Abstract: The present invention generally provides a method, apparatus and article of manufacture for debugging computer programs. Debugging computer programs is aided by monitoring allocations and deallocations of memory space. The resulting information can be processed to return meaningful data to a user including, for example, a hexadecimal view of memory distinguishing allocated memory from free memory, the allocation/deallocation history of a memory space, a relationship between an allocator and a deallocator, whether a user-established relationship between an allocator and a deallocator was violated, whether a user-established memory limit was exceeded, and the like.

Abstract: A method and computer program product are provided for implementing supervision functions for Internet browsing. A user profile record is maintained. A universal resource locator (URL) is identified. Approval is determined for the identified URL. The URL is displayed according to the user profile record. A view record is created and the screen is optionally captured at prescribed events and time intervals. The user profile record includes a display level, a URL history capture, and trust lists. The display level includes approved, monitored and restricted options. The URL history capture includes approved, monitored and restricted options and defined threshold values. Trusted URLs are allowed to delegate trust to links on their pages. URLs are allowed to inherit trust from a trusted URL. A supervised user may create an explanation for a bad choice to a history record. The trust lists include a list of approved web sites.

Abstract: A method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for providing browsing information to a user browsing a plurality of network addresses using a browsing program. Specifically, the invention renders first electronic document containing a link that points to a second electronic document, and renders the link in a first, second or third manner. The link is rendered in a first manner if the second electronic document was previously accessed from the first electronic document or a recently accessed electronic document. The link is rendered in a second manner if the second electronic document was previously accessed from another document other than the first electronic document or the recently accessed electronic document. The link is rendered in a third manner if the second electronic document was previously unaccessed.

Abstract: A web user may elect to have certain frequently changing web content audibly presented in the background while performing other tasks. Content may be audibly presented when it changes, or at user-specified intervals. Audible presentation does not require that any other task in which the user is engaged be interrupted. Preferably, audible background presentation is an optional feature in a web browser. The user selects web content by highlighting a portion or portions of one or more web pages. The user specifies any of various options for audible presentation, such as at fixed intervals, every time any content changes, or every time selected content changes. At the specified intervals or events, the selected web content is converted from text to speech, and audibly played over the computer's speaker.

Abstract: An apparatus and method helps a user to determine parts of an electronic document that are of interest by allowing the user to define preferences for processing an electronic document, and by automatically highlighting one or more portions of the document according to the user preferences. Highlighting includes any way to enhance or alter the appearance of text, including bold, italics, underlining, change in font style, change in font size, change in color, change in background color, etc. The automatic highlighting of portions of the document attract the user's eyes to that portion of the document, which helps the user to discern whether or not the highlighted portion is relevant or interesting. The preferred embodiments also include a document generator that takes an input document and generates therefrom an output document that has one or more highlighted portions that are hard-coded into the document according to the user preferences.

Abstract: An apparatus, program product and method integrate virus checking functionality into a computer database search environment to assist in protecting a user computer from contracting a computer virus when accessing search results. The generation of a display representation of a result set generated in response to a search request may be based at least in part upon virus status information associated with at least a portion of a plurality of result records identified in the generated result set. Moreover, an apparatus, program product, and method configure a first computer to receive virus status information generated by a plurality of computers, with such received virus status information stored in a virus database that is accessible by the first computer.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, a web server supports a client choice of audio or standard video presentation of essentially the same web content. A client passes information requesting web page content in a specific form, preferably as a newly defined argument to the URL called “pagetype”. The pagetype may specify that the client wants text only, audio only, or wants both audio and text. Preferably, a new HTML tag “audiate” is defined. An audiate tag in the HTML stream of a web page indicates how an audio version of the web content will be constructed, and optionally indicates the conditions under which the audio version will be played to the user. Specifically, the audiate tag may include one or more optional parameters, among which are one specifying a wave file containing audio content, one specifying HTML elements to be converted to audio, and one specifying a time interval for repeating the audio presentation.

Abstract: An apparatus, program product and method dynamically adjust the scroll rate used to scroll through the program information for various television programs available to a television viewer to provide a variable rate of scroll for program information presented to the television viewer. The scroll rate may be varied, for example, to emphasize certain program information relative to other program information, e.g., by slowing down the scroll rate to increase the visibility for important program information and speeding up the scroll rate to decrease the visibility of less important program information. Dynamic scroll rate adjustment may be utilized in a number of situations, including in connection with non-interactive electronic program listings, interactive electronic program guides, and electronic overlays, among others.

Abstract: A way to synchronize threads in a multi-threaded program. In the preferred embodiment, a debugger provides a break-point that does not interrupt the user when the first thread reaches it; instead, the debugger halts this thread at the break-point and waits for other threads to accumulate at the break-point before the debugger notifies the user. The user can specify a condition under which this notification should occur; for example, when a specific thread or a certain number of threads have accumulated at the break-point. Once the condition is satisfied, the debugger suspends other threads that have not reached the break-point. The debugger then provides for synchronized stepping or running of the threads that are halted at the break-point.

