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Supporting concurrency, communication, and synchronization in human-computer interaction—the Sassafras UIMS

Editor: R. Daniel Bergeron Author:

Ralph D. HillAuthors Info & Claims

ACM Transactions on Graphics (TOG), Volume 5, Issue 3

Pages 179 - 210

https://doi.org/10.1145/24054.24055

Published: 01 July 1986 Publication History

Abstract

Sassafras is a prototype User Interface Management System (UIMS) specifically designed to support a wide range of user interface styles. In particular, it supports the implementation of user interfaces where the user is free to manipulate multiple input devices and perform several (possibly related) tasks concurrently. These interfaces can be compactly represented and efficiently implemented without violating any of the rules of well-structured programming. Sassafras also supports elaborate run-time communication and synchronization among the modules that make up the user interface. This is needed to implement user interfaces that have context-sensitive defaults, and it simplifies recovery from semantic errors.

Sassafras is based on a new language for specifying the syntax of human-computer dialogues known as Event-Response Language (ERL) and a new run-time structure and communication mechanism for UIMSs known as the Local Event Broadcast Method (LEBM). Both ERL and LEBM are described in detail, and implementation techniques are presented. The effectiveness of Sassafras is demonstrated by describing two interfaces that have been implemented with Sassafras.

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Published In

cover image ACM Transactions on Graphics

ACM Transactions on Graphics Volume 5, Issue 3

July 1986

97 pages

ISSN:0730-0301

EISSN:1557-7368

DOI:10.1145/24054

Editor:
R. Daniel Bergeron

Issue’s Table of Contents

Copyright © 1986 ACM.

Publisher

Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Published: 01 July 1986

Published in TOG Volume 5, Issue 3

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