Abstract: A drag-and-drop operation in a graphical user interface is controlled dependence upon whether the destination for the operation is a content object or a service object. If the destination of a drag-and-drop operation is a content object, the resulting action is to move the dragged object from its original location to the destination. If the destination is a service object, the resulting action is to perform the associated service on the dragged object without affecting the perceived location of the data contained in the dragged object. If the user desires that an operation other than a move be made when dragging an object to a content object, a specified key on a keyboard is pressed, to indicate that the drag-and-drop operation should make a copy, rather than merely move the object. If the source of the dragged object does not permit the user to move the object, the user can be presented with an option to copy the object when the drag-and-drop operation is carried out.

Abstract: A drag-and-drop operation in a graphical user interface is controlled dependence upon whether the destination for the operation is a content object or a service object. If the destination of a drag-and-drop operation is a content object, the resulting action is to move the dragged object from its original location to the destination. If the destination is a service object, the resulting action is to perform the associated service on the dragged object without affecting the perceived location of the data contained in the dragged object. If the user desires that an operation other than a move be made when dragging an object to a content object, a specified key on a keyboard is pressed, to indicate that the drag-and-drop operation should make a copy, rather than merely move the object. If the source of the dragged object does not permit the user to move the object, the user can be presented with an option to copy the object when the drag-and-drop operation is carried out.

Abstract: A data structure and associated data management methods for highly flexible storage of data for a wide variety of application programs. Data is stored as a plurality of Blops, each of which has a list of Properties associated with it. Each Property contains zero or more elements. Elements are Values, each of which has a Basic Type and consists of a variable length sequence of bytes. The Basic Type defines the format of the Value, as well as meta-information such as compression and encryption. Elements can also be Compound Types, which nestably refer to another list of Properties. Blops are stored in Containers, which map to the physical medium on which the data is stored. Containers associate respective Container Handlers which are specific to the Container's physical medium. Related Blops in a Container are organized into Pools of Blops. Each Container contains one or more Pools, each Pool having a unique name within the Container. A Pool contains multiple versions of a Blop.

Abstract: A data structure and associated data management methods for highly flexible storage of data for a wide variety of application programs. Data is stored as a plurality of Blops, each of which has a list of Properties associated with it. Each Property contains zero or more elements. Elements are Values, each of which has a Basic Type and consists of a variable length sequence of bytes. The Basic Type defines the format of the Value, as well as meta-information such as compression and encryption. Elements can also be Compound Types, which nestably refer to another list of Properties. Blops are stored in Containers, which map to the physical medium on which the data is stored. Containers associate respective Container Handlers which are specific to the Container's physical medium. Related Blops in a Container are organized into Pools of Blops. Each Container contains one or more Pools, each Pool having a unique name within the Container. A Pool contains multiple versions of a Blop.

Abstract: A data structure and associated data management methods for highly flexible storage of data for a wide variety of application programs. Data is stored as a plurality of Blops, each of which has a list of Properties associated with it. Each Property contains zero or more elements. Elements can be Values, each of which has a Basic Type and consists of a variable length sequence of bytes. The Basic Type can define the format of the Value, as well as meta-information such as compression and encryption. Elements can also be Compound Types, which nestably refer to another list of Properties. Blops are stored in Containers, which map to the physical medium on which the data is stored. Containers can associate respective Container Handlers which are specific to the Container's physical medium. Related Blops in a Container can be organized into Pools of Blops. Each Container may contain one or more Pools, each Pool having a unique name within the Container. A Pool may contain multiple versions of a Blop.