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When I heard that Hamas had fired an antitank missile across the border directly at an Israeli school bus, wounding the driver and critically injuring a child — only the fact that the bus was otherwise empty prevented an even more horrendous outcome — I thought: they want a war. The fact that the attack […]
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Every Archer needs a Large Bow Bag or Bow Sock to protect his treasure bow. The Large Bow Bag or (bow sock) measures 78" and fit a 72" bow. They are 5" Wide with a tie string on top.
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CLEMSON — Jack Leggett said the early stages of the season would include plenty of experimenting with his young team and the veteran Clemson coach is already making changes entering today's 4 p.m. series opener against Wright State (3-0).
Clemson (2-1) will start freshman Clate Schmidt in Game 2 of the series Saturday. The Acworth, Ga. native made one relief appearance against William & Mary, pitching 22/3 innings, allowing three hits, no walks while striking out three.
Schmidt was one of the top high school arms in the country last year, possessing a sharp breaking ball and a fastball that can touch 96 mph. He was a Rawlings' first-team All-American last season. He was rated as a top 50 prep pitching prospect but was not drafted as Schmidt told area scouts he was firm in his commitment to Clemson.
He is just one of many intriguing arms in the freshman class including lefty Matthew Crownover, who is coming off Tommy John surgery last March, and struggled in his relief debut last week.
Schmidt takes the place of Patrick Andrews, who struggled in his start last weekend.
Sophomore ace Daniel Gosset will start today's game and Scott Firth will make another start on Sunday.
Clemson will look for more power after hitting only one home run in its opening series.
Freshman Steven Duggar leads the team with a .556 batting average (5 for 9) along with two doubles. Steve Wilkerson is 5 for 12 (.417) with a double, four RBIs, and two runs.
The Wright State pitching staff has a 1.67 ERA and .230 opponents' batting average along with 24 strikeouts against seven walks in 27 innings.
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text:
- Willamette
- Athletics
- News Archive
- 2008
- November
- Willamette Women's Basketball Season Outlook
Women's Basketball | Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Willamette Women's Basketball Season Outlook
SALEM, ORE. -- Intensity, excitement and a fiery vision of success is brewing around the Willamette University women's basketball team as the Bearcats prepare for the start of the 2008-09 season. A group of core players -- including last year's top player, Molly Fillion (Sr., G, Silverton, OR/Silverton HS/Linn-Benton CC) -- will combine with returners and a crop of talented freshmen to form a team ready for battle.
Molly and her twin sister Jenny Fillion (Sr., G, Silverton, OR/Silverton HS/Linn-Benton CC) are key members of the team. The Fillion twins will be co-captains for Willamette this season. Molly Fillion was an Honorable Mention All-Northwest Conference player last season. She led the team in scoring with 13.2 points per game and in rebounding with 9.6 boards per game. Jenny Fillion averaged 8.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game last year for the 'Cats.
Two sophomores who saw significant playing time as freshmen are expected to continue contributing to the Bearcats' success this season. Alex Zennan (PG, Sammamish, WA/Eastlake HS) averaged 8.1 points and shot nearly 35% from 3-point range. Erin Barclay (G, Snohomish, WA/Bothel Senior HS), who started 20 games in 2007-08 at the point guard position, will join the team for the second semester of 2008-09.
Nicki Clowdsley (So., Sammamish, WA/Skyline HS), a returning center, will provide experience and size inside for the Bearcats. Clowdsley led the team with 16 blocked shots last season and averaged 3.0 rebounds per game.
Kaileigh Westernmann (Post, Belfair, WA/South Kitsap HS) is a freshman form the State of Washington. She will be a driving force in the paint for the Bearcats.
Adding depth at the guard positions will be Tiana Abbley (Fr., G, Honolulu, HI/Kamehameha School) and Danya Jandoc (Fr., PG, Honolulu, HI/Iolani School). Maya McFaddin (Fr., McMinnville, OR/McMinnville HS), will contribute to the Bearcats as a wing player. The freshmen bring a new energy and enthusiasm to the team.The 2008-09 schedule will challenge the team from the very beginning. The 'Cats open the season at the Colorado State University-Pueblo Tournament on Friday, Nov. 21 and Saturday, Nov. 22. On Friday, Willamette will take on host CSU-Pueblo at 5 p.m. (MST). On Saturday, the Bearcats will play New Mexico Highlands University at 1 p.m. (MST). WU then travels to Caldwell, Idaho, to participate in the College of Idaho Tournament on Nov. 28-29.
WU will play its first home games of the season on Dec. 4 against Warner Pacific College and on Dec. 9 against Corban College. After facing Corban, the 'Cats will play in the Oregon Tech Tournament before opening the Northwest Conference portion of the schedule at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash., on Jan. 2, 2009.
The Bearcats, who finished 5-20 last year (3-13 in the NWC), are ready to compete in an NWC race that has no clear-cut favorite this season. The 'Cats are prepared to play high quality basketball and have success in 2008-09.


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VAFA161 Printmaking/Silkscreen
Department of The Arts: Printmaking
- I. Course Number and Title
- VAFA161 Printmaking/Silkscreen
- II. Number of Credits
- 3 credits
- III. Minimum Number of Instructional Minutes Per Semester
- 4050
- IV. Prerequisites
- None
- Corequisites
- None
- V. Other Pertinent Information
- In addition to class studio time, students work five hours outside of class each week under the supervision of a lab assistant. Safe shop practices are emphasized.
- VI. Catalog Course Description
- Students employ screenprinting processes using water-based inks. They explore a variety of techniques, including photo silkscreen, cut paper stencils, direct drawing techniques, color registration, and textile printing. Students gain an understanding of these techniques and develop their individual imagery.
- VII. Required Course Content and Direction
Learning Goals:
- Course Learning Goals
- investigate the expressive potential of screenprinting and develop technical expertise in a wide variety of screenprinting processes;
- explore visual concepts, such as design, composition, and color theory through the investigation of screenprinting techniques;
- demonstrate an understanding of printmaking and silkscreening skills; and
- analyze projects through critiques, oral presentations, and discussions.
- Core Learning Goals (if applicable)
- create a unique, personal, finished product appropriate to the medium; (1, 2)
- perform a critical examination and assessment of their work, as well as the work of others; (1, 3)
- demonstrate an understanding of the language, formal qualities, structure, and interpretative methodologies relative to the medium; (3) and
- articulate how they got from the initial concept to the final product. (2)
Students will
Category I: Creative Expression
Students will
Planned Sequence of Topics and/or Learning Activities:
- explore basic concepts, such as a line, shape, value, color, composition, texture, pattern, and negative/positive space.
- explore water-based, screenprinting processes, including the following:
- paper stencils
- direct drawing techniques
- photo emulsion stencils;
- monoprinting
- textile printing
- registration techniques
- evaluate and critique the prints made by the student, as well as the work of their peers
- demonstrate safe shop practices
Assessment Methods for Core Learning Goals:
- Assessment Methods for Course Learning Goals
- Course learning goals are assessed with group critiques of all assignments, based on the successful design, execution and completion of specific projects, and on the appropriate use of tools and shop safety practices.
- At least two individual critiques with the instructor are held each semester, to assess projects using the above criteria and to review students' overall progress.
- Assessment of Core Learning Goals (if applicable)
Student assessment is based on the demonstration of basic printmaking skills and the creation of a body of work, the timely completion of assignments, the presentation of finished prints in accordance with professional standards, the demonstrated use of appropriate vocabulary in an oral critique of a work of art, and the overall aesthetic quality of the student's work.
Reference, Resource, or Learning Materials to be used by Students:Slides, video, digital technology by instructor, and field trip to a museum are incorporated. See course format.
- VIII. Teaching Methods Employed
- Section VIII is not being used in new and revised syllabi as of 12/10/08.
Review/Approval Date - 12/04; Revised 6/09; Revised 4/2012


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Grand Forks, ND (SportsNetwork.com) - Troy Huff recorded a double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds to lift North Dakota to a 65-61 decision over the Southern Utah Thunderbirds in a Big Sky Conference matchup at the Sioux Center.
Huff also racked up five steals for North Dakota (4-8, 1-1 Big Sky), which also received 14 points, four assists and three steals courtesy of Jamal Webb.
Trey Kennedy led SUU (1-9, 0-1) with 20 points. John Marshall chipped in 10 points while Casey Oliverson grabbed a team-high six boards.
The Thunderbirds jumped out to a nine-point lead just after the midway point of the first half, but they managed to go into the intermission ahead by only a single point at 37-36. North Dakota shot 50 percent from the field as Huff scored 18 points in the opening 20 minutes of action.
Webb scored all 14 of his points in the second period to help UND overcome its 0-of-4 clip from beyond the arc. SUU's could not keep up as it shot just 37.5 percent from the field after the break.
