User interface development and software environments: the Chiron-1 system

The authors discuss a list of requirements which should be met by the user interface development system (UIDS) to address the special demands of software environments. Chiron-1 uses an annotation-based, concurrent model which makes a clear separation between an application´s functional and user interface parts, while still promoting effective communication between those parts. The UIDS model and language interface and the UIDS architecture are described. The authors describe how applications are built with Chiron-1, and illustrate the process with an example. Important Chiron-1 concepts are presented, and their significance in the software environment context is explained. The authors detail some design issues and report on the status of current work and the plans for future research