I hate having to turn on the shower and wait until the warm water turns on. This wastes a little bit of water and because the water has been turned on when people walk into the shower they could slip. I always use the same temperature for my shower so I know exactly where I want the knob to be. I think that you should be able to turn the knob to a spot where you want it without any water coming out. That way the water will just heat up but not come out until you press a button or pull on the knob or something. This would prevent slipping and save a little bit of water.
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There is always a residual amount of water at room temperature in the pipes immediately behind the shower head so the temperature will never be absolutely on the mark when you start the shower. But the valve control that uses a lever to control the relationship to hot and cold water is universal here in Finland and probably is available where ever modern plumbing is sold. It can be set at any temperature but the general system is never precise enough to guarantee perfect accord to a desired temperature.
There are two ways to resolve this, and they are on the market, kind of.
One is an electric powered pump that is installed in the bathroom, under the vanity sink, which pumps water up the hot water line and sends it down the cold line until it is hot enough at the pump. You press a button to start the pump, and a thermostat attached to the pump housing turns it off.
The other is a point of use water heater, known in parts of the world as an Electric Shower, but not common in the USA/Canada.
classicsat - good call. I'd imagine the point of use heater becomes more common in the US. However there is a third option that about 1000 people per day are trying to ensure "always warm shower" - move to Florida. As you guessed, there are only two temperatures - warm and hot (cold is only found in the refrigerator).
Unless the city water lines are run above ground, the water will be ground cooled, so you will still have cold water in Florida or any other mild to tropic climate.
I think the pump is pretty ingenious of its own right. More people need to hear about it. The benefit of using the pump is that, when positioned at the faucet furthest away from the heater, every faucet gets faster access to hot water. Plenty of time and energy saved with one small pump.
As for the knob, there is a widely used model with two degrees of motion: twisting the dial determines the mix of temperatures, while pulling the dial actually permits the flow of water. The other widely used scheme I know of sends water to the bath faucet, where it can be adjusted before activating the valve that sends the water up to the shower spout.
Proper insulation is also key. If your pipes are in contact with any solid matter, it should be sheathing meant to preserve the temperature of the water.