UND outscored the visitors, 32-18, in the paint and also, 19-13, at the free- throw line in the contest.
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text: These baby and toddler moccasin boots are made of a camel brown faux suede and are covered in suede fringe trim. These baby and toddler moccs have a zipper closure for easy on and off! A Skid resistant genuine suede soft sole makes these moccasins perfect for baby boy. Made in the USA by Gracious May!


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To report a lost or stolen ATM Card
During banking hours for questions regarding your ATM Card or to report a lost or stolen card, call or come into the bank.
The Mercantile Bank of Louisiana MO
Important SHAZAM Numbers
In the event of a lost or stolen Shazam Card during non-banking hours, please use the following numbers:
Automated Teller Machine Safety
Timing of ATM Deposits
All ATM TRANSACTIONS including deposits, withdrawals and transfers recieved after 12:00 NOON (CST) will be posted to your account on the next business day. No loan payments can be made through the ATM.
Important Tips on Protecting
Don't Be a Victim of Identity Theft
Avoid Becoming a Victim of Identity Theft
Internet related scams involves Internet fraudsters who send spam or pop-up messages to lure personal information (credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security number, passwords, or other sensitive information) from unsuspecting victims. This information can then be used to commit a variety of crimes….from draining your accounts to obtaining credit cards in your name.
Phishers send an email or pop-up message that claims to be from a business or organization that you may deal with….for example, an Internet service provider (ISP), bank, online payment service, or even a government agency. The message may ask you to "update," "validate," or "confirm" your account information. Some phishing emails threaten a dire consequence if you don't respond. The messages direct you to a website that looks just like a legitimate organization's site. But it isn't. It's a bogus site whose sole purpose is to trick you into divulging your personal information so the operators can steal your identity and run up bills or commit crimes in your name.
What can you to do protect yourself?
If you have recently been victimized contact us immediately. We can provide necessary resources to help you minimize your exposure to risk.
Also, if you believe you've been scammed, you can file your complaint at ftc.gov, and then visit the FTC's Identity Theft website at www.consumer.gov/idtheft . The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the market place and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters consumer complaints into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online database and investigative tool used by huindreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
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Country/Date of Origin: England/19th Century
The king of terriers was developed to hunt otter in Yorkshire, England. The breed resulted from the crossing between the now extinct English Black, the Tan Terrier and the Otter Hound. The Airedale has the best of its hound and terrier ancestors. A breed of many talents, Airedales have been and are still used as bird dogs, big game hunters and military and police dogs.
About This Breed:
Other Names
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Waterside Terrier, Bingley Terrier
AKC Group: Terrier
Breed Club: Airedale Terrier Club of America
Rescue Club: Airedale Terrier Club of America Rescue & Adoption
Body Type:
Health Concerns:


text:
Posted at: 03/10/2013 10:00 AM
Updated at: 03/10/2013 11:35 PM
A church in Canandaigua recognized a very special milestone on Sunday.
Lieutenant Governor Bob Duffy joined Mayor Ellen Polimeni as the city rededicated its oldest public building.
Joel Hibbard, of the First Congregational Church, says the rededication for the church occurred exactly 200 years after the building was first dedicated in 1813.
Hibbard says the First Congregational Church has a rich history. Builders had to take precautions and work at night while it was first being erected, due to the risk of the British attacking from Canada during the War of 1812.
Hibbard also tells News10NBC the church has been the site for numerous community events over the years. From peace rallies during that war to a community memorial service after the death of President Abraham Lincoln and the annual Martin Luther King celebration.
Duffy spoke to the congregation on Sunday about the role this church has played in the community in the last 200 years.
"Its history during the Civil War and subsequent wars and throughout the history of the state and country is really profound. And a church is a center of community life, of worship, and this beautiful church has done a beautiful job throughout the last 200 years," said Duffy.
The First Congregational Church is actually about two decades older than the City of Rochester.


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From a speech by Ron Chapman, 18 June 2009:
Before we discuss the impending threats to our local forests, I would like to present a brief overview of Jarrahdale's forest heritage and why it is so important to us.
I will begin with two quotations. Jesse Hammond, who worked as a 16-year-old at Jarrahdale in the early days of the timber trade, recognised the beauty of the forest:
'I will never forget the Jarrah forest at Jarrahdale.
I think it was one of the most wonderful natural sights I saw
before the Wanliss Timber Company put their mill there and cut it all out.
Such a sight will never be seen again in Western Australia.'[1]
In The Mills of Jarrahdale, published in 1972, V.G. Fall also gave his impressions of Jarrahdale's forests:
'Even at the present day, when it has been cut over for a hundred years,
the forest at Jarrahdale is an impressive sight.
A hundred years ago, before it had ever heard the sound of an axe or saw,
it must have been magnificent.
The great Jarrah trees rose a hundred or a hundred and fifty feet to the sky…"
The history of Jarrahdale's timber industry began in the early 1870s with a period of intense activity.
In 1871 the Rockingham Jarrah Company, promoted by Thomas and William Wanliss, James Service and Peter Lalor, leased 250,000 acres of prime jarrah forest. The first timber mill by the Gooralong Brook and a 32 kilometre tramway to Rockingham were in operation in 1872. During the boom years of the 1890s following the discovery of gold, timber was in great demand and Jarrahdale grew in importance as a major contributor to the growth of Western Australia's economy. From 1893 to 1900, 62 million tonnes of Jarrah blocks were shipped from Rockingham port and exported to pave the streets of London, Paris, Glasgow and Flinders Street, Melbourne.
There were churches, schools, stores and taverns in the thriving township, plus small communities of workers and their families who lived beside the railways that snaked through the forest. In the late 1890s Jarrahdale was the fourth largest community in the state after Perth, Bunbury and Kalgoorlie. By the turn of the century there were six mills operating in the town and at camps in the forest. Locally, over 2,000 people relied on the famous West Australian Jarrah for their livelihood.
After the 1890s boom years, the timber industry in Jarrahdale fluctuated between periods of 'boom and bust'. The output from the mills was reduced during World War I, but increased activity took place after the war when there was a demand for railway sleepers, paving blocks and building timber. During the 1930s Great Depression mills were closed, and many timber workers swelled the ranks of the unemployed. Additionally, over the years, many of the town's mills were destroyed by fire, which considerably hindered production. Jarrahdale's long association with timber milling finished 125 years after it had begun when Bunnings closed its mill in 1997.
The year 1997 was not only historically significant for the closure of Jarrahdale's last major production timber mill, but also for an important event which signalled a new direction for the town's future. On 14 July 1997, The National Trust of Australia resolved that the Jarrahdale Townsite be entered in the National Trust's List of Classified Heritage places. In the Trust's forty years of operation, Jarrahdale was only the seventh Western Australian town to be so classified. The Trust considered Jarrahdale to have heritage significance 'as the last timber mill town within the confines of the larger Perth metropolitan area' and recommended that 'any future development of the town site will always be guided by the fact that it is an historic town.'[3]
A movement towards heritage-based tourism had started well before the closure of the Bunnings mill. Since its foundation in 1988, the Jarrahdale Heritage Society has recognised the importance of Jarrahdale's forest heritage by conducting regular guided walks through the forest. The walks have gained in popularity over the years, with Society volunteers blazing new walk tracks through Jarrahdale's historic timber areas and places of natural beauty. In 2001 the Society's walks committee received the National Australia Day Council's 'Community Event Award' in recognition of its work.
The Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale commissioned a report to progress the implementation of a park to interpret Jarrahdale's heritage. The draft report stated that Jarrahdale had played a key role in the exportation of jarrah timber around the world, viewing this as 'a significant chapter in the history of WA, akin to the discovery of gold in the goldfields'. The purpose of the proposed Heritage Park was to 'make accessible the rich industrial history of Jarrahdale that was once so important to the growth and economy of WA'.[4]
More recently, on 17 May 2009, Liz Constable, the Minister for Tourism in Western Australia, launched the 'Serpentine-Valley' tourism brand, which was designed to promote tourism in the area and highlight the key attractions of Serpentine National Park, Serpentine Dam, Serpentine Falls and Historic Jarrahdale. In its back-page news feature in last week's Examiner newspaper, the Serpentine-Jarrahdale Shire affirmed its intention to ensure the preservation of the Serpentine-Valley as 'an incredible economic, environmental and cultural asset' and 'to advocate for the protection of this rich landscape from the adverse impacts of development, mining and logging.'[5]
For over 125 years Jarrahdale's magnificent forests have been plundered for commercial exploitation. However, in the last 20 years, the pendulum has swung in a different direction. Today the forests represent not only a treasured part of the Jarrahdale community's cultural and social heritage which we must preserve for future generations, but also pathways towards a new economic future for the town. It is now time to afford Jarrahdale's forests the protection they so richly deserve.
Thank you.
