Patent Publication Number: US-2010114914-A1

Title: Selective Home Page Manager

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and, more specifically, to a method and apparatus for processing data. Still more specifically, the present invention relates to a computer-implemented method, apparatus, and computer program code for managing home pages for a web browser. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     The Internet is a global network of computers and networks joined together by means of gateways that handle data transfer and the conversion of messages from a protocol of the sending network to a protocol used by the receiving network. On the Internet, any computer may communicate with any other computer with information traveling over the Internet through a variety of languages, also referred to as protocols. The set of protocols used on the Internet is called Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). 
     The Internet has revolutionized communications and commerce as well as become a source for both information and entertainment. For many users, email is a widely used format to communicate over the Internet. Additionally, the Internet is also used for real-time voice conversations. 
     With respect to transferring data over the Internet, the World Wide Web environment is used. This environment is also referred to simply as “the Web”. The Web is a mechanism used to access information over the Internet. In the Web environment, servers and clients effect data transaction using the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), a known protocol for handling the transfer of various data files, such as text files, graphic images, animation files, audio files, and video files. 
     On the Web, the information in various data files is formatted for presentation to a user by a standard page description language, the hypertext markup language (HTML). 
     Documents using HTML are also referred to as web pages. Web pages are connected to each other through links or hyperlinks. These links allow for a connection or link to other Web resources identified by a universal resource identifier (URI), such as a uniform resource locator (URL). 
     A browser is a program used to look at and interact with all of the information on the Web. A browser is able to display web pages and to traverse links to other web pages. Resources, such as web pages, are retrieved by a browser from a website on the World Wide Web or a local area network. The browser includes a graphical user interface that allows the user to display and interact with text, images, videos, music, games, and other information typically located on a web page. Text and images on a web page can contain hyperlinks to other web pages at the same or different websites. Web browsers allow a user to quickly and easily access information provided on many web pages at many websites by traversing these links. 
     Users may start a browser many times during the course of a day. Each time a browser is started or activated, a default web page is retrieved. A browser allows a user to select and/or enter a universal resource locater (URL) that points to a web page to be used as the default web page. This default web page is also referred to as a home page. 
     Oftentimes, a user may desire to have a different home page. The home page may be changed by opening the web browser and selecting a bookmark or entering a different universal resource locater to select a new home page for the browser. 
     Some users may desire to use a different web page as a home page during different times of the day or days of the week. Having to select a new home page is time-consuming and inefficient when a user desires to have different default web pages during the day. 
     Some browsers allow for multiple default web pages to be selected. These different default web pages are opened in a tabbed window. This type of window in the browser presents tabs that a user may select to see the different default web pages. Depending on the different number of web pages that a user desires to have as a default, this type of presentation of default home pages may be difficult to organize and traverse using tabs. Further, if a user desires to change any of the default web pages, the user is still required to open the browser and enter or select a new home page. 
     Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an improved computer-implemented method, apparatus, and computer program code to manage home pages for a browser. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one advantageous embodiment, a computer implemented method, apparatus, data processing system, and computer program product are present for displaying a web page. A home page for a browser is selected from historical information collected from prior web page access to form a selected home page. The selected home page is displayed on a display device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a pictorial representation of a network of data processing systems in which illustrative embodiments may be implemented; 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a data processing system in which illustrative embodiments may be implemented; 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating a web page management environment in accordance with an illustrative embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  is a flowchart of a process for selecting a web page in accordance with an illustrative embodiment; 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart of a process for selecting a web page in accordance with an illustrative embodiment; and 
         FIG. 6  is a flowchart of a process for generating queries in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present invention may be embodied as a system, method, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.), or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module,” or “system.” Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in any tangible medium of expression having computer usable program code embodied in the medium. 
     Any combination of one or more computer usable or computer readable media may be utilized. The computer usable or computer readable medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM), an optical storage device, a transmission media such as those supporting the Internet or an intranet, or a magnetic storage device. 
