A not-so-well-known feature of Apple’s new operating system, Mac OS X Lion, is one that those who frequent coffee shops and other “working” establishments are sure to love. Us included. Browserless login to captive Wi-Fi.

TUAW outlines the process in a pretty simple way:

If you’ve ever used one of these institutional wireless offerings, you know how they work: first you connect to the Wi-Fi network, then you pop open a browser tab and try to navigate to any external site. If you’re not authenticated yet, the service throws up an interrogation page asking for your credentials, or just an acceptance of the terms and conditions — click through and you’re online. Most airport & hotel Wi-Fi networks behave this way, as does AT&T’s WLAN in Starbucks stores, and the subscriber networks from Optimum Online, Time Warner Cable, Boingo and others.

In Lion, you can skip step two. The OS itself notices that you’re not connected all the way to the Internet, and puts up a small Webkit window where you can log in or accept the T&Cs.

Certainly not a huge feature of Mac OS X Lion, but simple and effective. It’s the little things, right?