.Vim's move-cursor-left/right doesn't go to the next/previous line.

3.This site: whiting out downvoted comments.

What's an application you use that has a subtle feature that surprises you?

  • by davi on 12/30/2009, 12:36 AM

    I really like that by default OS X has basic emacs navigation and kill/yank keybindings in all text fields. (Ctl-A, -E, -P, -N, -K, -Y)

  • by brm on 12/30/2009, 2:48 AM

    Not a feature, but go to http://photojojo.com/store and add something to your cart. Always gets me.

  • by gkoberger on 12/30/2009, 2:14 AM

    Windows 7 had a ton of these:

      - 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
    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.

  • by TeHCrAzY on 12/30/2009, 5:46 AM

    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.

  • by safetytrick on 12/30/2009, 4:06 AM

    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.

    apt-get completion in ubuntu

    firebug's command history

  • by nuclear_eclipse on 12/30/2009, 1:59 AM

    re 1: `set ignorecase` in your vimrc to have Vim behave the same way.

    edit: why am I being downmodded for sharing info about replicating the functionality in the biggest competitor to emacs?

  • by savant on 12/30/2009, 2:17 AM

    alias

    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

  • by r11t on 12/30/2009, 10:31 AM

    "Ctrl + r" for searching previously used commands in shell.

  • by Feynman on 12/30/2009, 4:30 AM

    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.

  • by chaosprophet on 12/30/2009, 5:37 AM

    Firefox 3.7 alpha builds: Hiding the menubar till I press the alt key.

  • by bigbang on 12/30/2009, 2:47 AM

    F12 in mac. and spaces.

  • by vorobei on 12/30/2009, 8:55 AM

    screen, a subtle feature of remote access.

  • by dnsworks on 12/30/2009, 10:16 PM

    Auto-save on web forms.