     Note that the computer usable or computer readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured via, for instance, optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary, and stored in a computer memory. In the context of this document, a computer usable or computer readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer usable medium may include a propagated data signal with the computer usable program code embodied therewith, either in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. The computer usable program code may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including, but not limited to, a wireless medium, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc. 
     Computer program code for carrying out operations of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++, or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user&#39;s computer, partly on the user&#39;s computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user&#39;s computer and partly on a remote computer, or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user&#39;s computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). 
     The present invention is described below with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. 
     These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process. The instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     With reference now to the figures and, in particular, with reference to  FIGS. 1-2 , exemplary diagrams of data processing environments are provided in which illustrative embodiments may be implemented. It should be appreciated that  FIGS. 1-2  are only exemplary and are not intended to assert or imply any limitation with regard to the environments in which different embodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to the depicted environments may be made. 
       FIG. 1  depicts a pictorial representation of a network of data processing systems in which illustrative embodiments may be implemented. Network data processing system  100  is a network of computers in which the illustrative embodiments may be implemented. Network data processing system  100  contains network  102 , which is the medium used to provide communications links between various devices and computers connected together within network data processing system  100 . Network  102  may include connections, such as wire, wireless communication links, or fiber optic cables. 
     In the depicted example, server  104  and server  106  connect to network  102  along with storage unit  108 . In addition, clients  110 ,  112 , and  114  connect to network  102 . Clients  110 ,  112 , and  114  may be, for example, personal computers or network computers. In the depicted example, server  104  provides data, such as boot files, operating system images, and applications to clients  110 ,  112 , and  114 . Clients  110 ,  112 , and  114  are clients to server  104  in this example. In the different illustrative embodiments, processes for selecting and/or managing home pages may be implemented in clients  110 ,  112 , and  114 . These processes may be used to select a home page based on a history of web page access by users. These processes may select new home pages as the history changes with user access to web pages. Network data processing system  100  may include additional servers, clients, and other devices not shown. 
     Program code located in network data processing system  100  may be stored on a computer recordable storage medium and downloaded to a data processing system or other device for use. For example, program code may be stored on a computer recordable storage medium on server  104  and downloaded to client  110  over network  102  for use on client  110 . 
     In the depicted example, network data processing system  100  is the Internet with network  102  representing a worldwide collection of networks and gateways that use the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite of protocols to communicate with one another. At the heart of the Internet is a backbone of high-speed data communication lines between major nodes or host computers, consisting of thousands of commercial, governmental, educational, and other computer systems that route data and messages. Of course, network data processing system  100  also may be implemented as a number of different types of networks, such as, for example, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), or a wide area network (WAN).  FIG. 1  is intended as an example and not as an architectural limitation for the different illustrative embodiments. 
     With reference now to  FIG. 2 , a block diagram of a data processing system is shown in which illustrative embodiments may be implemented. Data processing system  200  is an example of a computer, such as server  104  or client  110  in  FIG. 1 , in which computer usable program code or instructions implementing the processes may be located for the illustrative embodiments. In this illustrative example, data processing system  200  includes communications fabric  202 , which provides communications between processor unit  204 , memory  206 , persistent storage  208 , communications unit  210 , input/output (I/O) unit  212 , and display  214 . 
     Processor unit  204  serves to execute instructions for software that may be loaded into memory  206 . Processor unit  204  may be a set of one or more processors or may be a multi-processor core, depending on the particular implementation. Further, processor unit  204  may be implemented using one or more heterogeneous processor systems in which a main processor is present with secondary processors on a single chip. As another illustrative example, processor unit  204  may be a symmetric multi-processor system containing multiple processors of the same type. 
