The Problem
Exploring the Solution Space
Apple
This is one of the most overlooked HCI solutions. Since HCI researchers typically want to keep their jobs, they gravitate towards UI's that they can criticize using various seemingly arbitrary principles. OS X is much more difficult to criticize than Windows. (joke)
Save States
When running a new program, save the state of the computer in a similar fashion to current console emulators. Once the program has run, ask the if the user would like to return to the previously saved state. Imagine this as a universal undo.
Distributed Intelligence, Crowd Sourcing, Artificial Artificial Intelligence
Instead of just asking each user which programs are allowed to run, accumulate confirmation information across the entire user population or a trusted group such as Secunia and ask if the user would like to trust the third party with security issues. The system should be easily configurable and override-able by the user in situations the user sees fit.
Combined Confirmations
Instead of putting up a series of confirmation dialogs, which, in aggregate resemble a disjointed wizard session, put everything on one page. Eclipse does this when installing new components from remote sources.
Accelerators
In OS X, pressing Apple-Delete deletes a file without using a confirmation dialogue. It is unlikely that these two keys would be pressed accidentally. Executing a new process that would normally require confirming many dialogue boxes would instead by run with full trust if the user held down the Shift key while executing the program.
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