Abstract: An application service provision apparatus is provided with one or more components to perform a dispatching and a shared resource monitoring function to allow applications be hosted with multiple versions of a hosting service runtime library in a more efficient manner. The dispatching function, upon receipt of a request for service for an application, determines if the version of the runtime library required is known. If not, the dispatching function turns to the latest version of the runtime library to determine the version required. In one embodiment, the required earlier versions are loaded only on an as needed basis. The shared resource monitoring function, upon detecting aggregated allocation of a shared resource reaching a pre-determined threshold, requests consumers of the shared resource to provide tracked last used times of their allocations. In response, the monitoring function selects a number of the allocations for release, and instructed the shared resource consumers accordingly.

Abstract: Successor versions of an application service provision runtime library of an application service provision apparatus are provided with corresponding update services to facilitate upgrade of applications to selected ones of the successor versions on request. In various embodiments, a dispatcher of the application service provision apparatus is provided with complementary functions to coordinate the servicing of the upgrade requests. In some embodiments, each of the update services is equipped to upgrade the application from an immediate predecessor version of the runtime library. In other embodiments, each of the update services is equipped to upgrade the application from any predecessor version of the runtime library.

Abstract: Successor versions of an application service provision runtime library of an application service provision apparatus are provided with corresponding update services to facilitate upgrade of applications to selected ones of the successor versions on request. In various embodiments, a dispatcher of the application service provision apparatus is provided with complementary functions to coordinate the servicing of the upgrade requests. In some embodiments, each of the update services is equipped to upgrade the application from an immediate predecessor version of the runtime library. In other embodiments, each of the update services is equipped to upgrade the application from any predecessor version of the runtime library.

Abstract: An application service provision apparatus is provided with one or more components to perform a dispatching and a shared resource monitoring function to allow applications be hosted with multiple versions of a hosting service runtime library in a more efficient manner. The dispatching function, upon receipt of a request for service for an application, determines if the version of the runtime library required is known. If not, the dispatching function turns to the latest version of the runtime library to determine the version required. In one embodiment, the required earlier versions are loaded only on an as needed basis. The shared resource monitoring function, upon detecting aggregated allocation of a shared resource reaching a pre-determined threshold, requests consumers of the shared resource to provide tracked last used times of their allocations. In response, the monitoring function selects a number of the allocations for release, and instructed the shared resource consumers accordingly.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for docking re-sizeable graphical user interface (GUI) boxes to a docking region located along a side of a primary GUI box with which the dock is associated. When a first GUI box becomes associated with a dock so that at least one resizeable GUI box is associated with a row of the dock to which the first GUI box is to be added, the dimensions of at least one GUI box associated with the row of the dock are altered automatically so that the docked GUI box occupies a prescribed length of a row of the dock.In a row containing at least two re-sizeable GUI boxes, a row minor splitter detection region is provided for simultaneously altering the along dimension of at least two of the re-sizeable GUI boxes. In a row containing at least one re-sizeable GUI box, a row major splitter detection region is provided for modifying the across dimension of the row and all re-sizeable windows contained in the row.