     Memory  206  and persistent storage  208  are examples of storage devices. A storage device is any piece of hardware that is capable of storing information either on a temporary basis and/or a permanent basis. Memory  206 , in these examples, may be, for example, a random access memory or any other suitable volatile or non-volatile storage device. Persistent storage  208  may take various forms depending on the particular implementation. For example, persistent storage  208  may contain one or more components or devices. For example, persistent storage  208  may be a hard drive, a flash memory, a rewritable optical disk, a rewritable magnetic tape, or some combination of the above. The media used by persistent storage  208  also may be removable. For example, a removable hard drive may be used for persistent storage  208 . 
     Communications unit  210 , in these examples, provides for communications with other data processing systems or devices. In these examples, communications unit  210  is a network interface card. Communications unit  210  may provide communications through the use of either or both physical and wireless communications links. 
     Input/output unit  212  allows for input and output of data with other devices that may be connected to data processing system  200 . For example, input/output unit  212  may provide a connection for user input through a keyboard and mouse. Further, input/output unit  212  may send output to a printer. Display  214  provides a mechanism to display information to a user. 
     Instructions for the operating system and applications or programs are located on persistent storage  208 . These instructions may be loaded into memory  206  for execution by processor unit  204 . The processes of the different embodiments may be performed by processor unit  204  using computer implemented instructions, which may be located in a memory, such as memory  206 . These instructions are referred to as program code, computer usable program code, or computer readable program code that may be read and executed by a processor in processor unit  204 . The program code in the different embodiments may be embodied on different physical or tangible computer readable media, such as memory  206  or persistent storage  208 . 
     Program code  216  is located in a functional form on computer readable media  218  that is selectively removable and may be loaded onto or transferred to data processing system  200  for execution by processor unit  204 . Program code  216  and computer readable media  218  form computer program product  220  in these examples. In one example, computer readable media  218  may be in a tangible form, such as, for example, an optical or magnetic disc that is inserted or placed into a drive or other device that is part of persistent storage  208  for transfer onto a storage device, such as a hard drive that is part of persistent storage  208 . In a tangible form, computer readable media  218  also may take the form of a persistent storage, such as a hard drive, a thumb drive, or a flash memory that is connected to data processing system  200 . The tangible form of computer readable media  218  is also referred to as computer recordable storage media. In some instances, computer recordable media  218  may not be removable. 
     Alternatively, program code  216  may be transferred to data processing system  200  from computer readable media  218  through a communications link to communications unit  210  and/or through a connection to input/output unit  212 . The communications link and/or the connection may be physical or wireless in the illustrative examples. The computer readable media also may take the form of non-tangible media, such as communications links or wireless transmissions containing the program code. 
     In some illustrative embodiments, program code  216  may be downloaded over a network to persistent storage  208  from another device or data processing system for use within data processing system  200 . For instance, program code stored in a computer readable storage medium in a server data processing system may be downloaded over a network from the server to data processing system  200 . The data processing system providing program code  216  may be a server computer, a client computer, or some other device capable of storing and transmitting program code  216 . 
     The different components illustrated for data processing system  200  are not meant to provide architectural limitations to the manner in which different embodiments may be implemented. The different illustrative embodiments may be implemented in a data processing system including components in addition to or in place of those illustrated for data processing system  200 . Other components shown in  FIG. 2  can be varied from the illustrative examples shown. 
     The different embodiments may be implemented using any hardware device or system capable of executing program code. As one example, the data processing system may include inorganic components integrated with organic components and/or may be comprised entirely of organic components excluding a human being. For example, a storage device may be comprised of an organic semiconductor. 
     As another example, a storage device in data processing system  200  is any hardware apparatus that may store data. Memory  206 , persistent storage  208 , and computer readable media  218  are examples of storage devices in a tangible form. 
     In another example, a bus system may be used to implement communications fabric  202  and may be comprised of one or more buses, such as a system bus or an input/output bus. Of course, the bus system may be implemented using any suitable type of architecture that provides for a transfer of data between different components or devices attached to the bus system. Additionally, a communications unit may include one or more devices used to transmit and receive data, such as a modem or a network adapter. Further, a memory may be, for example, memory  206  or a cache such as found in an interface and memory controller hub that may be present in communications fabric  202 . 