[1] J.E. Hammond, Western Pioneers: The Battle Well Fought, Imperial Printing Co., Perth, 1936.
[2] V.G. Fall, The Mills of Jarrahdale, C.M. Advertising, Publishing, Willetton, 1972.
[3] National Trust of Australia (WA) to CEO, Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale, 'National Trust Assessment - Jarrahdale Townsite', dated 11 August 1997.
[4] Jarrahdale Heritage Park Management Plan, draft report, 11 December 2002.
[5] Examiner, 11 June 2009, p.48.


text:
home > personal care > shaving & hair removal > shaving > electronic shavers > men's electric shavers
Philips Norelco Shaver 6600 Model 1160X/42
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text:
Over the past few weeks, conventional wisdom has dictated that the current fighting in Gaza has significantly undermined chances for a two-state solution–whether Israel wins or loses. In today's New York Times, Michael Slackman presents the latest version of this doomsday thesis, absurdly claiming that Egypt and Jordan fear that they will be forced to absorb Gaza and the West Bank, respectively.
Naturally, Slackman substantiates this position through his standard strategy: interviewing the few (and, in this case, very few) English-speaking Arab "experts" who agree with him. In turn, Slackman ignores some painfully obvious counterarguments: such as the fact that the current fighting is in Gaza, and that West Bank Palestinian institutions haven't been affected; or that Israel isn't actually trying "to push Palestinians from the West Bank" into Jordan, despite supposed Jordanian worries; or that the "withering criticism" that Egypt has faced hasn't driven it towards the Iranian position on peace with Israel (actually, quite to the contrary). Meanwhile, Slackman buries another inconvenient tidbit: Egypt has rejected international monitors for the Gaza-Egyptian border, which suggests that it prefers–rather than "fears"–an active role in securing Gaza.
Yet even without Slackman's lazy pseudo-journalism, the notion that the two-state solution is "slipping away" on account of the current Gaza war is totally baseless. Actually, there are two possibilities. On one hand, Israeli success vis-à-vis Hamas might deal a serious blow to Islamists, thereby empowering Palestinian moderates who recognize the benefits of peace with Israel. Indeed, a two-state solution is totally impossible with Hamas violently empowered–at the very least, Israeli success in the current war would preserve (if not advance) hopes for Israeli-Palestinian peace. On the other hand, the peace process might have been a bankrupt enterprise long before the current fighting in Gaza began–and perhaps long before Hamas ever controlled Gaza in the first place.
Either way, it's hard to see how a two-state solution had a better chance of success immediately prior to the current fighting, when–aside from refusing to recognize Israel–Hamas refused to even extend a short-term truce and instead renewed its rocket firings. Slackman should know better. Regrettably, he never does.


text:
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Where is it from?
- A Place & Date Depicted Casterton, Australia
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Negative - Casterton, Victoria, circa 1910 Reg. No: MM 002887
- Description Of Content:
- The Casterton Post Office. This was a new building, was still to be painted and signs were still to be installed.
- Acquisition Information:
- Copied from C & J Bradbury, 1986
- Acknowledgement:
- The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
More information
|Tagged with:
|picket fences, post offices, telegraph infrastructure, telegraph poles
|Themes this item is part of:
|Images & Image Making Collection, Information & Communication Collection, The Biggest Family Album in Australia Collection
|Primary Classification:
|Secondary Classification:
|Organisations Depicted:
|Casterton Post Office
|Negative: Black & White; 35 mm
|Place & Date Depicted:
|Casterton, Victoria, Australia, circa 1910
This item is part of the following themes:
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A cluster computer system including multiple network accessible computers that are each coupled to a network. The network accessible computers implement host computer programs which permits the network accessible computers to operate as host computers for client computers also connected to the network, such that input devices of the client computers can be used to generate inputs to the host computers, and such that image information generated by the host computers can be viewed by the client computers. The system also includes a cluster administration computer coupled to the multiple network accessible computers to monitor the operation of the network accessible computers. A method for providing access to host computers by client computers over a computer network includes receiving a request for a host computer coupled to a computer network from a client computer coupled to the computer network, wherein the relationship of the host computer to the client computer is to be such that after the client computer becomes associated with a host computer, an input device of the client computer can be used to generate inputs to the host computer, and such that image information generated by the host computer can be viewed by the client computer. Next, a suitable host computer for the client computer is determined, and the client computer is informed of the network address of the suitable host computer.
1. An apparatus for remotely controlling a host computer by a client comprising:
a network;
a client computer coupled to said network, said client computer having a monitor, a keyboard, and a pointing device, said client computer running a browser program displaying a browser window on said monitor and further being capable of running a client program that is delivered over said network in conjunction with said browser program; said client program being capable of transmitting event data over said netowrk, said event data including an input device event created by at least one of said keyboard and said pointing device; and
a host computer coupled to said network and beig accessible by said client computer using said browser program and said client program, said host computer receiving said event data and placing said event data in an event queue of said host computer, said host program transmitting image updates to said client computer over said network to affect an image displayed in said browser window of said cliemt computer said image updates including at least a portion of a video buffer image within said host computer, whereby said client computer may control a host computer with said input device as if the input device were connected to said host computer, and whereby said client computer may display images on said monitor as if said monitor were connected to said host computer, such that said host computer becomes a mult- purpose, virtual machine of a user of said client computer;
wherein said host computer is initially accessed by said client computer through a web page accessible through said network, and wherein said client computer and said host computer communicate directly after the respective addresses of said host computer and said client computer are known to each other.
2. An apparatus for remotely controlling a computer as recited in
3. An apparatus for remotely controlling a computer as recited in
4. An apparatus for remotely controlling a computer as recited in
5. An apparatus for remotely controlling a computer as recited in
6. An apparatus for remotely controlling a computer as recited in
7. An apparatus for remotely controlling a computer as recited in
8. An apparatus for remotely controlling a computer system as recited in
9. An apparatus for remotely controlling a computer system as recited in
10. An apparatus for remotely controlling a computer system as recited in
11. A method permitting the remote control of a host computer comprising:
providing a client program to a client computer connected to a network and running a browser program having a browser window displayed on a monitor, said client program permitting said client computer to control and view image outputs of a host computer also connected to said network;
receiving at said host computer over said network remote compute control information produced in response to the manipulation of an input device including at least one of a keyboard and a pointing device of said client computer, said remote computer control information including event data transmitted by said client computer over said network and placed in an event queue of said host computer; and
detecting changes in said image outputs of said host computer and transmiting image updates corresponding to said changes to said client computer for use by said client program to provide corresponding images in said browser window, where said image outputs can be affeceted by said remote computer control information sent from said client computer, said image updates including at least a portion of a video buffer image within said host computer,
whereby said client computer may control said host computer with said input devive as if the input device were connected to said host computer, and whereby said client computer may display images on said monitor as if said monitor were connected to said host computer, such that said host computer becomes a multi-purpose, virtual machine of a user of said client computer;
wherein said client computer is provided to said cient computer by said host computer; wherein said client program comprises a Java Applet program;
wherein said client program provides a resolution between said host computer and said client computer.
12. A method as recited in
13. A computer readable media including program instructions for implementing the method of
14. A computer readable media including program instructions for implementing the method of
This application claims the benefit of copending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/011,827, entitled Method and Apparatus for Controlling a Computer over a Wide Area Network, filed Feb. 16, 1996 on behalf of Paul L. Hickman and Michael L. Gough. This application further claims the benefit of copending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/012,905, entitled Method and Apparatus for Computing Within a Wide Area Network, filed Mar. 6, 1996 on behalf of Paul L. Hickman and Michael L. Gough.
This application is related to copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/799,787, entitled Method and Apparatus for Computing Over a Wide Area Network of Paul L. Hickman, filed on an even day herewith and owned in common with the present application, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
This invention relates generally to networks of computer systems, and more particularly to wide area networks such as the Internet and the World Wide Web supported by the Internet.
The Internet has, of late, become extremely popular. The origins of the Internet date back several decades to a U.S. government sponsored military/educational/business wide area network (WAN) that was designed to remain operational even in the event of the catastrophe, e.g. a major earthquake or a nuclear war. To accomplish this goal, robust protocols and systems were developed which allowed a non-hierarchical, geographically distributed collection of computer systems to be connected as a WAN such as the loss of a particular computer, or group of computers, would not preclude the continued communication among the remaining computers.
