Patent ID: 8863120

Claim:
A method for launching a software application in a computer system, the computer system having a virtual machine (VM) host and a VM guest instantiated on the VM host, the software application being installed and executable within the VM guest, the method comprising: creating an application shortcut in the VM host, wherein the application shortcut stores application information identifying the VM guest and an application path which points to a path where the software application is installed in the VM guest; positioning the application shortcut in a graphic user interface (GUI) of the VM host; receiving an execution command for the application shortcut in the GUI by the VM host; establishing a connection channel between the VM host and the VM guest; transmitting a launch request to the VM guest via the connection channel by the VM host in response to receiving the execution command; and launching the software application by the VM guest in response to the launch request; wherein when the software application is not launched by the VM guest, displaying a first icon representing the application shortcut in the GUI of the VM host, and when the software application is launched by the VM guest, displaying a second icon in place of the first icon, the second icon representing the application shortcut in the GUI of the VM host.