Peter Michael Williams

Surface Interaction: A Paradigm for Object Communication

When real objects interact, they directly alter each other’s state. In graphical user interfaces, users “directly” alter the state of objects in an information system. It is difficult to model “natural” interaction using the techniques of conventional object-oriented programming and systems. This paper proposes a model of object interaction which more closely follows the principles of natural interaction. A uniform treatment of object interaction offers benefits in the description, design and implementation of distrbuted, multi-user, graphical applications.

In search for ideal operating system for user interfacing

INTRODUCTION interfacing concerns: As the computing environment’s lowest common denominator, the operating system must always play a game of catchup to provide system-wide support for the changing demands and opportunities of its user environment. Never has this been more true than now. Dramatic changes in the economics of computing now make workstation power accessible to tens of millions of ordinary users. Gone are the days of single-purpose computing (e.g., computer as spreadsheet, computer as word processor). The increasing diversity and sophistication of applications software now make interoperability an imperative. l real-time performance. In the stand-alone, single application environment of a personal computer, users have come to expect immediate feedback. How can we preserve this responsiveness in a computing environment that also supports multi-tasking, networking, and distributed processing? Can the operating system help to promote more realistic models of computer response?