Each computer or "node" on the Internet can support one or more "entities" or "domains." These entities are addressed on the Internet with a domain name which uniquely identifies the domain. Individual users within a domain are provided with names unique to that domain. For example, to communicate with John Smith at a domain "hacksoft.com", electronic mail or "e-mail" could be sent, for example, to firstname.lastname@example.com. The suffix "com" means that the domain belongs to a commercial entity (e.g. a business), the suffix "gov" means that the domain belongs to a government entity, and the suffix "edu" means that the domain belongs to an educational entity (such as a University). Other suffixes are available, e.g. for specific foreign countries, for networks ("net"), etc. These suffixes are referred to as "first level" domain names, while the penultimate names (such as "hacksoft") are referred to as "second level" domain names. While the use of the Internet has been prevalent for many years now, its use has been limited by the arcane and difficult commands required to access the various computers on the network. To address this problem, a protocol known as the "World Wide Web" or "WWW" was developed to provide an easier and more user-friendly interface for the Internet.
With the World Wide Web an entity having a domain name creates a "web page" which provides information and, to a limited degree, some interaction with the entity's "web site." By convention, Web pages are written in "hyper-text mark-up language", commonly referred to as "HTML." An address for a Web page site for a hypothetical company "Hacksoft" could be http//:www.hacksoft.com. The "http" is a prefix identifying the protocol, namely "hyper-text transfer protocol," the "www" refers to the World Wide Web, "hacksoft" is the "second level" domain name, and "com" is the "first level" domain name that specifies a commercial enterprise. The full address for the Web page site, namely "http//:www.hacksoft.com", is known as the address or "URL" of the home page of the Web site.
A computer user can "browse", i.e. navigate around, the WWW by utilizing a suitable web browser and an Internet service provider. For example, UUNET, America Online, and Global Village all provide Internet access. Currently, the most popular web browser is made by Netscape of Mountain View, Calif. The web browser allows a user to specify or search for a web page on the WWW, and then retrieves and displays the home page of the desired web page on the user's computer screen.
When a computer user "calls up" a web page, a variety of information may be displayed on the screen as determined by the entity maintaining the web site. HTML supports text and graphics, and permits "hyperlinks" that allow visitors to the web site to "jump" to (i.e. access and display) other web pages on the WWW. Therefore a person cruising the web may start on a web page of, for example, a company in Palo Alto, Calif., "click" on a hyperlink, and be connected to a web page of, for example, a University in the Netherlands. Clicking on a hyperlink on the on the Dutch University's web page may cause the user to be connected to a web page of, for example, a Government agency in Japan. In this fashion, the World Wide Web can be navigated and browsed for information in an intuitive, linked, and easy to use fashion, and information on computers from around the world may be accessed easily and intuitively.
Until recently, the World Wide Web was, essentially, primarily passive provider of information. There was some limited interactivity in that a computer user could leave certain information at a web site such as their name, address, phone number, etc. which could then be responded to by the entity maintaining the web site. Very recently, there as been an expansion of computational interaction over the World Wide Web. A system known as "Java™" developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. of Mountain View, Calif. permits programs known as "Applets" to be transferred over the Internet, and run on a user's computer, regardless of the local machine's operating system or hardware. Java Applets are thus operating system and hardware independent. With Java software, a web page can be used to download an Applet to run on a computer user's machine. Typically, these Applets are small programs designed for a specific task, e.g. to create a graph, animate a display, or provide a spreadsheet. After the Applet software serves its function it is typically discarded, i.e. it is usually not permanently saved.
Before Java software, the World Wide Web resembled a large collection of storage devices for data retrievable by Internet users. With the advent of Java software, the World Wide Web is, in a limited fashion, gaining computational power.
While Java software is a major advance in the functionality of the Internet, it still falls short of providing true computational power on the World Wide Web. Applets are small, typically transient programs designed for specific tasks. However, it is contemplated that it would be desirable to have a fully functioning computer system, such as a personal computer (PC), a workstation, a mini computer, a mainframe, or even a supercomputer that could provide vastly greater power and functionality to users of the World Wide Web. In addition, the presence of the computational power of larger systems on the Web would also provide for enhanced communication and functionality on the WWW, and would provide access to software applications that could not be implemented, in a practical manner, with an Applet.
There currently exists a species of software which permits a first computer ("master computer") to monitor and/or control the functionality of a second computer (slave computer). For example, the programs "Timbuktu" and "Carbon Copy" permit a master computer to control a slave computer, or to simply monitor the activity of the slave computer. The owner of the "Timbuktu" software, Farallon Computing, Inc. of Alameda, Calif. has obtained a U.S. Pat. No. 5,241,625 entitled "Screen Image Sharing Among Heterogeneous Computers", the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. More specifically, these prior art software products provide a methodology which allows the screen of a master computer to display an image of the screen of a slave computer. Optionally, the keyboard and mouse of the master computer can provide inputs to (and thereby control) the slave computer as well.
While utility programs such as Timbuktu™ and Carbon Copy™ are useful when computers are directly coupled together (such as via a modem or a serial port connection) or when they are coupled together by a conventional local area network (LAN), they are not designed to provide computational power to a WAN such as the WWW. Furthermore, these utility programs are designed for a single master/slave computer pair, and does not allow for the collaborative sharing of computer resources over, for example, the WWW.
As communication over wide area networks, such as the Internet, becomes faster, it becomes practical to distribute certain functionality across the network. For example, in an article entitled "More Data at Twice the Speed", San Jose Mercury News, page C1, Mar. 1, 1996, it was reported that three separate research teams designed a system for transmitting one trillion bits of information per second (a "terabit"). The three teams were Fujitsu Laboratories, AT&T/Bell Labs, and the Japanese communications conglomerate, NTT. This data rate, corresponding to the transmission of one thousand copies of a 30-volume encyclopedia in a single second, permits the practical storage of data at sites remote from a user. For example, Charles Brackett, Executive Director of Optical Networking Research at Bell Communication Research in New Jersey, indicated, in the aforementioned article, that: "This will create huge changes in corporate America. . . . Once we get that kind of capacity in the field, you might just as well have your database in California if you are a bank in New York, as have it next door. Data will move that fast between the two."
While the prior art has contemplated the remote storage and retrieval of data, it has not addressed the concept of distributing computational power on a wide area network such as the Internet, in such a fashion that maximizes efficiencies and reduces costs. The standard model for interacting with the Internet is still a costly stand-alone personal computer. While there has been some discussion of a low cost "Internet box", such devices have heretofore been considered low-power "appliances" capable of only simple tasks, and primarily dedicated to "browsing" the WWW. Such "Internet boxes" have not heretofore been thought of as replacements for costly, stand-alone personal computers.
The present invention permits virtually the entire functionality of a computer system to be made accessible to a wide area network such as the Internet. More particularly, the present invention permits a computer system to be run as a "virtual machine" through a web page provided at a web site on the World Wide Web (WWW). This permits the computing functionality to be distributed across a wide area network, such as the Internet.
The apparatus of the present invention includes a number of computers arranged in a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet. At least one of the computers has at least one unique address designating a web site. A host computer system (which may or may not be one of the computers on the Internet) can be "posted" onto an "advertising" web page at the web site to permit other computers coupled to the Internet to interact directly with the host computer system. The computer "posted" on the web page is referred to as the "host" or "advertiser" computer, and computers accessing the host computer are referred to as "client" or "user" computers. Having the host computer posted on a web page creates a "virtual computer" that can be view and/or controlled by the client computers. Once the connection has been made between the host computer and one or more client computers, the web page is bypassed, i.e. the two or more computer systems communicate through the Internet without necessarily going through the web site supporting the "advertising" web page.
A client computer (which may or may not be one of the computers on the Internet) can interact with a host computer via the Internet in varieties of ways. For example, the client computer can be used to simply monitor the screen of the host computer. Alternatively, the client computer can be used to both monitor the screen of the host computer and to provide inputs to the host computer via a keyboard, mouse, or other input device. This, in certain circumstances, allows the client computer to control the functionality of the host computer. For example, the client computer can run a program on the host computer which provides the client computer with the aforementioned "virtual machine" on the Internet with computational powers that can be far greater than that provided, for example, by Java Applets. Also, the client computer can merely provide inputs to the host computer, without visual feedback, such as in a "blind bid" arrangement.
The present invention also allows a multiplicity of client computers to access the "virtual machine" via the Internet. This, in effect, allows multiple computer users to control a single host computer at a remote site. This can be very useful for collaborative activities performed over the Internet. Alternatively, a multi-tasking operating system on a host computer (such as Windows NT™ from Microsoft Corporation) would allow each window to be a "virtual machine" for one or more client computers.
The present invention also provides a method and system for providing distributed computing power within a wide are network. More particularly, computing power can be provided by "clusters" of computers coupled to the Internet. These clusters each include a cluster administration computer (CAC), and one or more network-accessible computers (NACs). Both the cluster administration computer and the network-accessible computers are preferably coupled to the Internet. The network-accessible computers share mass storage (such as a large disk drive or an array of large disk drives), and are monitored by the CAC to ensure that they are operating properly. If the CAC detects a malfunctioning in one of the NACs, that NAC can be re-booted and re-initialized to bring it back "online." Alternatively, the cluster can be reduced to a single network-accessible computer (without a CAC), which is coupled to the Internet to be used as a virtual machine by others.
