Abstract: A list of graphics orders defining the graphics objects to be displayed is processed to generate a list of modified graphics orders representing those portions of the graphics objects not overlaid by an overlapping area. The mechanisms for clipping to the inside of a bounded area are adapted to determine what portion of an area of graphics lies outside a bounded area. The invention includes techniques for dealing with graphics in the form of lines, areas bounded by lines, and images including arrays of picture elements or symbol set characters.

Abstract: A method and system for translating goto-oriented procedural languages into object oriented languages. A class structure is selected into which the source program will be transformed. The class structure is selected based upon the granularity of translation. The lowest level of granularity involves the translation of each source program statement into an executable object in the resulting object oriented program. Highest level of granularity translates the entire source program into a single object in the resultant program. The transformation program causes the construction of an output program that creates instances of each object type with parameters based upon the input source program. The parameters can specify branching logic to replace goto statements and they involve generation of executable method code to implement processing logic of the procedural source program. Intermediate levels of granularity are also possible.

Abstract: A system and process for enhancing procedural software using object oriented classes. Implementation classes are constructed that provide a defined object oriented interface to applications and are able to invoke the procedural software using defined procedural application program interfaces (APIs). New function is added to the software by adding classes that interface to the implementation classes or directly to the procedural API. The new function builds upon the procedural software without accessing the procedural software source code or modifying that source code.

Abstract: A rendering method is provided that can materialize rendering processing from volume data at high speed using a surface rendering processor without restrictions on the structure of volume data to be processed. In the method, the sampling points of volume data V over a 3-D region are, in principle, arranged on the surfaces Q.sub.1, Q.sub.2, . . . Q.sub.n in equal intervals along a viewing ray L around viewing point p, and these surfaces are extracted as a set of triangles T.sub.i. Then, the volume data at each vertex of these triangles and the gradient vectors of this data are obtained by interpolation and generated as a triangle data group. High-speed volume rendering is materialized by displaying the data groups of these partially transparent triangles using a surface rendering processor. Since existing programs can be used for generation and processing of triangle data groups, there are no restrictions on the structure of the volume data to be handled.

Abstract: A system and method for compressing portions of the operating system in a ROM image and for executing the system from the compressed image. Compression is used to reduce the size of the ROM image to reduce component cost. Low use segments are compressed. The operating system is initialized into a virtual address space with entries only for the uncompressed segments. Attempts to execute a compressed segment result in a page fault. The page fault handler determines that the segment is compressed, allocates a new page and decompresses the page into RAM for execution. The RAM copy of the segment is used for execution until the page is reused for another purpose. Later execution causes a new page fault and reallocation.

Abstract: A system and method for loading dynamic data stored in read-only memory (ROM) is loaded into random access memory (RAM) only when it is being modified. Unmodified dynamic data is used from ROM saving valuable RAM space. Virtual memory page table entries are created for all dynamic data with the physical reference pointing to the dynamic data in ROM. Page table entries in a translation table for dynamic data in ROM include a virtual address to physical address mapping and are marked read-only causing a write-access exception if an attempt is made to write to or update the dynamic data. Write-access exceptions are intercepted, and a write-access exception caused by an attempt to write to dynamic data in ROM causes the system to allocate a dynamic data page in RAM, copy the ROM data to the RAM, update the page table entry to point to the RAM page rather than the ROM page, and finally to update the dynamic data now present in read-write RAM.

Abstract: The invention concerns the transfer of messages between objects within an OOP program. Each message is transmitted to a message filter which then chooses the most appropriate mechanism to transmit that message to the destination object. The path chosen could be a system messaging technique for messages of a type to be transmitted anywhere within the computer or alternatively could be in the form of a direct call for messages to be transmitted to objects within the same program thread. The message path best suited to the message type and destination object is used to transmit the message.

Abstract: This invention generally relates to improvements in digital audio processing and more particularly to digitally filtering stereo data in parallel to increase the quality of the audio information in an efficient manner.

