Abstract: There is provided a method in a heterogeneous computer system having at least two CPU's accessing a common memory, which memory has stored therein at least two distinct operating systems. Client and Server Programs are also stored in the common memory. The Client Program is adapted for making function calls to the Server Program and the Server Program is adapted for returning results of the called function to the Client Program. Moreover, the Server Program is adapted for making function calls back to the Client Program and for receiving results therefrom. The Client Program includes procedures for invoking a Server Program function, for converting parameters and result data from a format compatible with the first operating system to one compatible with the second operating system and for passing data between the Client CPU and the Server CPU.

Abstract: The invention disclosed is an object-oriented apparatus and method in a computer system that offers important advantages over current programming practice in representing and managing ownership relationships of objects. An object can be owned as a single object or within a list, and it can change owners over time and change from being owned as a single object to being owned in a list or the other way around. An ownable object provides an operation to replace itself with a different ownable object. Ownable objects provide operations telling whether they are owned and whether they are owned in a list. Referential integrity is automatically maintained while giving the high performance of using memory pointers stored directly within the related objects.