Abstract: A method, computer program product and system for displaying images during the execution of an application. A developer of an application inserts application hooks at particular locations in the code of the application to be executed. An application hook could be a call to a function in a utility code where the call includes the passing of a “key name”. The called function may retrieve an image located at an image file name in a configuration file associated with the key name if such an image file exists. Presentations that demonstrate the execution of the application may be easily modified by adding, deleting or replacing images at these file names. These modifications may be made without modifying the code of the application being executed. In this manner, different images used in different presentations may be displayed to different targeted audiences without modifying the code of the executed application.

Abstract: A method, computer program product and system for detecting previously installed applications on a system. An installer program may invoke an application programming interface to call a software component, referred to as a “manager”, to detect previously installed applications on the system. The manager may be configured to query detection mechanisms, referred to as “collectors”, to perform their own detection techniques to detect applications installed on the system. Since each collector may perform its own unique detection technique, the collectors may be used together to detect more applications installed on the system than if the installer program attempted to detect the applications installed on the system by itself.

Abstract: Enabling automated provisioning on a data processing network includes providing the network with access to an automated provisioning controller. The controller enables a user to specify resource allocation priorities and uses the user-specified priorities, in conjunction with a resource stabilization policy, to resolve conflicting resource requests. The resource allocation priorities include priorities for demand-based resource requests and maintenance-based resource requests. The stabilization policy includes a policy for constraining allocation of a resource based on forecasted demand and a policy for constraining allocation of a resource based on a scheduled maintenance task.

Abstract: A method and software for fulfilling a resource request in a data processing network includes specifying characteristics of the requested resource responsive to detecting the resource request. A set of attributes is then derived from the specified characteristics. The specified characteristics indicate broad or general properties of the needed resource while the derived attributes preferably indicate the hardware and software components of a resource ideally suited to fulfill the resource request. Attribute information associated an available resource is then evaluated against the attributes derived from the specified characteristics. An available resource is then selected, based on the evaluation, to satisfy the resource request. The attributes of the selected resource best match the attributes derived from the specified characteristics.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for distributing meeting minutes from an instant messaging session. Meeting minutes are generated using data from the instant messaging session, in response to receiving a user input to distribute text from the instant messaging session. The meeting minutes are then distributed by email to a list of recipients.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for allowing areas of a display to be associated with particular instant messaging users. The present invention provides a menu option to allow a user to select whether to have instant messaging dialog windows open up in the same position as the current window, or alternatively, to have the dialog windows from a specific person open up in a specified location on the display. Thus, the instant messaging software may allow window positions to be associated and “saved” with particular users. A user may create roles or add individual people to a preferences list to allow for different instant messaging window preferences for each role or person. In this manner, a user may specify areas of the display in which an instant messaging dialog window may open according to the various roles.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for predicting the availability of an instant messaging user in an instant messaging system and providing that information to a message sender. The present invention analyzes a user's collaborative data to determine the user's availability to respond to an instant message and monitors z-order movement of an instant messaging window on a user's screen to determine how much attention the user is paying to the instant messaging. The instant messaging application then uses the collaborative data and the z-order information to predict the availability of the user to respond to the instant message. This information is subsequently displayed to an instant messaging partner in the partner's instant messaging window.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for sending a user's availability information to an instant messaging (IM) partner. A user predefines areas of the user's display and associates these predefined areas, or “hotspots”, with user defined messages. If the user is not available to immediately respond to an incoming message, the user may move the IM dialog window to a “hotspot” in the display. Depending upon the user-defined message associated with the “hotspot”, the IM application generates an automated response indicating the user's availability to respond to the message, and sends the message to the IM partner. The user also may predefine and associate the user's IM status with a “hotspot”. Moving an IM dialog window into a “hotspot” automatically changes the user's status based on the associated “hotspot”. This change is communicated to only the particular IM dialog window partner while other IM partners are unaffected.