Balloon help

Existing help systems typically didn't provide useful information on either of these topics, and were often nothing more than the paper manual copied into an electronic form.

In an interface that often included non-standard widgets or buttons labeled with an indecipherable icon, many functions required the end user referring to their manual.

The underlying system was based on a set of resources included in application software, holding text that would appear in the balloons.

Additionally, there was a system level API that could be utilized by the application programmer to directly create and display balloons containing text, graphics, or a mixture of both.

It also positioned the balloon using an algorithm designed to keep it from covering the objects being examined and adjusted the cartouche to point appropriately.

Balloon help is also highly visible in the Squeak Smalltalk environment, in the Enlightenment window manager, and in the AmigaOS's MUI.

Incidentally, Microsoft was able to add their own embodiment of Balloon help by acquiring the original patent among many purchased from Apple Computer in the early 1990s.