This book investigates the technical requirements and programming methodologies necessary for developing resident utility software within the OS/2 Presentation Manager environment. Ben Ezzell provides a structured approach for developers to interface with the OS/2 API, focusing on the creation of background processes and graphical user interface components. The text serves as a practical manual for managing system resources while maintaining application responsiveness in a multitasking operating system.

Experts recognize this work as a specialized technical manual for legacy OS/2 development. Readers frequently note the practical, code-heavy nature of the text as a resource for understanding early multitasking GUI environments.