Patent ID: 7839419

Claim:
A computer implemented method for rendering a desktop window in a graphical user interface of an operating system shell, comprising: receiving, at a composting desktop window manager (CDWM), application content from advanced applications in a bottom-to-top order, to display the application content received in a bottom-to-top order in windows corresponding to the advanced applications in the graphical user interface; receiving, at a desktop window manager (DWM), application content from legacy applications in a top-to-bottom order to display the application content received in a top-to-bottom order in windows corresponding to the legacy application in the graphical user interface; stripping out application content received from the legacy applications; converting the stripped application content to a graphical representation; switching between the CDWM and the DWM to render the advanced application content and legacy application content based on hardware or power constraints in a computer system displaying the graphical user interface; and displaying at least a portion of the application content in the windows, the windows having translucent frame portions.