With a network-accessible computer and/or a "cluster" of network-accessible computers, great computational and storage efficiencies are obtained. For example, since a typical stand-alone personal computer is only used a few hours of the day, by having network-accessible computers on the WWW it is possible to reduce the total number of computers required to service the many individual users. For example, computers that would normally be idle in one time zone can be used by users in another time zone. Furthermore, the cost per computer that is part of a cluster will be less than that of comparable stand-alone personal computers since certain common resources, such as mass storage, power supplies, modems, etc., can be shared among the computers of the cluster.
Since it is desirable for users to have the same type of experience with a network-accessible computer as with their own personal computer, there is the provision for the storage of "personal states" on the Internet. The personal states store, as a minimum, a user's data and/or other files so that they can access them from anywhere on the Internet. In addition, the personal state preferably also includes the "states" of the computers that they last used so that when they access a network-accessible computer of the same type in the future, it would appear just as they left it. For example, when a user accesses a Macintosh NAC on the Internet, the personal state for the last use of a Macintosh is retrieved so that the file structure, folders, and even the states of the registers in the CPU would be the same as the last time they used a Macintosh NAC.
It should be noted that a "user" within the context of the present invention need not be a human being. For example, a user of the present invention can be a software program which "lives on" or is inserted onto the Internet. This "virtual person" can inhabit NACs and use other service of the Internet up to its ability to pay for those services. For example, there can be a "handyman" virtual person that lives on a NAC and which advertises its services on the WWW of, for example, maintaining hard disk drives, monitoring the Internet for information pertinent to a human or another virtual user, etc. Human users or other "virtual users" can pay (via a credit transfer) the virtual person for providing these services, such that the virtual person begins to accumulate wealth. This wealth can be used to pay for the NAC home for the virtual user, can be used as capital for increasing the virtual user's business, can be used to upgrade the "home" of the NAC as it moves to ever more powerful NACs on the network, can provide start-up capital for the virtual user to create "offspring" on the Internet, and, very likely, can transfer this wealth to the creators of the virtual user or their designees.
It should be noted that the methods and apparatus of the present invention are primarily discussed with reference to the Internet or the WWW. It should be appreciated that these same methods and apparatus can be extended to smaller or "local area networks" (LANS) as well. For example, many companies have created "Intranets", i.e. private networks subscribing to the Internet's TCP/IP protocol and capable of supporting web page structures. The present invention is equally applicable to such smaller networks as well.
An advantage of the present invention is that much greater computational power is accessible by users of the Internet and the WWW. The present invention will, for example, allow a client computer user to diagnose and fix problems on a host computer, run application programs that are available on the host computer, perform maintenance on the host computer, etc. Furthermore, users from multiple client computers can access a single host machine to permit collaborative or multiple individual efforts on that computer system.
A further advantage of this invention is that computing power can be distributed widely over the Internet to increase computational efficiency and functionality, and to reduce overall costs. Since a simple Internet access computer can be used to control a computer of any desired power or functionality, the need for the stand-alone personal computer is much diminished. Also, since the computing power can be shared among a number of users, the cost per user is greatly reduced. For example, if a user uses his personal computer only about 20% of the time, he can experience great cost savings by sharing computers on the Internet with other users.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that "virtual users" (sometimes referred to as "intelligent agents" or "robots") can be supported by the Internet to permit robotic type work to be performed for the ultimate benefit of human users. These virtual users can operate autonomously, can generate wealth, can reproduce, and can work in concert with or for other virtual users.
These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed descriptions and studying the various figures of the drawings.
It should be noted that the semantics used herein can have multiple meanings. Looked at in one way, the machines 14, 16, and 18 are outside of the Internet 12 and communicate with the Internet by communication links. Looked at in another way, when the machines 14, 16, and 18 become a part of the Internet 12, i.e. the bubble surrounding the Internet 12 expands to include these machines. However, for the purpose of the present descriptions, a machine (i.e. a computer system) will be considered to be part of the Internet 12 if it examines and passes packets intended for other machines, and it will be considered to be merely connected to the Internet if another machine on the Internet (e.g. an Internet access provided) only passes the connected machine packets intended for that connected machine.
While the preferred wide area network of the present invention is the well-known Internet, it should be noted that other network systems capable of supporting the processes and apparatus of the present invention can also be utilized as an intermediary area between one or more computer systems 14-18. For example, other WANS such as cabled WANS (both private and public), wireless WANS, fiber-optic WANS etc. can also practice the present invention with suitable modifications to the base processes that would be apparent to those skilled in the art.
As noted previously, the origins of the Internet dates back several decades to a U.S. government sponsored military/education/business wide area network designed to survive the worst of catastrophes. The Internet includes a large number of linked computer systems, which will be referred herein as "web servers" such as a specified web server 20 and many other interconnected web servers 22.
Each of the computer systems 14-18 typically include a processor unit 24, a video display ("monitor" or "screen") 26, a keyboard 28, and a "pointing" device such as a mouse 30. Computer systems such as computer systems 14-18 are well-known and are commercially available from a variety of manufacturers. In the following descriptions, the computer systems are described primarily in terms of Macintosh computer systems, although it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that Microsoft Windows/Intel Microprocessor ("WINTEL") compatible computer systems, SUN and HP workstations, etc. can provide the same type of functionality.
The computer systems 14, 16, and 18 can be coupled to the Internet 12 (and could be considered to become a part thereof) in a variety of fashions. These Internet connections are shown generically at 32, 34, and 36, respectively. For example, the computer system 14 may be connected to a web server 20 or 22 on the Internet 12 with a modem and telephone line, a digital connection such as an ISDN telephone line, through the intermediary of a local area network (LAN), etc. Methods and apparatus for coupling computer systems such as computer systems 14-18 to the Internet are well-known to those skilled in the art.
The various "web servers" on the Internet are simply computer systems of any type which conform to the well-known Internet communication protocols. These web servers have a tremendous variations in computing power, ranging from personal computers to mainframe computers. These web servers often include monitors, keyboards, mice, etc. However, the web servers 20 and 22 can simply be a "box" on the Internet 12 with limited or no local input or output capabilities.
As it is well-known to those skilled in the art, the Internet 12 can be accessed by computers 14-18 using a number of protocols. One of the easiest and most popular user interfaces is known as the World Wide Web (WWW) which is described, inter alia, in HTML Publishing on the Internet, supra. With the WWW, a web server 20 can support one or more "web pages," such as web pages 38, 40 a , 40 b, 40 c, and 40 d. A web page is a software construct of "object" includes an interface written in HTML which permits text and images to be presented to a computer system that is coupled to or part of the Internet 12. A web page can include "hyperlinks" to other web pages, both on its local web server 20 and throughout the Internet 12. A "web site" on a web server 20 contains one or more web pages where a "base" or "home" page is the first or entry page into a desired web site. For example, the home page illustrated in
The method and apparatus of the present invention permits computer systems ("clients" or "users") to monitor or control the functionality of other computer systems ("hosts" or "advertisers") connected to the Internet 12 (such as computers 14-18), or which are a part of the Internet 12 (such as the web servers 20 and 22). As described herein, the "host" or "advertiser" machine becomes a "virtual machine" on the Internet 12 which can be accessed by the "client" or "user" machine. It should be noted that on the client or user side that any computer or machine ("platform") will be able to subscribe to a virtual machine, provided by any host platform. Thus, seemingly incompatible hardware could be used in concert; e.g. a WINTEL machine can be used as a client for a Macintosh host machine. In addition to providing great computational power through the Internet 12, the posting of a "virtual machine" on the Internet permits the client machine to be relatively low powered, i.e. an inexpensive computer system having a less powerful microprocessor, less memory, fewer peripherals etc. than the "virtual machine" provided by the host computer system.
As will be discussed in greater detail subsequently, and by way of example, the method and apparatus of the present invention permits a client computer system 18 to take over the functionality of a host computer system 14 such that the keyboard 28 and mouse 30 of computer system 18 provides inputs to the computer system 14, such that images on the monitor of computer system 14 are replicated on the monitor 26 of the computer system 18. In this way, a "virtual machine" appears to be running on the monitor 26 of the client machine. In reality, the processing power and resources of the host system 14 are providing the "virtual machine" for the client computer system 18.
It should be noted that other inputs and outputs of the host machine 14 can also be sent and received by the client computer 18. For example, sounds generated by the computer system 14 can be "played" through the Internet 12 on computer system 18, while other inputs to computer system 18 (such as inputs from a tablet, not shown) can be transmitted for processing by the computer system 14. The capturing of outputs such as sounds and their transmission over the Internet is well known to those skilled in the art. Likewise, the transmission of other data representing inputs over the Internet would be well within the scope of those skilled in the art.
