User interaction with desktop environment

摘要

Sharing resources by users of computing devices includes providing, at each computing device, a respective viewport to a common desktop environment that has the shared resources. The desktop is independently viewable and independently navigable through each respective viewport. Furthermore, each of the resources is independently viewable and able to be independently acted upon through each respective viewport. One or more resources of each computing device may be added to the desktop environment through the respective viewport of the computing device. A search user interface is provided for text string searching of resources of a respective viewport by a user at the computing device of the respective viewport; and an application launcher view user interface is provided for launching applications, which is viewable by clicking on an open space of the desktop environment as seen through the respective viewport, and by which launchable applications are searchable.

主权项

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform a method comprising:
(a) providing at the first computing device a first viewport to a desktop environment of the first computing device; (b) adding a first resource of the first computing device to the viewport by which first viewport the first resource of the first computing device is able to be viewed and acted upon by a user at the first computing device; (c) adding a second resource of the first computing device to the viewport by which first viewport the second resource of the first computing device is able to be viewed and acted upon by a user at the first computing device; (d) communicating, over a network, from the first computing device with a second computing device such that a second viewport to the desktop environment of the first computing device is provided to the second computing device by which second viewport the first and second resources of the first computing device are able to be viewed and acted upon by a user from the second computing device; and (e) concurrently communicating over the network, from the first computing device with a third computing device such that a third viewport to the desktop environment of the first computing device is provided to the third computing device by which third viewport the first and second resources of the first computing device are able to be viewed and acted upon by a user from the third computing device; (f) wherein the first and second resources of the first computing device,
(i) are able to be viewed separately from the first computing device through the first viewport at the first computing device,(ii) are able to be viewed from the first computing device through the first viewport at the first computing device independently of the viewing of the resources from the second computing device through the second viewport at the second computing device, and(iii) are able to be viewed from the first computing device through the first viewport at the first computing device independently of the viewing of the resources from the third computing device through the third viewport at the third computing device; (g) wherein the first and second resources of the first computing device,
(i) are able to be viewed separately from the second computing device through the second viewport at the second computing device,(ii) are able to be viewed from the second computing device through the second viewport at the second computing device independently of the viewing of resources by the first computing device through the first viewport at the first computing device, and(iii) are able to be viewed from the second computing device through the second viewport at the second computing device independently of the viewing of the resources by the third computing device through the third viewport at the third computing device; and (h) wherein the first and second resources of the first computing device,
(i) are able to be viewed separately from the third computing device through the third viewport at the third computing device,(ii) are able to be viewed from the third computing device through the third viewport at the third computing device independently of the viewing of resources by the first computing device through the first viewport at the first computing device, and(iii) are able to be viewed from the third computing device through the third viewport at the third computing device independently of the viewing of the resources by the second computing device through the second viewport at the second computing device; and (i) further providing for each respective viewport,
a search user interface for text string searching resources of the respective viewport by a user at the computing device of the respective viewport; (j) wherein the method performed further comprises visually indicating within the first viewport at the first computing device a direction toward a portion of the desktop environment that is currently displayed through the second viewport on the second computing device, and wherein the method performed further comprises visually indicating within the first viewport at the first computing device another direction toward a portion of the desktop environment that is displayed through the third viewport on the third computing device.