Abstract: In a chat system user attention and activity can be reflected to other chat participants to increase communication effectiveness, immediacy, and quality. Further, efficient communication can be facilitated by a keyboard providing, in an intelligent manner, non-textual content for selection. User attention focus indicating the progress of a content consumption activity being performed using a display device can be determined and communicated to other chat participants. The content consumption activity can relate to content other than chat message text content. A graphical indication can be displayed to indicate an amount of chat message text input being input for a message that is not yet sent. Further, the indications of non-textual content for the keyboard can be populated according to content of a current chat or content of a chat history.

Abstract: Methods and systems for allocating a buffer from a buffer pool and for performing buffered rendering with animated transitions are described. An illustrative computer-implemented method includes steps of receiving, from a thread, a request for a buffer from a buffer pool associated with the thread, determining whether a first pre-existing buffer from the buffer pool associated with the thread can be allocated to the thread, and upon determining that the first pre-existing buffer can be allocated, allocating the first pre-existing buffer to the thread. Another illustrative computer-implemented method includes steps of receiving a request to render to a display, initiating a function to obtain a buffer for rendering to the display, receiving transition parameter data specifying how content of the buffer transitions to the display over a period of time, and rendering the content of the buffer in accordance to the transition parameter data.