Toward user interface virtualization: legacy applications and innovative interaction systems

Single-user, desktop-based computer applications are pervasive in our daily lives and work. The prospect of using these applications with innovative interaction systems, like multi-touch tabletops, tangible user interfaces, large displays or public/private displays, would enable large scale field studies of these technologies, and has the potential to significantly improve their usefulness and, in turn, their availability. This paper focuses on the architectural requirements, design, and implementation of such a technology. First, we review various software technologies for using a singleuser desktop application with a different model of user inputs and graphical output. We then present a generic technique for using any closed-source or open-source application with different input and output devices. In our approach, the application is separated from the user input and graphical output subsystem. The core part of the application runs in a system-specific virtual environment. This virt...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2009
• Where: EICS
• Authors: Guillaume Besacier, Frédéric Vernier
• Keywords: Applied Computing, EICS 2009, Graphical Output, User Input, User Interfaces