Abstract: An operating system for manipulating the orientation of an output image of a data processing system provides operating system support to rotate an image output to a device driver at rendering time for printing in portrait or landscape mode and for displaying the image in increments of 90 decree rotations. A user or system sets a rotation for all output images sent to the peripheral device, regardless of what application provides the image, and the operating system performs the rotation on all output images sent to the particular output device.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for detecting adapter cards and associated resources in an information handling system is disclosed. Snoop levels for controlling execution of one or more snooper software modules which detect adapter cards and associated resources and for controlling allocation of resources to the snooper software modules are provided. Each snoop level allows for varying degrees of resource allocation. Snoop levels are selected in response to whether any adapter cards have been removed from or added to the computer system, thereby restricting the amount of snooping which occurs to limit the risk of resource conflicts.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for using a device driver, or similarly system dependent software, of an operating system, which is single-tasking, in an operating system environment, which is multi-tasking. Each operating system operates according to known predefined driver models. The invention converts the calls from the multi-tasking system into calls of the single-tasking system by mapping the device driver command codes and entry points in accordance with the driver models of each operating system. The converted calls are provided to state logic, which also receives responses from the device driver. The state logic ensures that calls to the device driver are sequentialized, thus avoiding contention issues that may occur as a consequence of the multi-tasking environment and which the device driver may not have the appropriate functionality to handle. In this fashion, investments in system software, such as device drivers and TSRs, may be extended along the life of a subsequent operating system.

Abstract: A name space registry manages name space data within a computer operating system including configuration and initialization data. The registry provides access to the configuration information by means of an application program interface (API) for programs which can operate with the name space registry. Backward source-code compatibility is provided for older applications by maintaining configuration and initialization files that the older applications use to store configuration and initialization data under their traditional file names and with the traditional contents. Thus the older applications can directly access these files. The registry provides newer programs access to these configuration and initialization files through API program calls.

Abstract: The present invention is a system and method of parsing system trace information to generate separate timelines of schedulable processes. System operation trace files are accurately parsed into schedulable processes without reliance on explicit context switching information provided by an operating system or trace tool. The invention accurately detects and parses nested event-pairs for display by a visualization tool, and allows a user to view either a nested or unnested visualization.

Abstract: A system and method for determining whether or not a non-system pointer is equivalent to a system pointer. The system and the non-system pointer each have pointer IDs. The system first determines whether the pointer ID of the non-system pointer is in a table of pointer IDs and flagged in the table as being equivalent to the system pointer. Whenever the pointer ID of the non-system pointer is not in the table of pointer IDs, the system determines, based on the shape of the non-system pointer, whether the non-system pointer is equivalent to the system pointer.

Abstract: A system and method for managing a mobile file system cache to maximize data storage and reduce problems from cache full conditions. Cache management automatically determines when the space available in the cache falls below a user-specified threshold. The cache manager attempts to free space needed for caching the next object. Files are deleted from the cache if no server updates are pending and if such deletion will provide the needed space. If automatic deletion does not provide sufficient space, the user is prompted for action. The system user can control the cache by increasing or reducing its size and drive allocation and can explicitly evict clean files from the cache. Cache expansion can be to logical or physical storage devices different than those on which the original cache is stored. The system enables separate storage of temporary files allowing identification and deletion of such files.

Abstract: A system, method and article of manufacture for automatically inserting transactional recoverability object service in binary classes in an information handling system employing object oriented technology, includes the steps of recognizing a constraint indicating that an object is not recoverable and generating a recoverable version of the object. One alternative for generating a recoverable version of the object includes the step of saving a first state of the object in a stream before execution of any method which might change the state of the object. Another alternative for the generating step includes the steps of creating a persistence synchronous class object, registering the persistence synchronous class object, and executing the persistence synchronous class object.

Abstract: A prior art naming module supports binding of an object to a name in a Naming Context (i.e., a directory). The present invention extends this original module to support properties (data about bindings), searching (finding bindings given constraints on properties) and indexing (for speeding up the search on certain property names). The ExtendedNamingContext (ENC) is a subclass of the OMG NamingContext (NC) that introduces properties, searching and indexing.

Abstract: A data processing system graphical user interface that is customizable to any user-selected color bitmap image is provided. According to the present invention, a user-selected color bitmap image containing a plurality of major objects is imported into the data processing system and set as a scene for the data processing system's graphical user interface. Major objects in the scene are then automatically identified, wherein a major object is one having a plurality of pixels of a selected characteristic. An identified major object is then selected and associated with a set of data, such that when the major object is subsequently selected, a particular data processing system operation is automatically performed utilizing the associated data set.

Abstract: A method, system and process for enhancing a database server by improving dynamic memory allocation and memory copying during the process of reconstructing a data structure from a communication buffer.

Abstract: A method for graphically displaying audio data within a computer system is disclosed. A frame size is first selected for an audio data file and the audio data file is divided into a multiple number of frames. Except for the last frame, each frame contains a substantially equal number of audio data samples. Then a multiple of variables is initialized. For each frame, a first data value, a high data value, a low data value, and a last data value are selected. Each of these four data values is stored in the appropriate variable. The data selection process continues until the last frame of the data file is reached. Finally, a line connecting all the selected data value points for each frame is displayed on a graphic display.