Before !Boot gained its Choices directory, you were expected to save your desktop state from a save dialog on the Task Manager. That has disappeared in some OSes which is a shame, as the resulting file is often useful when cut down. For example, you can run a set of development tools, save the state, and then cut out everything but the commands to run (and configure) those tools and hey presto, you have a little “Desktop” file that’ll launch all the programs in one go.

!SaveState allows you to save the Desktop state, just like it used to work. In fact it’s slightly better than the old implementation, because it labels which program has output commands into the file, or whether they’re from modules. This makes it rather easier to separate out the bits you want from the rest of it.