Abstract: For use in a personal computer provided with at least two independent applications made available to a user at a graphic user interface, a desktop located icon, one or more, is shown so that the user may easily implement the link into one or the other of the available applications. The icon is implemented by a click and drag manipulation. This provides a link to application independent material, e.g., audio or visual relational database material. The applications can be enhanced selectively by the user through the graphic user interface.

Abstract: A system and method for interpreting messages sent from an I/O device to an application object in an object-oriented environment, such that the messages interpretation of these messages will be consistent regardless of the I/O device used to generate them. Dynamic binding is used to interpret any object-object interactions that may occur. In general, the message interpretation abilities of the present invention allows additional I/O devices to be used with the object-oriented environment without having to update all the application objects in the environment.