Abstract: “Experience Streams” (ESs) are used by a “rich interactive narrative” (RIN) data model as basic building blocks that are combined in a variety of ways to enable or construct a large number of RIN scenarios for presenting interactive narratives to the user. In general various ES types contain all the information required to define and populate a particular RIN, as well as the information (in the form of a series of navigable states) that charts an animated and interactive course through each RIN. In other words, combinations of various ES provide a scripted path through a RIN environment, as well as various UI controls and/or toolbars that enable user interaction with the interactive narrative provided by each RIN. Example ESs include, but are not limited, content browser experience streams, zoomable media experience streams, relationship graph experience streams, player-controls/toolbar experience streams, etc.

Abstract: An exemplary network gateway is capable of accepting a session-related message having a session identifier field; the network gateway is adapted to extract a host identifier from a value populating the session identifier field and to perform a routing operation for the session-related message using the host identifier. For an exemplary media implementation, processor-executable instructions direct a device to perform actions including: ascertaining a host identifier from a session identifier field of a session message; and routing the session message responsive to the ascertained host identifier. An exemplary apparatus includes: at least one processor; and one or more media including processor-executable instructions that are capable of being executed by the at least one processor to direct the apparatus to perform actions including: receiving a session message having a session identifier including a host identifier; and routing the session message responsive to the host identifier.

Abstract: A platform that facilitates software application development, maintenance, and support includes a storage component that receives structured and unstructured data pertaining to at least one application subject to development, maintenance, or support and causes the structured and unstructured data to be stored in a distributed fashion over a plurality of accessible data repositories. The storage component causes the structured and unstructured data to be stored in the data repositories such that the structured and unstructured data is accessible through utilization of a common access format. An executor component executes an analytical process over the structured and unstructured data and generates a first dataset, wherein the storage component causes the first dataset to be stored in at least one of the plurality of accessible data repositories in a format that is accessible by front end analysis applications.

Abstract: An exemplary network gateway is capable of accepting a session-related message having a session identifier field; the network gateway is adapted to extract a host identifier from a value populating the session identifier field and to perform a routing operation for the session-related message using the host identifier. For an exemplary media implementation, processor-executable instructions direct a device to perform actions including: ascertaining a host identifier from a session identifier field of a session message; and routing the session message responsive to the ascertained host identifier. An exemplary apparatus includes: at least one processor; and one or more media including processor-executable instructions that are capable of being executed by the at least one processor to direct the apparatus to perform actions including: receiving a session message having a session identifier including a host identifier; and routing the session message responsive to the host identifier.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer program product provide applications and application developers with generic access from user mode to the L2CAP layer of Bluetooth by exposing the L2CAP layer to user mode via a socket interface. In particular, a kernel mode primary component and user mode helper component cooperate to expose a Winsock interface to user mode components, and to manage various Bluetooth-specific functions and operations, allowing a user mode user application to access Bluetooth functionality without providing Bluetooth-specific commands or actions, and without being required to use RFCOMM.

Abstract: A spatial region, such as a geographic region, may be represented by a series of vectors in a binary tree or other binary representation. The binary tree may be generated by successively dividing a region into smaller rectangles or vectors, until either a vector is completely within the region or reaches a size limit. The vectors may be ordered, allowing a linear comparison between two binary trees to determine if one space overlaps the other. Because the comparison between two ordered binary trees results in an ordered binary tree, subsequent comparisons may also be performed linearly.

Abstract: A cross-lingual location search uses a combination of translation and transliteration of query tokens to develop a set of candidate matches for further searching. A query is broken up into individual tokens (e.g. address parts) and a list of transliterations and/or translations for each token is developed. The translated and transliterated results are keyed against a spatial database using both literal database keys and transliterated database keys. Matches from the resulting searches are selected when a spatial overlap, or constraint, occurs among subsequences of the query tokens.

Abstract: During software development, both before and after release, information may be collected and stored that may provide insight to developers as a generalized service. For example, data from past debugging sessions, source code in various repositories, bug repositories, discussion groups, and various documents may provide relevant information for software developers to fix current problems when this information is coherently matched with the problem. Using various sources, a system may mine the stored data to give the current developer information related to past code development, and reveal why the code changed throughout previous development. Using sophisticated analyses to identify similar code patterns across multiple large software projects, discovering patterns in normal and abnormal uses of particular software interfaces, and employing other mining techniques, a developer may find domain-specific information to facilitate ongoing software development.

Abstract: An automated task centered collaboration technique is described that significantly lowers the technological entry barrier for the development and deployment of a broad class of collaborative applications, which are termed Task Centered Collaboration (TCC) applications. TCC applications facilitate the processing of a large number of work items, or tasks, by people working independently or in small, synchronously collaborating groups. The technique also provides a mechanism for the study of computer mediated communication and human-computer interactions for this class of applications. The technique creates an abstraction applicable to the broad class of TCC applications, which enables the factoring out of significant portions of the application into a common infrastructure.

Abstract: In a first exemplary media implementation, one or more processor-accessible media include processor-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a system to perform actions that include: accumulating host status information at multiple hosts; and sending the accumulated host status information from the multiple hosts. In a second exemplary media implementation, one or more processor-accessible media include processor-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a system to perform actions that include: receiving host status information from multiple hosts; and making load balancing decisions responsive to the received host status information.

Abstract: In a first exemplary implementation, one or more processor-accessible media include processor-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a system to perform actions including: receiving host status information from multiple hosts; and making load balancing decisions responsive to the received host status information. In a second exemplary implementation, a system includes: session tracking infrastructure that is adapted to acquire session information; and load balancing infrastructure that is adapted to utilize the session information when routing connection requests to multiple hosts.

