Data display system

A method of operating a data display system comprising a display device and a host processor for processing applications, said method comprising the steps of:

• managing the processing of multiple applications by initiating the processing of applications on the host processor in response to an operator, suspending the processing of applications waiting for input when no input is available, and resuming the processing of suspended applications when input becomes available, each applications having an associated operator window;
• displaying multiple operator windows on the display device, one of the displayed operator windows being a current window, the remaining operator windows being subordinate windows;
• and
• coordinating control of the managing of the processing of the multiple applications by identifying the current and subordinate windows, signaling the task manager control system to suspend the processing of an application waiting for input when the application is associated with a subordinate window, and signaling the task manager control system to process an application waiting for input when the application is associated with the current window.

A method of operating a data display system in which input-output display devices are connected to a central processor and user select application programs that are run on the central processor and including in the control system of the central processor a display manager control system and a windowing control mechanism which allows a plurality of tasks to be performed concurrently and the results displayed in areas of a display screen, said method comprising the steps of:

• running a task manager control program which functions as an application in the display manager control system and includes the steps of;
• interacting via the display manager, with the operator to allow applications to be initiated,
• creating tasks to control the processing of the application in such a way that the applications can be suspended or resumed according to whether operator input is available for them,
• identifying to the display manager a coordination controller that the display manager calls to allow the task manager to suspend and resume applications,
• combining data from each application and building a display representation that shows many windows into the various applications onto a single screen and,
• calling the coordination controller identified by the task management application so that the task manager can suspend applications that are waiting for input and resume those applications which have input available so that it can be resumed.