window system

Software which allows a workstation's screen to be divided

into rectangular areas which act like a separate input/output

devices under the control of different application programs.

This gives the user the ability to see the output of several

processes at once and to choose which one will receive input

by selecting its window, usually by pointing at it with a

mouse.

Examples are the X Window System, and proprietary systems on

the Macintosh and NeXT, NeWS on Suns and RISC OS on

the Archimedes. See also WIMP.