Software installation and icon management support

• US 8,136,100 B1
• Filed: 07/05/2007
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Goldman, Oliver
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Li
• Assistant Examiner(s): BODDEN, EVRAL E
• Application Number:
  US11/773,884
• Time in Patent Office: 1,713 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/136
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/4557 Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including medium-encoded computer program products, for software installation and icon management support. In one aspect, a method includes obtaining a cross-platform package of information stored in a platform independent format, the cross-platform package information including a cross-platform icon and one or more descriptors for the cross-platform icon; translating the cross-platform icon to a predefined icon format for a specific operating system (OS) on a computer; and providing the translated icon in the predefined icon format for display by the OS on the computer.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining a cross-platform package of information stored in a platform independent format, the cross-platform package information comprising a cross-platform icon and one or more descriptors for the cross-platform icon;

translating the cross-platform icon to a predefined icon format for a specific operating system (OS) on a computer; and

providing the translated icon in the predefined icon format for display by the OS on the computer, wherein the obtaining, the translating and the providing are performed at runtime, to dynamically create icons for a software application, by a virtual machine comprising a collection of utility functions configured to support a software application while the software application is running on the computer;

wherein the translating comprises;

checking the one or more descriptors for the cross-platform icon with respect to icon features of the specific OS; and

modifying images in the cross-platform icon based on the checking.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the translating and the providing comprise using an application programming interface (API) of the OS to define the translated icon in the predefined icon format for use by the OS to change icon representation of the software application to indicate status of the software application while running.

3. A method comprising:

obtaining a cross-platform installation package of information stored in a platform independent format, the cross-platform installation package information comprising a cross-platform icon and one or more descriptors for the cross-platform icon;

translating the cross-platform icon to a predefined icon format for a specific operating system (OS) on a computer; and

providing the translated icon in the predefined icon format for display by the OS on the computer; and

providing the translated icon in the predefined icon format for display by the OS on the computer,

wherein the translating comprises;

checking the one or more descriptors for the cross-platform icon with respect to icon features of the specific OS; and

modifying images in the cross-platform icon based on the checking; and

wherein the method is processed by a processor.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the checking comprises checking image sizes, color depth, and transparency encoding.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the translating comprises:

writing a header for the translated icon;

writing a descriptor block containing size and color depth information for each of the images for the translated icon;

writing color data for each of the images for the translated icon; and

writing a transparency mask for each of the images for the translated icon.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the images comprise vector graphics, and the modifying comprises rasterizing the vector graphics.

7. A computer program product, encoded on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

obtaining a cross-platform package of information stored in a platform independent format, the cross-platform package information comprising a cross-platform icon and one or more descriptors for the cross-platform icon;

translating the cross-platform icon to a predefined icon format for a specific operating system (OS) on a computer; and

providing the translated icon in the predefined icon format for display by the OS on the computer, wherein the obtaining, the translating and the providing are performed at runtime, to dynamically create icons for a software application, by a virtual machine comprising a collection of utility functions configured to support a software application while the software application is running on the computer;

wherein the translating comprises;

checking the one or more descriptors for the cross-platform icon with respect to icon features of the specific OS; and

modifying images in the cross-platform icon based on the checking.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the translating and the providing comprise using an application programming interface (API) of the OS to define the translated icon in the predefined icon format for use by the OS to change icon representation of the software application to indicate status of the software application while running.

9. A computer program product, encoded on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

obtaining a cross-platform installation package of information stored in a platform independent format, the cross-platform installation package information comprising a cross-platform icon and one or more descriptors for the cross-platform icon;

translating the cross-platform icon to a predefined icon format for a specific operating system (OS) on a computer; and

providing the translated icon in the predefined icon format for display by the OS on the computer, wherein the translating comprises;

checking the one or more descriptors for the cross-platform icon with respect to icon features of the specific OS; and

modifying images in the cross-platform icon based on the checking.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the checking comprises checking image sizes, color depth, and transparency encoding.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the translating comprises:

writing a header for the translated icon;

writing a descriptor block containing size and color depth information for each of the images for the translated icon;

writing color data for each of the images for the translated icon; and

writing a transparency mask for each of the images for the translated icon.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the images comprise vector graphics, and the modifying comprises rasterizing the vector graphics.

13. A system comprising:

a user interface device; and

one or more computers operable to interact with the user interface device and to perform operations comprising;

obtaining a cross-platform package of information stored in a platform independent format, the cross-platform package information comprising a cross-platform icon and one or more descriptors for the cross-platform icon;

translating the cross-platform icon to a predefined icon format for a specific operating system (OS) on a computer; and

providing the translated icon in the predefined icon format for display by the OS on the computer, wherein the obtaining, the translating and the providing are performed at runtime, to dynamically create icons for a software application, by a virtual machine comprising a collection of utility functions configured to support a software application while the software application is running on the computer;

wherein the translating comprises;

checking the one or more descriptors for the cross-platform icon with respect to icon features of the specific OS; and

modifying images in the cross-platform icon based on the checking.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the translating and the providing comprise using an application programming interface (API) of the OS to define the translated icon in the predefined icon format for use by the OS to change icon representation of the software application to indicate status of the software application while running.

15. A system comprising:

a user interface device; and

one or more computers operable to interact with the user interface device and to perform operations comprising;

obtaining a cross-platform installation package of information stored in a platform independent format, the cross-platform installation package information comprising a cross-platform icon and one or more descriptors for the cross-platform icon;

translating the cross-platform icon to a predefined icon format for a specific operating system (OS) on a computer; and

providing the translated icon in the predefined icon format for display by the OS on the computer, wherein the translating comprises;

checking the one or more descriptors for the cross-platform icon with respect to icon features of the specific OS; and

modifying images in the cross-platform icon based on the checking.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the checking comprises checking image sizes, color depth, and transparency encoding.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the translating comprises:

writing a header for the translated icon;

writing a descriptor block containing size and color depth information for each of the images for the translated icon;

writing color data for each of the images for the translated icon; and

writing a transparency mask for each of the images for the translated icon.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the images comprise vector graphics, and the modifying comprises rasterizing the vector graphics.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more computers consist of the computer, and the computer comprises the user interface device.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the computer comprises a personal computer or a mobile computing device.