Things I'd Like to See in Leopard

most of the thing people are asking can be done with 3rd party apps.
However what is really missing from mac and is taken for granted on windows is Remote Desktop Connection.
The main difference with VNC and co. is that Windows RDC is a client for the terminal server and not just a remote display.
Something like Citrix would be even better.

Second this is proper controls for ACL from finder. along with R/W NTFS support

The third big issue in Mac OS X now is lack of visual hints for number of open windows. If a new window was open by an app and it is under another window there is no single visual clue about it now.
Theoretically window bar can show little icons representing each window of active application.

How about non-crippled FTP support in the Finder?

I couldn't agree with you more on the Finder improvements. I have been both windows and mac for years and can't stand that I have to manipulate window size by "lower right hand corner" adjustment. The other thing that blows about the mac (more noise will start for each core Windows guy that tries out the mac) is the lack of control from an Open Dialog Box that you have with Finder. In windows I can start to Save>notice a file that has gone astray>cut it and paste it into the proper directory>go back to naming my file>change directories and finish the save. Windows dialog box will let you rename any file while using it. A Win open dialog box is very similar to using Explorer (Finder). I am a huge Mac fan but I've always wondered why it is so limiting. Some of my win pals that I convinced to migrate to macs (since they can run Win natively for those apps that require) have complained about the Mac limitations. I think Apple needs to solve Finder simplicity and add some features. The windows "Finder" simply has way more hooks from all the places you compute.

"For instance, if you go to save a file, most of the Save As dialog boxes would also respond to hitting the letter S as if you were clicking the Save button; and hitting the letter C on the keyboard would cancel the dialog. But since Mac OS X's debut, this behavior is all over the place."

Doesn't command+period toggle the cancel button and command+s toggle save? That's always worked for me.

Someone please smack the Mac zealots that flinch every time someone suggests that some tiny little aspect of the Windows UI might just possibly be an improvement over the current Mac interface. We have countless reasons why we like OSX better than Windows but that doesn't mean that everything about OSX is perfect or that everything about Windows is inferior and useless.

I'm not talking about adding junk just to make the transition easier for migrating Windows users. I'm talking about the few little areas where Windows just happens to have a more efficient and superior way of doing things. If you think Apple has never had anything to learn from Windows I refer you to the two-button mouse with scroll wheel, protected memory, multi-tasking and multi-threading.

I for one would like to see iPhoto function optionally as an image BROWSER without forcing me to import images first and deprive me of the option to copy, move, delete, or rename images in the Finder. The database concept works well in iTunes only because the metadata is stored within the music files themselves. Move or copy the files to another computer or application and the names, artists, genres are all still there. Not so with images. The countless time and effort spent categorizing your images is wasted if this info is lost the moment you move the photos to another computer or application.

I would also like Finder to have an explorer-style view in addition to list, columns, and icons views. I'd like to be able to sort files and folders any way I like in Finder while in icon and column views. The way it is now is clearly inferior to the Windows Explorer. This is not a Mac newbie complaint. Most who have used both platforms extensively agree that Explorer can be more efficient for heavy duty file management.

Safari should save bookmarks in a universal format. It's very frustrating to save bookmarks to a folder only to later find out that I can't open them in Internet Explorer or Firefox on a Windows machine. Yes, zealots, a lot of us happy Mac users still have to interact with the Windows world occasionally. Until we have more than 5% of the market, this sort of awkward incompatibility only hurts us, not them.

Here's another one for iPhoto, iTunes, and other OSX interfaces. Lists should be able to automatically sort alphabetically. Now why don't folders, and albums sort automatically in iPhoto's Source pane? Yes it's nice I can manually drag them to any order I want, but if I have 50 albums I want a ctrl-click option to re-sort automatically. Same applies to playlists in iTunes. This annoyance appears throughout the OSX interface many times.

Being able to move the menu bar around. Like to the bottom, right, or left.

About Lucida... it might not be the "prettiest" font, but for starters it has better forms than Arial, and it's one of the best-looking Unicode fonts out there... you might be perfectly fine using OS X in English, but there are many of us who run OS X in languages that require Unicode support.

Perhaps Adobe could get their crap together with Myriad and give it a Unicode facelift so that it's a bit more inclusive... then the OS could look just like everything else Apple and Myriad will take over the world... bwua ha ha ha...

I as well agree with pretty much everything you listed here. Especially the first wo points, down to the last dot, need urgent attention. The other stuff is more a should have, but the first two are a really huge dissapointment in OSX.

What I miss most:
-Finder improvements, as listed by you. Additionally, I would like to have a separate view for a folder tree and folder content display, as it is usus in most other desktop file managers.

-Window Manager: the "only right corner resize" really just is a joke - and needs IMMEDIATE attention (almost any friend I let play around with OSX just can't even believe it when I tell them...). Keyboard shortcuts on dialog buttons are also a big issue, and this should be implemented at window manager level, not be done by the application developer. Also, as long as I can only resize a window at bottom left not supporting an obvious way to make a window full sized is a real pain. At _least_ I would want to have a right AND left corner resize.

Here's my list:

1. The ability to delete files off a USB stick or external drive without having to empty your entire trash can.

2. The ability to remove an USB stick or external drive without having to eject it first. Very annoying and completely confusing to a lot of casual users.

3. Spotlight preference that allows me to finish typing before Spotlight displays the results. Misspell a word and you get to watch Spotlight churn away while you fight to correct it.

4. Resize windows by dragging from the sides, not just the corner.

5. Ability to delete an entire application, including all of its associated files, with one click. (already stated, I know. Just adding my support.)

6. Tabbed browsing in the finder that would also allow the ability to drag-n-drop files by navigating over the tabs to go to that specific location.

7. Permanently deleting a single file, rather than your entire trash can, with a simple right-click.

8. The Recent Items menu functions similarly as Spotlight. Meaning, I can go to an item, command-enter on it, and have its location appear in a new finder window.

9. On that same note, the Recent Items menu would also have the ability to show more information: ie. An image would actually appear to the right if I hold on an image file. Or part of a word document would appear. Etc, etc.

Wishlist:

1) An uninstaller built in (or alt least something like Finder in Panther that allowed you just to see all the related files/puts them together so I don't have to click on little arrows to be annoyed).

2) The option of tabbed browsing with Finder.

3) Grey and Blue, though cute, do not do justice to what the Mac can look like. I want to see my Mac in bright Orange!

4)The built-in option to disable Dashboard. I've had to use Onyx to do this b/c my iBook G3 just can't manage.

5) Free candy for all!