In the process 42 of
The system extension 46 is also known, in the Macintosh world, as an "init." The system extension 46 is patched into the operating system 44 of the host computer system at system boot-time ("during power-up"). As such, the system extension 46 becomes part of the operating system of the host and "patches", "modifies, and "enhances" the functionality of the operating system. The purpose of the system extension 46 and the process 42 of the present invention will be discussed in greater detail subsequently.
The virtual machine application 48 is a computer program or "process" running from a host computer system, such as computer system 14. A virtual machine application is therefore started in a standard fashion to other application programs running on personal computer systems. For example, a computer system using a graphical user interface ("GUI"), an application program may be started (sometimes referred to as "executed", "evoked", "launched" etc.) by selecting and activating an icon representing the application program with a pointer controlled by an input device such as a mouse. Alternatively, the virtual machine application can be started by a number of other conventional techniques, such as with a selection from a pull-down menu, the entry of the name of the program on a command line, by a use of an alias, etc. The virtual machine application receives information from a system extension 46 as indicated by the arrow 52 and communicates with the Internet 12 via the communication link 32.
The Java Applet script 50 is a piece of "dead code" on the host computer system, i.e. it is not executed on the host computer system. Embedded in the Java Applet script is the Internet address 52 of the host machine. The virtual machine application 48 is preferably capable of changing the Java Applet script in that it can modify the script based on a number of criteria, and can also send the Applet onto the Internet 12 via the link 32. The virtual machine application 48 and the Java Applet script 50 interact as indicated at 54.
In other words, the virtual machine application 48 preferably generates a Java Applet script 50 by embedding the Internet address of the host machine as a constant in an existing Java Applet script 50 which has an undefined value for the Internet address. The completed Java Applet script 50 executes on the client machine and is described with reference to FIG. 20. The virtual machine application 48 can send the Java Applet script 50 onto the Internet 12 via the link 32.
The window 70 created by the browser includes a menu bar 72 and a page display area 74. In this instance, the display area 74 shows the "home page" created by a host machine, such as computer system 14. The home page 74 includes a greeting 76, instructions 78, and an icon 80. This icon 80 can be any suitable icon, such as a picture of a computer, or it can display the actual image displayed on the screen 56 of the host computer monitor 26 a. In the latter instance, the icon 80 can be static or dynamic, i.e. the image displayed by the icon 80 can be a "snap shot" of the display on screen 56 at a particular point in time, or it can be dynamically updated to show changes in real time being made to the display of the monitor 26 a.
At the bottom of
It will be apparent from the diagram of
It will noted that the present invention makes use of the Java programming language provided by Sun Microsystems, Inc. of Mountain View, Calif. As it will be apparent from the following descriptions, this provides a convenient method for implementing the processes and systems of the present invention from a host computer. Alternatively, other processes of the present invention will distribute the computational tasks among various web servers 20 and 22 on the Internet 12 and/or distribute computational tasks to a client computer, such as computer system 18. Such distributed systems and processes are considered to be equivalents within the scope of the present invention.
As it is well known to those skilled in the art, the terms "click," "select," and the like refer to the act of using a pointer, such as a mouse 30B, to position a pointer icon, such as a pointer icon 104, on a computer screen, such as computer screen 56, and then activating ("clicking") a button to cause an action at the location pointed to by the pointer icon 104. For example, clicking can press a button, open a file, activate a program, draw a line, etc. By "post" or "posting", it is meant that a computer implemented process is executed which causes a host machine coupled to the Internet to become available as a "virtual machine" on the Internet. The "virtual machine" refers to the fact that a fully functional computer appears to be available in the virtual machine window 82 of the client machine when, in fact, the actual computer can be anywhere on the Internet or can be any computer coupled to the Internet. For example, the virtual machine functionality may be provided by the computer system 14, the computer system 16, the web server 20, or any of the web servers 22 as long as they subscribe and implement the "virtual machine" protocols and processes of the present invention.
As noted from the above discussion, there are many "computer systems" involved in a wide area network such as the Internet. These computer systems include the computer systems 14-18 and some of the web servers 20 and 22. An exemplary block diagram of a single such computer system is shown in FIG. 4. More particularly, a computer system 116 in accordance with the present invention includes a processor 118, a high speed memory bus 120, and an input/output (I/O) bus 122. The processor 118 is coupled to both the memory bus 120 and the I/O bus 122. Coupled to the memory bus is typically random access memory (RAM) 124 and read only memory (ROM) 126. A number of "peripherals" can be coupled to the I/O bus including the keyboard 28, the mouse 30, the display 26, a hard disk 128, a CD ROM 130, and a floppy disk 132. Of course, various driver cards and driver protocols ("drivers") may be required for the various peripherals as well as special drives and media as it is well known to those skilled in the art.
The process 186 is an illustration of the installation of one of the extensions, such as the extension 148. There are likely other extensions that are also being installed in a step 186. The installation of extensions into operating systems, such as the Macintosh operating system, is known to those skilled in the art and is fully disclosed in the multi-volume reference set, Inside Macintosh, by C. Rose et al., Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc., July 1988 et. seq., the entire set of which is incorporated herein by reference.
One purpose of the extension 148 installed by process 186 is to "patch" the system such that calls for "shield cursor" and "show cursor" are intercepted and modified. This allows the patch of the present invention to determine when and how the visual output of the host computer is being modified. The operation of the trap vector, the shield cursor, and the show cursor are well known to those skilled in the art. These processes are extensively documented in the aforementioned multi-volume reference set, Inside Macintosh, supra.
The process 178 continues with the step 212 wherein the next process in the process list is obtained. A step 214 provides that next process time to execute, by jumping to a step 216. In the step 216, code for the selected process is executed on the computer system. In a step 218, control of the computer system is returned to the process manager and a step 220 determines if a shut down of the computer system has been requested. If not, process control is returned to step 212 to obtain the next process in the process list. If shut down is indicated, the process 178 is completed as indicated at 222.
It should be noted that the process 216 is generic to all of the multiple processes that may be running on the computer system at any one time. Therefore, this process can include general application program processes, as well as the virtual machine process of the present invention for providing a "virtual machine" on the Internet.
The "Handle the Event" process 232 is designed to detect and intercept changes made to the video display (monitor) of the host computer system. As will be discussed in greater detail subsequently, this "Execute a Draw Operation" step 240 includes processes for detecting the draw operation and for passing on this draw operation to the client computer, over the Internet. This permits a client computer to display on its own monitor the results of the draw operation in its "virtual machine" window.
It should be noted at this point that while the preferred method for updating the screen of a local computer with changes made to the host computer display is as described, that there are other alternatives and equivalents to this process. For example, the video buffer of a host computer can be captured at regular intervals, e.g. every one-half second, and then sent over the Internet to the client computer. However, this would create delays in response at the client computer if the client computer was providing inputs to the host computer. For example, if the client was typing on the keyboard of the client computer, there would be an appreciable lag before the results of the typing into the "virtual computer" would be displayed. If, however, the local computer was simply being used to monitor (i.e. "eavesdrop on") the host machine, the up to one-half second delay would not be detrimental.
One example of the step 240 "Execute a Draw Operation" of
It will be appreciated that the process 250 patches into the systems "shield cursor" facility to obtain certain information used to provide a "virtual machine" over the Internet. As noted previously, there are other ways of obtaining this information. The process 250 is a convenient and timely method for obtaining the information concerning the change of the display on the computer system video display for rapid transmission of the information over the Internet to a client machine.
Once again, the system function "show cursor" has been patched such that if any changes to the drawings have occurred, these changes can be passed on to the client computers over the Internet. In addition, the process has a cache rectangle which indicates where in the screen the changes occur, meaning that only that portion of the screen where changes occurred needs to be sent over the Internet. This is an attractive feature of the present invention, in that the entire screen does not have to sent over the Internet (which could be a slow operation), but only changed portions of the screen need to be sent over the Internet. The actual image is taken from the video buffer of the host computer within the range specified by the rectangle. Preferably, the bit mapped (or pixel mapped) image taken from the video buffer is compressed, using a suitable and preferably standard compression technique such as MPEG, before transmission over the Internet.
The decision step 292 determines whether there is incoming information from a Java Applet. If there is, a decision step 294 determines whether there is a decryption validation. If not, step 294 returns process control to step 292. If there is decryption validation, a step 296 pre-processes the information. A step 298 then extracts the events from the information, and then events are posted into the event queue of the host computer system (such as computer system 14) in a step 300.
If there is no incoming information from a Java Applet as determined by step 292, a step 302 will send screen updates to the client with the proper encryption. A step 304 then determines whether the web pages should be updated, preferably by checking if a fixed period of time has elapsed since the last update. If the web pages are to updated, process control is returned to step 288 to create new base page and virtual machine pages. If the web pages are not to be updated, a decision step 308 determines whether shut-down of the host computer system is desired. If not, process control is returned to step 292, and if shut-down is desired, the process 48 is complete as indicated at 308.
