Abstract: The disclosure presents categorization of users into groups comprising expert users and novice users. A system and method analyzes the users' inputted data in helpdesk troubleshooting software to determine the deviation of novice users from expert users, or the deviation of novice users to a preconfigured behavior as determined by management policy. Other embodiments are also disclosed.

Abstract: An embodiment of the invention provides relative bookmarks that are sharable between developers engaged in product development utilizing integrated design environment applications. The relative bookmarks are sharable in that they can be exported, imported, activated and deactivated. The relative bookmarks are relative in that they do not rely on the original code line and contain at least function and/or data flow information, facilitating quick identification of relevant lines of code that have been previously bookmarked. The relative bookmarks can also be utilized to insert breakpoints.

Abstract: A method, system and article of manufacture are disclosed for creating a graphical user interface (GUI) item, in a computer system having a graphical user interface and a display screen. The method includes the step of enabling a user to create one or more instances of a defined GUI item. This enabling step, in turn, includes the steps of displaying on the display screen a Universal Graphical User Interface (UGUI) item; and identifying on the display screen, in a defined manner associated with the display of the UGUI item, a desired GUI item. In response to said identifying this desired GUI item, the displayed UGUI item is visually transformed on the display screen to said desired GUI item. The UGUI item may be a UGUI element or a UGUI relation for indicating the relation between two GUI elements.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for modeling non-deterministic queues for efficient model checking. In this method and system, a multitude of messages are held in a plurality of queues, and these messages having n priorities. The method comprises the steps of providing (n+1) queues, including a first queue, and n priority queues; passing said messages from a source to the first queue; passing each of said messages from the first queue to one of said n priority queues based on the priority of the message; and passing each of said messages from the n priority queues to a destination based on the priority of the message. One or more non-deterministic waits are introduced into one or more of the passing steps to simplify passing the messages into or out of the n priority queues.

Abstract: Within the exemplary embodiments a user is presented with a GUI comprising a main modeling interface window wherein a convention-based model is constructed. The GUI further comprises and an icon repository window wherein the basic modeling tools that are provided within the exemplary embodiments are displayed to the user. Using conventional input devices, a user can drag the representations of the icons that are displayed within the icon repository window into the main modeling interface window in order to construct a desired convention-based model.

Abstract: Systems, methods and computer products for comparing computer models to show differences. Exemplary embodiments include a method for examining changes to a data model in a computer system having a keyboard and a display, the method including examining a computer model having a plurality of model attributes, identifying each model attribute and assigning a unique identifier to each model attribute, storing information about each uniquely identified model attribute, collecting data related to edits performed on of each of the uniquely identified model attributes, providing a user selectable comparison for each of the uniquely identified model attributes such that when a model attribute is selected, data particular to the model attribute is extracted using the unique identifier from a previous iteration of the model attribute and presenting the extracted data next to the current iteration of the model attribute to allow a visual comparison of the two iterations.

Abstract: A method and system capable of creating UML protocol state machine for classes and interfaces of a software, by instrumenting the software to obtain a call graph comprising classes and interfaces and respective values associated with class variables and interface variables; identifying particular classes and interfaces in the call graph; identifying call patterns from the call graph to generate a protocol state machine.