Abstract: Methods and apparatus associate a computed difference factor to avatars that are to interact with one another in a simulated environment. Applying a difference factor to the avatars enables identification of similar avatars in order to avoid mistaken identities among the avatars. The difference factor predicts probability that one avatar is mimicking another avatar. An attribute uniqueness algorithm may assign the difference factor based on name, appearance, and/or accessory similarity between two avatars. A user index may be used to store data describing attributes of each avatar for analysis using programs that are stored in memory and that execute the attribute uniqueness algorithm. Further, system validation of each avatar provides ability to protect and control likeness of the avatars in the virtual world.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus associate a computed difference factor to avatars that are to interact with one another in a simulated environment. Applying a difference factor to the avatars enables identification of similar avatars in order to avoid mistaken identities among the avatars. The difference factor predicts probability that one avatar is mimicking another avatar. An attribute uniqueness algorithm may assign the difference factor based on name, appearance, and/or accessory similarity between two avatars. A user index may be used to store data describing attributes of each avatar for analysis using programs that are stored in memory and that execute the attribute uniqueness algorithm. Further, system validation of each avatar provides ability to protect and control likeness of the avatars in the virtual world.

Abstract: A web page development environment includes a link disambiguator that assures each link in a web page may be uniquely identified in an access log. An editor reviews the access log and displays a web page in a manner to visually indicate how often certain portions of the web page are used in certain ways. For example, links are highlighted to visually indicate their frequency of use. In addition, text within a web page that was used as a search term to find the web page is highlighted. Note that the highlighting may include any suitable visual indication of frequency of use.

Abstract: A satellite radio receiver includes a display that displays information regarding one or more channels that are not currently being listened to. For a music channel, this information may include the name of the artist, the song title, time left in the song, etc. For a news channel, this information may include the news currently being discussed, the name of the news program, the time remaining, etc. For a sports channel, this information may include the name of the channel, a description of the sporting event, the time remaining, etc. The preferred embodiments include different ways to select which channels are “favorites” and therefore displayed on the display. One way is to keep track of which channels are most frequently listened to, and to display information regarding those channels.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for group billing purchasers of transmitted programming events is provided. In one embodiment, a subscriber group includes two or more individual subscribers who receive programming from a programming provider. The individual subscribers periodically elect to view a program provided via the program provider. The program is provided on a pay-per-view basis, meaning that the program provider requires a sum of money to be paid in order to view the program. The sum of money is determined according to the number of viewers in a single subscriber group. In one embodiment, the subscribers interact during a program via a network connection.

Abstract: A conditional breakpoint for debugging computer programming code includes a condition identifying of one or more expected code paths used to reach the breakpoint. The breakpoint is triggered if it is reached during execution using an unexpected code path. Preferably, an expected code path is identified by specifying the expected preceding breakpoint, by specifying basic code blocks which should or should not be encountered before the breakpoint, or some combination thereof. The expected code path condition may be used alone or in conjunction with any conventional breakpoint condition.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment find all those breakpoints that meet a selection criteria and add the breakpoints to a breakpoint group. In various embodiments, the selection criteria may be a condition criteria, a hierarchy criteria, or a skipping criteria. In this way, the programmer is freed from needing to individually add breakpoints to the group and all the breakpoints in the group may be enabled, disabled, or removed as a group.

Abstract: Methods, systems and articles of manufacture for searching content in frames. In general, information located at one or more networked addresses may be displayed to a user in two or more frames. The content of a frame may be searched by designating one frame as a default search frame. Such a designation may be made according to a tag or other criteria, such as attributes of the frame itself or historical information pertaining to a previous search of one of the active frames. In any case, the designation of a default search frame eliminates the need for explicit selection by the user prior to a search.

Abstract: Method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for of debugging object-oriented code. A user selects a method call at a location in the object-oriented code and a debugger parses the selected method call. Parsing the selected method call comprises determining a base class of the method call, determining one or more override methods, and setting a respective breakpoint at a respective entry point of the method and each of one or more override methods. Each override method is associated with a derived class of the base class, and a name of the method call. During execution of the object-oriented code under debug, the debugger determines whether a method that executed one of the respective breakpoints is called from the user-selected location in the object-oriented code.

Abstract: A compiler has the capability to selectively compile individual portions of a compilable code module for optimum execution performance or for serviceability. In one aspect, individual portions, such as procedures (being less than the entire module) are selectively optimized. In another aspect, debug activity data is used for determining whether or not to optimize compiled code. It is optionally possible to support one or more levels of partial selective optimization.