The step 362 "Run Virtual Machine" of
A decision step 380 determines if there is a message from the host. If there is, the message is decrypted in a step 382, and then the Applet controlled virtual machine window is updated in a step 384. If there is no message from the host, or after updating the virtual machine window, it is determined in a step 386 if the process 362 is to be terminated. If not, process control is returned to step 370. If the process 362 is determined to be terminated in a step 386, the process is completed at 388.
Process 390 begins at 392 and, in a step 394, the system is initialized; code is loaded into memory and internal data structures are initialized. Next, in a step 396, "stale entries" from the advertiser URL list are removed. As it is well-known to those skilled in the art, the URL is simply the address of a web page on the Internet. By "stale entries," it is simply meant that the content of the advertiser URL list is periodically updated. A local copy of the latest version of each "advertisement" is kept and compared to the advertisement on the web. If they are identical for too long of a period, the advertisement is considered to be "stale" and is deleted from the advertisement list.
Next, in a decision step 398, it is determined if there is any incoming mail. If there is, a step 400 receives the next mail message and a step 402 extracts the advertiser URL and name. Next, in a step 404, the advertiser list is updated with the URL, name, and time stamp, and process control is returned to step 398. If there is no incoming mail, a step 406 generates a composite web page from all advertisement pages in the URL list. Next, in a step 408, the composite web page is posted on the web using a sever push. Next, in a decision step 410, it is determined whether the server is to be shut down. If not, process control is returned to step 396. If the server is to be shut down, the process 390 ends at 412.
In the body portion 418 of web page 414 there is a brief welcome 422 to the "virtual machine web server" at the web site "jamnet." A window 424 displays the current number of machines that are "posted" at this web site. The body 418 also includes two buttons 426 and 428. By "clicking" on button 426, a user can "post" a virtual machine on the web site. By "clicking" on the button 428, a user can select a virtual machine from the web site to monitor and/or interact with.
As it is well known to those skilled in the art, the terms "click," "select," and the like refer to the act of using a pointer mechanism, such as a mouse 30 (see FIG. 1), to position a pointer icon, such as a pointer icon 430, on a computer screen, and then activating ("clicking") a button of the mouse to cause an action at the location pointed to by the pointer icon 430. For example, "clicking" on the screen of a computer can press a button, open a file, activate a program, draw a line, etc. By "post" or "posting", it is meant that a computer implemented process is executed which causes a host machine coupled to the Internet to become available as a "virtual machine." The "virtual machine" refers to the fact that it appears that a fully functional computer is available on the Internet when, in fact, the actual computer may be a computer connected to the Internet through a WAN server. However, the virtual machine may also be a WAN server which is providing its computing functionality to the Internet via the "virtual machine" protocol.
With reference to
The web page 432 again includes a header 436 and a body portion 438. The header 436 includes the URL of the web page and the body portion 438 includes four windows 440, 442, 444, and 446, and a button 448. In window 440, the advertisers (i.e. host computers) can post their user's or sponsor's name. Assume, for the purpose of this example, that the user of computer system 14 is "Mary Jones." As the user, Mary Jones enters her name into window 440. This is typically accomplished by using the mouse 30 to position a cursor within the window 440, and then using the keyboard 28 to type in the name. Alternatively, the keyboard alone can be used using tab keys, cursor positioning keys, etc. to properly position a cursor in the window 440 prior to typing in her name. This form of keyboard/pointer input is well known to those skilled in the art.
The windows 442 and 444 are preferably Java™ windows controlled by Java software provided by Sun Microsystems, Inc. of Mountain View, Calif. These windows 442 and 444 are controlled by Applets™ produced in the Java programming language. The use of Java and Applets is well known to those skilled in the art and is described, for example, in Hooked on Java, Creating Hot Web Sites with Java Applets, Arthur van Hoff, Sami Shaio, and Orca Starbuck of Sun Microsystems, Inc., Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1996, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The window 442 displays the output of a Java Applet and provides the current access mode for "eavesdropping" or "monitoring" the advertiser computer system 14. As noted in window 442, Mary's machine currently does not require a password for another system connected to the Internet 12 to monitor her system's (i.e. computer 14's) outputs. In window 444, it is indicated that Mary's machine 14 currently requires a password for "remote access", i.e. a password is required before Mary's computer system 14 can be controlled over the Internet 12.
In window 446, a space is provided for entering a greeting message. As noted, the window 446 includes scroll buttons 450 and 452 to allow a longer message than would otherwise fit in window 446. In this instance, Mary Jones is indicating that she lost an important file and is posting her machine on the Internet and in hope that someone can help retrieve the file.
A scroll bar 462 includes scroll buttons 464 and 466 and a place marker 468 which allows a user-client to quickly navigate through the body portion 458 to find a desired virtual machine. By the centralized position of the place marker 468, it can be inferred that Mary Jones' virtual machine is somewhere in the middle of a "big list" which might include tens or even hundreds of virtual machines, each representing a computer system posted to the web page.
Again, by "virtual machine," it is meant that the functionality of a computer system, such as computer system 14, can be accessed by another computer system, such as computer system 18, in such a fashion that it appears that there is a "virtual" computer running in a window of computer system 18 from the Internet. Therefore, by "posting," i.e. "entering," a computer system 14 onto the Internet 18, a "host" computer is posting itself as a "virtual machine" for use by others, i.e. "clients." By accessing a "virtual machine" on the Internet, a user or "client" can operate and run the "virtual machine" from their own computer.
As seen in
If a computer system 12 which has become a client ("web user") of a host ("advertiser") machine 14, the display can be "clicked" or selected to indicate that they wish to become a client. The connection is then made through the Internet such that the client computer 18 can eavesdrop on ("monitor") or remotely access ("control") the host machine 14 through the Internet. In this instance, the "remote access" of the host machine 14 requires a password for Mary Jones. This is provided for security reasons and prevents the unauthorized uploading or downloading of program code and data without the password. For example, by eliminating remote access, Mary's computer system 14 is given a degree of protection against computer viruses, unauthorized uploading of computer files, etc.
The operation of the method and apparatus of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in a pictorial fashion in FIG. 24. More particularly, the process 484 of the present invention begins with a host or advertiser 486 which makes two "server pushes" onto the Internet 488. A first server push 490 pushes the "HTML" advertisement page onto the Internet 488. A second server push 494 pushes the HTML with Java remote access page as a web page 496 onto the Internet 488. There is a hyperlink between the web page 492 and the web page 496, as explained previously. An advertisement publisher 498 (web server) receives mail 500 over the Internet and can also "pull" pages 492 and 496 into the web site, as indicated at 502. The ad publisher 498 can make a server push 504 into the World Wide Web 488 including a web page 506 which sends mail back to the ad publisher 498. The web page 506 is linked to an HTML only composite page 508 with many links to the HTML and Java remote access page 496 on the World Wide Web 488. A web user (client) visits the list of ads on the page 508 and then links to the appropriate access page, such as access page 496. The web user then becomes the client of the host/advertiser and runs a "virtual machine" over the World Wide Web 488.
Within the context of the present invention, the WAN 510 supports "real users" such as user 528 and "virtual users" such as virtual users 530 a and 530 b. As far as the WAN 510 is concerned, there is little or no difference between a real user 528 or a virtual user such as virtual users 530 a and 530 b. In either instance, the "user" can access and manipulate features of the wide area network by adhering to the protocols and procedures of the present invention.
By "virtual user", it is meant herein that a software program, executing on hardware that is a part of or which is connected to the WAN 510 (in this example, the Internet) that appears, for all intents and purposes, to be a real user, such as real user 528. The virtual user can be provided with many of the attributes of a real user, such as having the ability to perform useful work, the requirement for sustenance, the ability to reproduce, and the ability to die. As noted previously, prior art software programs known as "agents", "robots", "web crawlers", etc., may have had certain ones, but certainly not all, of these aspects. This is because, before the present invention, there was not a suitable "home" or "world" for a virtual user on the network which could be "rented" or "bought" by the virtual user to support its "life." The virtual user of the present invention will be discussed subsequently after a discussion of the systems, apparatus, method, and processes of the present invention that make it possible for the virtual user to be an economically feasible entity.
As will be appreciated from the above discussion, the present invention extends beyond the current concept of a "World Wide Web." As seen in
While the CAC 536 and the NACs 538 are fully functional computers, they also share certain resources. For example, the NACs share a mass storage 540, such as a large hard disk drive, or an array of hard disk drives. This mass storage 540 is accessed via a shared storage interface 542 which is coupled between each of the NACs 538 and the mass storage 540. In this way, an economy of scale is achieved which reduces the cost of storage for each of the individual NACs. In addition, the mass storage 540 preferably includes software programs that can be shared among the NACs 538. For example, three copies of a word processing program can be stored in mass storage 540, so that up to three NACs 538 can run the word processing software at any particular time.
