Method and apparatus for application software control of echo response

In a distributed computer system including a multi-processing central processor for concurrently executing a plurality of processes, and a man-machine interface including event registration and display facilities and connected to said central processor by a message pathway interposing indeterminate length message passing delays between said central processor and said man-machine interface, a method for controlling an echo of an application process executing in said central processor to user-initiated actions at said man-machine interface, the user-initiated actions requiring a direct, user-discernible response by the application process within bounded response time, said method comprising the execution by said computer system of the following steps:

• providing selection from said man-machine interface of an application process to be executed;
• extracting from said application process those processes which provide substantially immediate, user-discernible echo responses within bounded response times;
• locating the extracted processes in proximity to said event registration and display support facilities;
• providing input parameters for said application process from said event registration facility, said input parameters including first parameters indicative of a use of said event registration facility requiring a substantially immediate, user-discernible echo response to said use by said display support facility, and computation parameters indicative of user actions requiring computation by said application process;
• passing said input parameters from the event registration facility to the extracted processes within the first interval;
• ascertaining by means of the extracted processes and in response to said first parameters, said substantially immediate, user-discernible echo response within a second interval;
• passing said first parameters from the extracted processes to the display support facility for provision of said substantially immediate, user-discernible echo response within a third interval by said display support facility;
• and
• passing said computation parameters from the extracted processes to the application process by way of said message pathway.