Abstract: An apparatus, program product and method utilize automated analysis techniques to assist in the determination of acceptable usages of linguistic terms (e.g., words, phrases, acronyms, etc.). In particular, an acceptable usage of a linguistic term in a document on the Internet may be determined by detecting a spell definition tag in the document. In response to detecting the spell definition tag, automatically adding the acceptable variant of the linguistic term to an electronic dictionary.

Abstract: A link structure and method for linking therein. The link structure includes a first page of a website and may include a global page of the website. The first page includes a link that has a default pointer and may have a local pointer, a global pointer, or both. The local pointer points to a local page and the global pointer points to the global page. A local link structure includes the local pointer but not the global pointer. A global link structure includes the global pointer but not the local pointer. A hybrid link structure includes the local pointer and the global pointer. Linking within the link structure may include linking from the link to the local page through the local pointer or linking from the link to the global page through the global pointer.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided for implementing performance impact reduction of watched variables. Source code is parsed and a variable in the source code to be watched is identified. The identified variable is allocated to a predefined page of storage. The predefined page of storage is separated from frequently accessed variables, such as, a page containing least frequently modified variables, a last page associated with a static storage, and a separate page added for receiving the identified variables to be watched.

Abstract: A method, article of manufacture, apparatus for determining keywords to be used by a search engine. In one embodiment, a list of hyperlinks contained in an electronic document is identified by a searching program. The searching program then accesses the resource content (e.g., HTML) from each resource pointed to by the hyperlinks. The resource content of each resource is examined to determine whether a commonality exists in a manner directed to identifying keywords for each resource. These keywords may then be used by a search engine to return more accurate results to user queries.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for dynamically classifying web pages associated with a search engine is provided. The method includes calculating a composite respect value for messaging accounts. The calculating includes generating a local respect list for each of the messaging accounts. The local respect list includes a respect quotient assigned to each message sender in the local respect list that indicates a level of deference and esteem afforded to the message sender. The respect quotient is calculated based upon activities conducted by a receiver of at least one message transmitted by the message sender. The calculating also includes periodically querying local respect lists, compiling respect quotients for each message sender, and averaging the compilation. The method also includes calculating a rank for a web page transmitted via a messaging account using a corresponding composite respect value, the page and the rank indexed for searching via a search engine.

Abstract: A method, computer-readable medium, and system for tracing the execution path of a program are provided. In one embodiment, a control flow graph is created for the program. For each node in the control flow graph, a determination is made of whether the node has two or more predecessor nodes. For each node determined to have two or more predecessor nodes, a set instruction is inserted into program code corresponding to the predecessor node which sets a corresponding value of a variable. The corresponding value of the variable indicates that one or more instructions in the predecessor node were executed during an execution of the program.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and computer program products are disclosed for debugging a computer program by operating a debugger step function, detecting a governor point by the debugger step function, and, responsive to detecting a governor point, disabling the debugger step function. Debugging a computer program also includes clearing a debugger input buffer of any pending step commands. Debugging a computer program also includes detecting control flow entry into a program control flow structure, recording a return point for each control flow entry into a program control flow structure, and, responsive to a user instruction to do so, continuing program execution to a recorded return point.

Abstract: A debugger inserts instrumentation hooks in a multi-threaded computer program that allow collecting a program trace and that provide timestamps that correspond to the program trace. When a breakpoint in a first thread is encountered, a timestamp corresponding to the breakpoint is retrieved. Execution of the other threads may continue until the debugger is able to halt their execution. Once the execution of all threads has been halted, the program trace for each thread is traced backwards to a point where the timestamp is less than the breakpoint timestamp. Instructions are then executed, one by one, until the execution time of the instructions plus the timestamp is approximately the same as the breakpoint timestamp. The instruction in the program trace display is then highlighted to indicate the instruction that was likely being executed when the breakpoint in the first thread is encountered.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that, in an embodiment, in response to a call statement and a parameter statement in a source program, generate parameter executable instructions, temporary executable instructions, and a call executable instruction in an executable program. When executed, the parameter executable instructions load a parameter indicated in the parameter statement to a parameter area. When executed, the temporary executable instructions store the parameter in a temporary variable. When executed, the call executable instruction calls a function that accesses the parameter from the parameter area. In response to a display parameters action directed to the call statement, the parameter executable instructions and the temporary executable instructions are executed. The executable program is then halted after the temporary executable instructions and before the call executable instruction, and the parameter is retrieved from the temporary variable and displayed.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and article of manufacture for adjusting a language model within a voice recognition system, based on text received from an external application. The external application may supply text representing the words of one participant to a text-based conversation. In such a case, changes may be made to a language model by analyzing the external text received from the external application.