Abstract: A system and method for transferring files from a sending user to a recipient, utilizes a drag-and-drop graphical user interface. To send a file to a recipient, the user drags and drops onto the recipient's icon an icon, or set of selected icons, representing the file(s) to be transmitted. Information pertaining to the file and the recipient is captured from the icons and used to establish a session between the sender and the recipient. The file is transferred to the recipient via the established session.

Abstract: A movie-based facility for launching applications or services. A launchpad or pallet of icons is provided to a user. The launchpad is part of a graphical user interface. Each icon has a display region. A user can launch an application program by pressing the icon and concurrently therewith display a movie within the display region of the icon during the latency period associated with the launching of the application program.

Abstract: A system and computer-based method providing a dynamic information clipping service. An end-user creates a template of topics of interest via a graphical user interface and the template is transmitted to a central site for processing. At the central site, information relating to a particular base of knowledge is collected, parsed and indexed. The parsed and indexed information is stored in an information repository. The template is processed by parsing and collecting command-strings relating to the topics of interest found within the parsed template. The information repository is searched using the collected command-strings to generate query results, which are then sorted. A Hypertext Mark-up Language (HTML) page is created using the sorted query results. The page is then made available to the end-user for viewing, wherein the page represents a custom network-based newspaper.