Abstract: An apparatus, program product and method access electronic program information in response to a determination that a showing of a television program has been interrupted to locate one or more repeat showings of the interrupted television program. Then, if a repeat showing is located for an interrupted television program, a number of different activities are performed, including but not limited to notifying the user of the repeat showing (either immediately or at a later time), setting a timer to remind the user of the repeat showing, automatically displaying the repeat showing, or automatically recording the repeat showing, among others. The determination that a showing of a television program has been interrupted may be responsive to manual input by a user (e.g., depression of a button on a remote control), or may be automated to be responsive to tracking what programs are being viewed in a television system (e.g., by tracking viewing times for one or more television programs).

Abstract: A method and apparatus for notifying a user of an appointment. In one embodiment, an appointment time and an appointment location is received for the appointment. A current location of a wireless device is determined. A travel time is estimated for the user to travel from the current location of the wireless device to the appointment location. A lead time is determined for the user to prepare prior to travel from the current location to the appointment location. The estimated travel time, the determined lead time and the appointment time is used to determine a projected start time. The user of the wireless device is notified of the appointment if a current time reaches the alarm time.

Abstract: A method, article of manufacture and apparatus for searching local and non-local user-specific data for network addresses previously-visited by the user. In one embodiment, a network search tool allows the user to more quickly find the addresses previously-visited by matching search criteria to user-specific data and optionally combining those results obtained from a search of the network.

Abstract: A computer system and method of performing a second chance pointer operation wherein a pointer displayed on a computer display includes at least one alternate hot spot. In response to a pointer event, such as a mouse click, with a default hot spot not overlaying a graphical display element, or graphical user interface (GUI) object (e.g., icon, hypertext link, window tool bar), the object may nonetheless be selected if another hot spot on the pointer overlays the object, e.g., by resignaling the pointer event with the alternate hot spot. Advantageously, the resignaling of the pointer event may include selecting the overlaid GUI object, and/or providing feedback to the user regarding the alternate hot spots.

Abstract: The preferred embodiment of the present invention generally provides a method, apparatus and article of manufacture for debugging computer programs. Debugging computer programs is aided by establishing a step region. The step region is delimited by an entry point and an exit point and may include any number of step elements (e.g., instructions, statement, line numbers, etc.). When a step region is enterered in response to a command, the code contained in the region is executed until the end of the region. Execution is halted for inspection of the region by a user. The executed step region can, be formatted (e.g., by highlighting, bolding, italicizing, shading and the like) to identify executed instructions.

Abstract: The present invention generally provides a method, apparatus and article of manufacture for debugging computer programs. Debugging computer programs is aided by monitoring allocations and deallocations of memory space. The resulting information can be processed to return meaningful data to a user including, for example, a hexadecimal view of memory distinguishing allocated memory from free memory, the allocation/deallocation history of a memory space, a relationship between an allocator and a deallocator, whether a user-established relationship between an allocator and a deallocator was violated, whether a user-established memory limit was exceeded, and the like.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing electronic mail (e-mail) using an importance indicator such that a user can clearly identify which mail is important and should be viewed immediately. The method applies a set of importance rules to each electronic mail message that is received to determine the importance of that particular electronic mail message. Control messages are used to identify e-mail messages that have been read by others and replied to by others. As such, if a particular message has been “handled” by another recipient of the message then the importance indicator is lowered for the non-responding recipient(s). In one embodiment, a recipient may nominate another recipient of a message to “handle” the message. When a nomination is made, a nomination control message is sent to the nominated user to cause the importance indicator to be the highest value for the message the user has been nominated to handle.

Abstract: A method, computer system, program product is provided for enhancing interaction with a hypertext document rendered by a browser on a touch screen. A navigation button is displayed corresponding to a displayed link in response to a predetermined event, such as changing the displayed portion of a hypertext document or touching the screen, especially if outside of all displayed links. When a plurality of links are present, prioritization of navigation buttons displayed is contemplated, based on those closest to the area touched and on a maximum allowable number of navigation buttons.

Abstract: A software debugger having a monitor for monitoring conditional statements within a software program is disclosed. A program construct is initially identified within a software program. After identifying a point of interest within the program construct, a group of debug instructions is associated with the point of interest within the program construct. In response to a debug stop occurred at the point of interest, the information related to the associated program construct according to the group of debug instructions as a result of executing the instructions within the program construct is displayed.

Abstract: A method, system, and program product for generating a window scroll-bar. In the preferred embodiment, a controller displays the window scroll-bar on a display screen. The window scroll-bar contains sections associated with respective windows on the display. The window scroll-bar also contains a slider, which moves within a section and between sections. As the slider moves within a particular section, the window associated with that section moves on the display toward the nearest boundary of the display. Thus, by moving the window scroll-bar slider, the user can move overlapping windows out of the way and find the window of interest.

Abstract: An apparatus, program product, and method utilize a multi-target link to selectively access data located at one or more of a plurality of storage locations associated with the link. Thus, when a user activates a particular multi-target link, a request may be forwarded to different storage locations in different circumstances to optimize utilization of the link, rather than the request being forwarded to the same single storage location as occurs with conventional hypertext links and bookmarks. A multi-target link may be implemented as a hypertext link defined by a hypertext link definition embedded in a hypertext document, or as a bookmark for use in a custom bookmark list for a user. Moreover, various types of data, including hypertext documents, files, and the like, may be accessed from one or more of the storage locations for a multi-target link.