Method and apparatus for display of windowing application programs on a terminal

A terminal for communicating with a server, the terminal comprising:

• a network interface for communicating with a server;
• a processor coupled to the network interface, the processor for operating with the network interface, the processor for providing windowing functionality to permit use of a windows application resident on the server,
• wherein the terminal does not include a hard disk,
• wherein the terminal is for providing an appearance that is essentially the same as an appearance provided by a personal computer.

A machine-readable storage medium comprising:

• software code for communicating between a terminal and a server, the software code for performing the steps of:
• operating with a network interface;
• accessing a windows application resident on the server without executing locally at the terminal the windows application resident on the server;
• and
• providing windowing information to a display.

A machine-readable storage medium comprising:

• software code for communicating between a terminal and a server, the software code for performing the steps of:
• operating with a network interface;
• providing windowing functionality to permit use of a windows application resident on the server without requiring more than windowing information of the windows application to be transmitted from the server to the terminal, the windowing information including application data;
• and
• providing windowing information to a display.

A machine-readable storage medium comprising:

• software code for communicating between a terminal and a server, the terminal having one or more memories, a total amount of the one or more memories less than a total amount of one or more memories in the server, the software code for performing the steps of:
• operating with a network interface;
• receiving windowing information supplied by a program executing on the server, the server for running a multi-user operating system, the program resident on the server;
• and
• providing windowing information to a display.

A machine-readable storage medium comprising:

• software code for communicating between a terminal and a server, the terminal having no hard disk, the software code for performing the steps of:
• operating with a network interface;
• providing at the terminal windowing functionality to permit use of a windows application resident on the server;
• and
• providing at the terminal an appearance that is essentially the same as an appearance provided at a personal computer.