Abstract: To efficiently recognize characters from several character sets, a palmtop computer system is disclosed wherein more that one character input area is displayed. Each character input area is designed to recognize strokes that represent characters from a different character set. In one embodiment, the palmtop computer system has an alphabetic input area and a numeral input area. In such an embodiment, strokes entered in the alphabetic input area are interpreted as alphabetic characters and strokes entered in the numeral input area are interpreted as numerals.

Abstract: A multiprocessing system uses remote file managers associated with each remote processor to prepare data for storage in a disk storage array. The data are then transferred from the remote processor to a host processor over one bus, and routed from the host processor to the disk storage array over another bus, all without intervention by the file manager associated with the host processor. Remote sound managers interpret sound generator calls and route them to a host sound manager for transfer to a sound generating device. Processors transfer processing requests and data with one another through direct access to a portion of each processor's memory. Virtual storage disks are created for each processor by interpreting conventional files as disks in the remote file managers. Conventional network services are provided over a computer bus by interpreting conventional network commands and translating them into a form communicable over the bus.

Abstract: A computer display system includes a display screen capable of flipping between portrait orientation and landscape orientation and includes a method for repositioning and resizing display windows in response to flipping between such oprientations of the display screen. The windows are moved and resized according to a set of rules to yield displays which take advantage of the new orientation. Where the computer display system includes coordinated, multiple display screens, images controlled for display on fixed-orientation display screens do not change as a result of a flip between orientations of a variable-orientation display screen.

Abstract: The system and method for processing streams of coordinated data segments includes formatting the data segments into a single processing data word having a number of bits not less than the sum of the formatted data segments for common processing as a single data word in at least one clocked operating cycle.