Data processor having a user interface display with metaphoric objects

In a proprietary data processor having a display for displaying information on the screen of said display,

• a user interface on said display screen including operative metaphoric objects with which a user interacts via said input means to access said objects,
• an emulator for emulating a user display of a target processor unit and forming part of said user interface and having operative metaphoric objects currently displayed with the display of operative metaphoric objects of said proprietary data processor and which are both independently and concurrently operative as displayed,
• emulated drive means represented as metaphoric object on said screen,
• said metaphoric objects including a virtual floppy disk object visible on said screen and capable of being formatted relative to the filing system of said emulator and transferred via said input means for insertion into said emulated drive means,
• the memory for said virtual floppy disk represented via a pointer to an allocated portion of memory in said proprietary data processor.

In a proprietary data processor having a display for displaying information on the screen of said display,

• a user interface on said display screen including operative metaphoric objects with which a user interacts via said input means to access said objects,
• an emulator for emulating a user display of a target processor unit and forming part of said user interface and having operative metaphoric objects currently displayed with the display of operative metaphoric objects of said proprietary data processor and which are both independently and concurrently operative as displayed,
• emulated drive means represented as metaphoric object on said screen,
• means to configure said emulator to bind said emulated drive means to the operation of said emulator,
• said emulator having an operating and filing system with a instruction set alien to that of said proprietary data processor,
• said metaphoric objects including a virtual floppy disk object visible on said screen and capable of being formatted relative to said alien filing system and moved via said input means for insertion into said emulated drive means for loading and running programs and sorting of data acceptable to said alien filing system when said emulated drive means is bound to said emulator,
• the memory for said virtual floppy disk represented via a pointer to an allocated portion of memory in said proprietary data processor.

In a proprietary data processor having a display for displaying information on the screen of said display.

• a user interface on said display screen including metaphoric objects with which a user interacts via input means,
• said objects including emulated drive means that imitates a fixed disk memory having memory allocated via a pointer in memory of said proprietary data processor,
• said emulated drive means having a filing system alien to that of said proprietary data processor,
• said user interface including an emulator of a target processor unit and represented in said user interface via a window within the working space of said proprietary data processor display screen and emulating the display screen of said target processor unit,
• said emulator having operative metaphoric objects currently displayed with the display of operative metaphoric objects of said proprietary data processor and which are both independently and concurrently operative as displayed and
• means to place said emulated drive means either under the control and operation of said emulator or said proprietary data processor at the direction of the user via said user interface.