Importance

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Abstract

A computer system for disparate windowing environments includes a server which leverages as much of one windowing environment's code as possible, and uses another windowing environment's code only in cases either to remain compliant with the other windowing Environment's protocol or where the other windowing environment's code is clearly more suited for a given task. The server according to the present invention is made up of two basic components: a front end adapted for the first windowing environment, which is a network-aware application that serves up high-level application programming interfaces (e.g., create window, draw line, draw text) to a complementary component, a translation layer, running as a daemon on a UNIX machine. A custom protocol is used to communicate between the front end and the translation layer, in order to separate out functionality that can be handled ideally on a UNIX platform, such as property lists and atom management and place only the code that is absolutely necessary, such as window manipulation, rendering primitives and input event handling, on the PC. By placing code on a UNIX platform where system resources are typically not constrained, more system memory is made available on the PC. Each of the above attributes dramatically reduce system memory requirements and improve system performance.

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First Claim