Pii: S0953-5438(99)00003-x

Windowing system offer many benefits to users, such as being able to work on multiple tasks concurrently; or working with a number of windows, each connected to different remote machines or applications. Unless these windows are managed efficiently, users can easily become overwhelmed by the number of windows currently open and begin to lose their way round the desktop. This can lead to a state where the desktop is cluttered with windows. At this stage ‘‘window thrashing ’’ occurs, as users begin to perform window management operation (move, resize, minimise and etc.) in order to locate relevant pieces of information contained in one of several open windows. This article identifies a number of problems experienced by users of any windowing system such as Microsoft Windows, X-Windows or the Apple Macintosh windowing systems. It outlines a technique for reducing screen clutter when using such systems. The technique is known as Vanishing or Fading Windows. One of the features of this technique is that some of the burden of the window management operation is taken over by the system, hence allowing the user to focus more on application domain activities. q 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.