Abstract: Operating a publicly accessible purchasing system including receiving, on a receipt date, from a purchaser, in a publicly accessible purchasing system, a deferred purchase request (“DPR”) for an item to be purchased; identifying a vendor; and issuing, in dependence upon the DPR, a purchase order to the vendor on a date subsequent to the receipt date. In some embodiments, a DPR includes an item identification for the item to be purchased, and identifying a vendor further comprises identifying a vendor in dependence upon the item identification. Some embodiments includes selecting a vendor in dependence upon vendor item prices. Some embodiments include selecting a vendor having a lowest vendor item price for the item to be purchased. Embodiments include selecting vendors in dependence upon purchasers' indicated maximum prices, in independence upon information in purchase orders previously issued to vendors, and in dependence upon proximity of a vendor to a purchaser.

Abstract: Publicly accessible purchasing systems including receiving from a purchaser in a publicly accessible purchasing system, a deferred purchase request (“DPR”), in which the DPR includes a DPR identification, a purchaser identification, an item description of an item to be purchased, an identification of a vendor, and an issue date when a purchase order is to be issued to the vendor. Embodiments also include creating the purchase order in dependence upon the DPR, and issuing the purchase order to the vendor on the issue date.

Abstract: Operation of a publicly accessible purchasing system, including receiving, on a receipt date, from a purchaser in a publicly accessible purchasing system, a deferred purchase request (“DPR”) for an item to be purchased; soliciting at least one bid from at least one vendor; receiving at least one bid from one or more bidding vendors; selecting a selected vendor, in dependence upon the at least one received bid; and issuing, in dependence upon the DPR, a purchase order to the selected vendor on a date subsequent to the receipt date. A DPR can include an instruction to solicit bids. A DPR can include an indication of a minimum number of bids to be solicited, the method further comprising terminating the DPR if the received bids number less than the minimum number of bids indicated by the bid number indication.

Abstract: A method, system, apparatus, and computer program product are presented for a meta-archive information server that provides a set of operations or services for obtaining information from a meta-archive; these operations may include dynamic indexing, searching, comparing, or other operations. A meta-archive is a set of one or more archive files that are logically grouped in (or otherwise associated with) a container object, e.g., a file system folder, a directory, or another archive file. By allowing a user to derive sets of information from an entire meta-archive, a user can maintain more files within archives, thereby reducing file system disorganization. The meta-archive information server can be easily run over a specific meta-archive when necessary, thereby generating information dynamically, even if the archive files within a meta-archive change over time.

Abstract: A method for preparing and automatically updating a greeting on a voice mail system comprising receiving a call to a voice mailbox, selecting a greeting template based on one or more conditions, identifying greeting parameters present within the greeting template, retrieving values for the greeting parameters, and generating a greeting using the values of the greeting parameters in accordance with the greeting template. The method allows the voice mailbox user to better manage incoming calls when the user is not available to accept them. The method further provides a benefit to the caller by providing a greeting that contains information tailored to benefit the caller, thereby helping the caller to decide, for example, whether or not to leave a voice mail message in the user's voice mailbox.

Abstract: The method, computer program and system enable a broadcaster to provide real-time questions to a remote audience and to receive real-time feedback from that audience. The method comprises broadcasting a performance and an index of selectable subjects that may be included in the performance to an audience, receiving audience votes for the selectable subjects, tabulating the votes for the selectable subjects, and scheduling the selectable subjects within the broadcast performance based upon the tabulated votes. Feedback from viewers can be received, tabulated and utilized for programming decisions while a performance or presentation is still in progress. In order to improve accessibility and participation in the voting process, preferably the viewer/listener feedback is accommodated through a number of communications media, such as through a telephone call by a viewer/listener to a special number, a smart cable box, or a web-based index.

Abstract: A system and method for dumping all or some exceptions in an object-oriented environment. The invention includes a Java virtual machine comprising: a system for enabling a verbose exceptions mode; and a system for dumping exceptions that occur during the running of the executable code when the verbose exceptions mode is enabled.

Abstract: An off-screen buffer manager controls when the off-screen buffer is destroyed and re-created improving system performance. A screen request is received for a Java screen component and a determination is made whether there is already an off-screen buffer. If there is not an off-screen buffer, a new off-screen buffer is created and the component requesting the screen request is associated with the off-screen buffer. If an off-screen buffer already exists, a determination is made as to whether the off-screen buffer is large enough to handle the incoming request. If the off-screen buffer is large enough to handle the request, the existing off-screen buffer is used to handle the request, otherwise, the existing off-screen buffer is deleted and a new off-screen buffer is created and the component identifier of the deleted off-screen buffer is associated with the new off-screen buffer.

Abstract: A method of software development comprising the steps of determining, through Java reflection API calls, a current software signature for each Java object, from a Java software application comprising Java application code, to be administered by a software development wizard, retrieving from a deployment descriptor a Java object deployment description for each said Java object, and detecting changes in the Java application code, wherein detecting changes includes contrasting the current software signatures and the retrieved Java object deployment descriptions. Exemplary embodiments also include displaying, for user revision through a user interface, representations of the detected changes in the Java application code, wherein user revision includes user confirmation of detected changes, recording user revisions in the deployment descriptor, and conforming the Java application code to the user revisions.

Abstract: The system, method and program of the invention enables a presentation authoring tool, that is used to create presentation data for later projection, to determine a recommended font size for the created presentation data displayed on a display screen of a computer executing the presentation authoring tool. The user interface presents a display screen for receiving input of an expected viewing distance for the later projection of the presentation. The recommended font is determined based upon the expected viewing distance of the later projection having a projected font size viewable by a person, having a certain vision capability, at the expected viewing distance. The expected viewing distance may be a maximum viewing distance or a room depth of a room in which the later projection takes place.

