> I can't see how a font could have or lack a "feature"
Oh boy. Everything about a typeface is a feature, and many of them are functional and not just stylistic choices.
- Monospace glyphs are a feature almost everyone here is familiar with and appreciates.
- Serifs are a feature for readability
- Open apertures like in humanist fonts are more readable
- Closed apertures in grotesque fonts make the text more dense
- Stroke contrast
- X-height
- Variety of weights
- Ligatures
- Dotted or slashed zero to distinguish it from capital O
- Features to distinguish capital I and lowercase l glyphs
...these are all features of a typeface.
Not to mention all the far-out OpenType features.
I get where you're coming from, but the analogy sort of breaks down here - those of us who work with text editors all the time love our tool of choice because it has features that make our lives easier. I can't see how a font could have or lack a "feature".