To run software stored on shared mass storage 540, the software is downloaded into the NAC 528 through the shared storage interface 542, and then is "disabled" in the mass storage 540 as long as it is being run on the NAC 538. When the NAC 538 is done with the software, it is removed from the memory of the NAC 538 and is "re-enabled" on the mass storage 540. This enabling and disabling of software on the mass storage 540 can be accomplished by setting a bit indicating that the software is available or not available. The network-accessible computers 538 can include their own hard discs for local storage, or can include large random access memory ("RAM") discs that can temporarily hold such items as the aforementioned word processing software.
The cluster administration computer 536 is also coupled to the mass storage 540 and performs an "oversight" function for the cluster 516. For example, the CAC 536 can periodically back-up the mass storage 540 to an archival storage 544. This archival storage can be, for example, a tape back-up system or a magneto-optical CD-ROM system. In addition, as will be discussed in greater detail subsequently, the cluster administration computer 536 monitors the functioning of the NACs 538. If it is determined that a NAC needs to be restarted, either to activate a "personal state" of a user, or because the machine has "crashed", a power bus 546 is used to turn off the appropriate NAC, wait a short period of time (e.g. 5 seconds), and then turn the NAC back on. This, in virtually every instance, will reinitialize and reboot the appropriate NAC, and make it available for use by a user ("client").
The effect of the "personal state" being stored on the Internet is that the user has the same experience as if they had their own stand-alone personal computer on their desk. A low-powered, low-cost Internet box can be used to access a NAC 538 which then "boots-up" as the user's own personal computer. As long as the data communication rate between the Internet box and the NAC is sufficiently fast, the user can have a virtually identical experience with the Internet box as he or she would have with their own personal computer. However, and very advantageously, the computer would be a shared computer resource, resulting in lower costs per user. In addition, the cluster administration computer 536 takes care of several common tasks such as backing up the mass storage, maintaining updated versions of software on the mass storage 540, etc.
It should be noted that the personal state 548 need not be stored on the mass storage 540 associated with a particular NAC 538. In fact, in most instances, it will be stored elsewhere on the Internet. However, with sufficiently high data rates, the actual location of the data on the Internet becomes irrelevant as long as the appropriate NAC can access the data sufficiently quickly.
It should also be noted that although a user can access a NAC anywhere on the WAN, that it is usually better to connect to a NAC that is the fewest "hops" away. In this description a "hop" is used synonymously with "node" in that TCP/IP packets are routed from node-to-node (i.e. "hop" from node to node) between the host and client computers. Since each node will cause a brief delay (due to "latency") as they receive and re-transmit the TCP/IP packets, overall performance, i.e. the overall speed of transmission of the packets, will be directly related to the number of "hops" that have to be made between the host and client computers. The browsing capabilities of the WWW can be used to select a NAC that is the fewest "hops" from the user's machine. Of course, other factors that the number of "hops" are also related to packet transmission speed, such as the speed of communication links between specific nodes. Therefore, the present invention preferably optimizes overall performance based upon a variety of factors, including the number of hops, the transmission speed of specific communication links, etc.
It is therefore apparent that the "virtual machine" process of the present invention permits the expensive and difficult computational tasks to be distributed over the Internet rather than residing on the desktop of the user. Therefore, most users will find it sufficient to have inexpensive Internet boxes costing, perhaps, one-quarter to one-tenth as much as a full-blown, desktop personal computer system, which can be the "client" of a "host" NAC 538 on the Internet. Since the NACs 538 can be shared among the many millions of users of the Internet, the cost per user decreases while the experience of the individual user remains essentially the same or improves.
The clusters 516 can be maintained for either private or public use. When used privately, the cluster 516 can be provided by a company for use by their employees. Since, typically, employees are not all using their computers simultaneously, there can be fewer network-accessible computers (NACs) 538, than the number of employees having access to the NACs. Again, the access to the NACs can be either through the Internet, through a private Intranet, or through other network protocols. If, for example, it is determined that the average computer user of a corporation uses their personal computer thirty percent of the time, the company may provide one-half as many NACs 538 as they have employees. This will generate a substantial cost savings.
If the cluster 516 is public in nature, it is likely that the provider of the cluster 516 will charge or "rent" access to the NACs 538. This provides a scenario for a fully functional and viable virtual user 530 that can inhabit the Internet at large. In this instance, the virtual user is created (either by a real user or another virtual user), and is provided with a certain amount of "start-up capital" in the form of credit that is backed by a real currency. For example, this credit could be "cyber dollars" that are ultimately convertible to real money, or could be a credit line with, for example, and electronic bank. This start-up capital allows the virtual user 530 a to rent time on a NAC 538. If the start-up capital is small, the virtual user 530 a will most likely choose a "low rent district", i.e., a low-powered and therefore inexpensive NAC 538, such as a 80286-based personal computer. The virtual user can then advertise and perform useful services on the Internet 510. For example, the virtual user 530 a can be a "handyman" who goes to various computer systems 514 and clusters 516 to de-fragment their hard disk, analyze their system for faults, or otherwise optimize their systems. Alternatively, the virtual user 530 can monitor the packets flowing along the Internet or become a "web crawler" to gather information that might be useful to other real and virtual users. The virtual users are "paid" for performing these useful tasks (using real or "cyber" credit), which permits the virtual user to accumulate wealth. Some of this wealth can be transferred to other real or virtual users, can be used to purchase services, or it can be used to "upgrade" the habitat of the virtual user, i.e., to allow the virtual user to occupy a NAC of greater power. In addition, once the virtual user has accumulated sufficient capital, it can create clones or "offspring" and provide them with sufficient capital to inhabit their own NAC. Also, two or more virtual users can merge and work together. For example, a virtual user that is good at detecting software viruses might join forces with a virtual user that is good at de-fragmenting hard disks for co-marketing purposes. Presumably, if a virtual user 530 runs out of capital, it would "die", in that it would not have access to a NAC 538, unless capital could be "borrowed" from another real or virtual user. The ability to merge, reproduce, and die adds a Darwinian selection aspects to virtual users which ensures that the most effective virtual user traits will be propagated.
A pointer 570 can be used to select a particular entry window 560-568. The user (real or virtual) enters their name and address in window 560 (real users typically use keyboard, while virtual users would emulate keyboard entry), and a cluster entry password in a window 562. If the cluster 516 accepts this name and password, a computer CPU-type can be selected in a window 564. The pointer 570 can be used to "click" on the word 572 "computer" to create a pop-up window 574, listing all of the computers CPU types available on that particular cluster 516. In this instance, the pointer at 570 a has selected a Pentium 100 MHz CPU computer for entry into window 564. The system type information is entered into entry window 566, and the minimum RAM requirement is entered into entry window 568 in a similar, fashion, i.e., it is either typed into the windows 566 or 568 via a keyboard, or is selected from a pull-down menu similar to the pull-down menu 574 illustrated in
Next, in a step 602, the next NAC on the list is compared to the user's request. If the next NAC 538 in the list is not sufficient (i.e., it does not meet the minimum requirements of the user), a step 606 determines if there are more NACs on the list. If there are, process control is returned to step 602 to compare the requirements of the user to the next NAC in the list. If step 606 determines there are no more NACs in the list, the step 608 informs the user that there are no NACs available at the site that meet their requirements. In other words, step 608 is a form of request denial of step 584, allowing the display of the "No NACs Are Available" dialog of step 586. The process is then completed at 610.
If step 604 determines that the NAC is sufficient, the personal state of the user is located on the Internet in step 612. This is preferably accomplished by a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) transfer from the computer storing the personal state, typically designated by the user's name (e.g. "firstname.lastname@example.com"). Once located, a step 614 loads the personal state into the NAC 538. Step 616 then "boots" the NAC, i.e., a "hard" or "power-on" reset of the NAC 538 loads the personal state of the user into the desired NAC. Finally, in a step 618, the user ("requester" or "client"), is informed of the URL for the NAC that will serve as their "virtual computer."
If the CAC 536 determines that a NAC 538 is not responding, or that the NAC is responding but it is not operating properly, the power to the NAC 538 is "cycled." With brief reference to
While this invention has been described in terms of several preferred embodiments, there are alterations, permutations, and equivalents which fall within the scope of this invention. It should also be noted that there are may alternative ways of implementing both the process and apparatus of the present invention. For example, the described methods pertaining to the host computer are generally described in terms of a Macintosh computer system. It will therefore be apparent to those skilled in the art that when the host computer processes are implemented on other computer systems, such as MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows 95, and UNIX computer systems, that the methodology may require some modification. However, such modifications will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art after studying preceding descriptions and studying the drawings.
It is therefore intended that the following appended claims cover all such alterations, permutations, and equivalents that fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.
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