Abstract: A data processing system, method, and computer program product are disclosed for generating a generic compilation interface from a first object-oriented software package. All public classes included in the object-oriented software package are identified. For each of the public classes, all public entities included in each of the public classes are identified. All references to software defined in a second software package are removed from the public entities. An equivalent public class is then generated for each of the identified public classes. Each equivalent public class includes equivalent public entities that include no references to software defined in the second package. Each of the equivalent public classes is compiled. A compilation interface is generated for the object-oriented software package. The compilation interface includes each of the compiled equivalent public classes.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for a host platform interface (HPI), which defines a common set of functions implementing the native methods of Component Peer classes within the Java AWT. This allows the diverse native method implementations currently used in different versions of the AWT to be combined into a single body of source code, greatly improving code maintainability. Since the same source code defines a Component Peer class for each supported platform, changes or bug fixes need only be made in one body of code.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for a common set of Component Peer classes for the Java abstract windowing toolkit (AWT). The native methods employed by the various platform-specific versions of a Peer class are similar in operation, but contain differences in the source code of the C/C++ functions that implement them. Consequently, they represent distinct bodies of software, which must be supported and maintained separately. The present invention provides a basis for replacing the diverse versions of the Component Peers with a single set, employing a standardized set of native methods. This results in a unique codebase for the Component Peers, across all the supported operating systems, thereby reducing the effort required to maintain and upgrade the software.

Abstract: A method of extending telecommunications service, wherein the method is implemented in an extension application server. The extension application server is coupled for data communications to a customer data source and to a telecommunications server. The telecommunications server includes, installed and operating upon the telecommunications server, a multiplicity of telecommunications extension services. The method of extending telecommunications service includes receiving, in the extension application server, from a requesting telecommunications extension service in the telecommunications server, a telecommunications service request; preparing, in dependence upon information from the customer data source, a response to the telecommunications service request; and transmitting the response to the requesting telecommunications extension service.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for a Java X font server, capable of displaying high quality text images on a remote display over a network based on the X Window graphical interface. This system and method avoids reliance on the rasterizer in the X server. The Java X font server runs in the client computer and creates the glyphs corresponding to the text to be displayed, using the high performance font rasterizer within the JVM. When the client needs to display text, it makes a request of the X server. If the necessary glyphs are not locally available in the X server, the request is relayed to the Java X font server. The Java X font server then generates the glyphs and transmits them to the X server, where they are cached for subsequent use.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for a functional extension of the Swing application program interface (API), which makes the platform-independent features of Swing available to legacy Java applications whose user interface is based on the abstract windowing toolkit (AWT). The enhanced API, referred to herein as AWTSwing, provides a completely portable set of graphics components, which are independent of the native windowing resources of the operating system. This allows the user interface of an application to preserve a consistent look and feel across diverse platforms, such as Windows, Unix, OS/2, etc. The use of AWTSwing also improves code maintainability; since the same user interface program serves each platform, changes or bug fixes need only be made in one body of code.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed whereby the normal mechanism for color inheritance for the Swing application program interface (API) is altered to provide consistency with legacy Java applications in which the graphical user interface (GUI) is based on the abstract windowing toolkit (AWT) in legacy applications. According to the system and method disclosed herein, if the background color of a GUI object (such as a button) is explicitly declared, the object will be displayed with that color. Otherwise, the object inherits the background color defined by global settings in the Swing API. If no such settings are in effect, the object inherits the background color of its parent (as is the case in legacy AWT-based applications). This modification is available in an extension to Swing, referred to herein as AWTSwing.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed whereby two components within the Swing application program interface (API), JTextField and JPasswordField, are used to emulate the behavior of the TextField component in the abstract windowing toolkit (AWT). This allows legacy Java applications, based on the AWT, to be migrated to the platform-independent Swing API, without modification. In the AWT, a single TextField component could be used for ordinary text entry, as well as for password protected text entry. In the latter case, a prescribed echo character would be displayed as text was entered, to avoid displaying privileged information. According to the system and method disclosed herein, a JPasswordField component may be substituted for a JTextField component, or vice-versa, depending on whether an echo character has been specified. This substitution is performed at runtime, using an enhanced version of the Swing API, as disclosed herein. The enhanced version of Swing is referred to herein as AWTSwing.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for fast text drawing in an enhanced version of the Swing application program interface for Java applications. According to the system and method, two lightweight component peers, JTextFieldPeer and JfastLabelPeer, are created. These peers allow the Swing components, JTextField and JLabel, to define the look and feel of the TextField and Label in the graphical user interface for the application; however, they are not allowed to draw the text. Instead, special fast text drawing code within the peers themselves is used to draw the text. Once the text has been initially drawn, editing functions are handled by the Swing components, as is normal. Furthermore, the special fast text drawing routines are assigned a low event priority, making it possible for text to be updated even after it has been buffered and is waiting to be drawn. These features significantly accelerate text rendering. The enhanced version of Swing is referred to herein as AWTSwing.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed whereby a list-based control (e.g., a Listbox or Choice control) in a graphical user interface may share a single copy of a list with the peer component of the control in the application program interface (API) used to display the control. This overcomes a problem in legacy Java applications, based on the abstract windowing toolkit API, wherein the peer component creates a copy of the list when the corresponding list-based control is displayed. In contrast, peer components within the Swing API reference the original version of the list associated with the control, avoiding this redundancy. According to the system and method disclosed herein, an enhanced version of Swing can be used with legacy application programs, allowing them to benefit from this feature of Swing. No modification of the legacy code is necessary. This extension to Swing is referred to herein as AWTSwing.