Abstract: In an exemplary device implementation, a device includes: a connection migrator that is configured to migrate connections away from the device; the connection migrator capable of precipitating a compilation of protocol state for a connection across a protocol stack; the connection migrator adapted to aggregate the compiled protocol state with data for the connection into an aggregated connection state; the connection migrator further capable of causing the aggregated connection state to be sent toward a target device. In an exemplary media implementation, processor-executable instructions direct a device to perform actions including: obtaining at least a portion of a source/destination pair from a packet; accessing an encapsulation mapping table using the at least a portion of the source/destination pair to locate an encapsulation mapping entry; extracting a flow identifier from the encapsulation mapping entry; and replacing part of the packet with the flow identifier to produce an encapsulated packet.

Abstract: In an exemplary media implementation, one or more processor-accessible media include processor-executable instructions that, when executed, enable a system to facilitate actions including: operating network load balancing infrastructure in a first configuration; scaling out the network load balancing infrastructure; and operating the scaled-out network load balancing infrastructure in at least one other configuration. In another exemplary media implementation, one or more processor-accessible media include processor-executable instructions that, when executed, enable a system to be configured such that different percentages of system resources may be allocated to different network-load-balancing functions.

Abstract: In an exemplary method implementation, a method includes: receiving a packet requesting a new connection at a forwarding component; sending the packet from the forwarding component to a classifying component; selecting, by the classifying component, a route for the new connection; and plumbing, by the classifying component, the route for the new connection by causing a new entry to be added in a local routing table of the forwarding component. In an exemplary media implementation, one or more processor-accessible media include processor-executable instructions that, when executed, enable a system to perform actions including: receiving a first packet for a connection at first forwarding functionality; plumbing a route for the connection at the first forwarding functionality; receiving a second packet for the connection at second forwarding functionality; and plumbing the route for the connection at the second forwarding functionality using a distributed session tracking table.

Abstract: Diagnosing problems in distributed systems. In one aspect, a model of a distributed system defines trace statements are generated by various nodes of the system and placed in log files. The log files are sent to an automatic validator that attempts to reconcile the trace statements against the model. Results of the attempt are indicated. In another aspect, trace statements are received by a multiplexer that creates an ordering via sequence numbers. The ordering is forwarded to an automatic validator to determine whether the trace statements indicate correct behavior.

Abstract: A method for providing an interface to a Bluetooth compliant device can emulate a modem such that computer software programs can communicate through the Bluetooth compliant device in the same manner in which they would communicate through a standard modem to access a dial-up, wide area network. The method also supports an interface to a Bluetooth compliant device which can emulate a network socket such that computer software programs can communicate through the Bluetooth compliant device seemingly in the same manner in which they would communicate through a standard network interface card to access a local area network. The method also allows for the interface to a Bluetooth compliant device to be dependent on the nature of the Bluetooth compliant device.

Abstract: Applications can transparently use a bus, such as the IEEE-1394 serial bus, as if it were an Ethernet (IEEE 802.3). In a conventional Ethernet, each node is assigned a unique 6-byte MAC address in order to receive frames addressed to it over the LAN. According to the invention, IEEE-1394 bus node identifiers are mapped to Ethernet MAC addresses using for example a digital signature algorithm. Ethernet frames are then “wrapped” into 1394 bus packets and addressed to the destination node using the hashed address. The receiver unwraps the 1394 packet and restores the Ethernet frame to its original form. An optimum packet size for transmission of Ethernet packets over the 1394 bus is selected with reference to speed topology maps in the 1394 bus nodes, and this optimum size is transmitted to bus nodes. This packet size is reported to TCP to specify the packet size, and all packets larger than that size are fragmented and reassembled at the receiving node.

Abstract: The invention provides quality-of-service (QoS) delivery services over a computer bus having isochronous data transfer capabilities. A transmitting node on the bus transmits a message to an intended recipient indicating a requested bandwidth for a connection. If the intended recipient has sufficient resources, it allocates an isochronous data channel on the bus and notifies the transmitter of the allocated channel. Thereafter, the transmitter transmits the data on the allocated channel. If the recipient cannot allocate a channel, it does not respond, and the transmitter thereafter detects a time-out condition and begins transmitting using a “best efforts” scheme (i.e., non-guaranteed time delivery). In a second variation, a receiving node detects that it is receiving large quantities of data from a transmitting node. In response, the receiving node allocates an isochronous data channel on the bus and notifies the transmitter of the allocated channel.

Abstract: The invention allows applications to transparently use a bus, such as the IEEE-1394 serial bus, as if it were an Ethernet (IEEE 802.3). In a conventional Ethernet, each node is assigned a unique 6-byte MAC address in order to receive frames addressed to it over the LAN. According to the invention, IEEE-1394 bus node identifiers are mapped to Ethernet MAC addresses using for example a digital signature algorithm. Ethernet frames are then “wrapped” into 1394 bus packets and addressed to the destination node using the hashed address. The receiver unwraps the 1394 packet and restores the Ethernet frame to its original form. An optimum packet size for transmission of Ethernet packets over the 1394 bus is selected with reference to speed topology maps in the 1394 bus nodes, and this optimum size is transmitted to bus nodes. This packet size is reported to TCP to specify the packet size, and all packets larger than that size are fragmented and reassembled at the receiving node.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer program product provide applications and application developers with generic access from user mode to the L2CAP layer of Bluetooth by exposing the L2CAP layer to user mode via a socket interface. In particular, a kernel mode primary component and user mode helper component cooperate to expose a Winsock interface to user mode components, and to manage various Bluetooth-specific functions and operations, allowing a user mode user application to access Bluetooth functionality without providing Bluetooth-specific commands or actions, and without being required to use RFCOMM.