     In these examples, data processing system  200  may be implemented in various forms. For example, data processing system  200  may be a computer, a workstation, a laptop computer, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, or some other suitable type of data processing system. 
     The different illustrative embodiments provide a computer-implemented method, apparatus, and computer program code for managing web pages. In particular, the different illustrative embodiments provide a capability to dynamically select home pages for a browser. A home page is selected for the browser from historical information collected from prior web page access to form a selected home page. This selected home page is displayed on a display device. 
     The different illustrative embodiments also may exchange selected home pages with other browsers. For example, the home page selected for the browser may be sent to another browser for use by another user. This type of selection of the home page for the browser is performed dynamically. In other words, a user does not need to select or enter universal resource locaters for a web page to form the home page for the browser. Instead, a process is employed to select that home page from the historical information collected from prior web page access. This process may be initiated each time a browser is activated. With the different illustrative embodiments, the home page may change over time as the historical information collected from prior web page access changes. 
     With reference now to  FIG. 3 , a diagram illustrating a web page management environment is depicted in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. W page management environment  300  is an example of an environment that may be implemented in network data processing system  100  in  FIG. 1 . 
     In this illustrative example, data processing system  302  and data processing system  304  may access websites  306  over internet  308 . Data processing system  302  and data processing system  304  may be implemented using a data processing system such as, for example, data processing system  200  in  FIG. 2 . Data processing system  302  and data processing system  304  may take various forms depending on the particular implementation. For example, without limitation, data processing system  302  and/or data processing system  304  may be a desktop computer, a work station, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant, a mobile phone, an appliance, or some other suitable device. Websites  306  may be hosted on one or more computers such as, for example, server  104  and/or server  106  in  FIG. 1 . 
     In this illustrative example, data processing system  302  includes browser  310  and home page management process  312 . Data processing system  304  also includes browser  314  and home page management process  316 . User input  318  may be received by browser  310  to send request  320  to one of websites  306  to receive web page  322  for presentation to a user. 
     This activity, as well as interactions with web pages such as web page  322 , generate information stored in data storage  324 . For example, data storage  324  may contain cache  326 , history  328 , and bookmarks  330 . Cache  326  may contain information such as cookies  325  and temporary files  327 . History  328  takes the form of a list of universal resource locators identifying websites visited by user. Bookmarks  330  may be generated by the user for websites of interest as a mechanism to return to those websites at a later time. 
     In these illustrative examples, home page management process  312  is capable of dynamically generating a home page each time browser  310  is activated. Browser  310  is activated each time the user opens a new browser window. 
     In this illustrative example, home page management process  312  takes the form of client  332  and proxy server  334 . In these illustrative examples, when home page management process  312  is used in conjunction with browser  310 , all requests by browser  310  are sent through proxy server  334 , rather than having browser  310  directly make requests for information. Proxy server  334  provides interactions with other components such as, for example, browser  310 , websites  306 , and other suitable processes executing on other data processing systems. In these examples, proxy server  334  acts as a proxy for browser  310  when browser  310  makes requests. Client  332  may include the processes to select a home page for browser  310 . 
     In these illustrative examples, when browser  310  is activated, request  336  is directed to proxy server  334 . Request  336  is processed by client  332  to select a home page for browser  310 . In this illustrative example, proxy server  334  may send request  338  to retrieve web page  340 . W page  340  is the home page selected for browser  310  by proxy server  334 . Proxy server  334  sends web page  340  to browser  310  as home page  342 . 
     The selection of web page  340  is made using user qualified data  344  in these illustrative examples. User qualified data  344  includes historical information  346  and user information  348 . In some illustrative embodiments, user qualified data  344  may only contain historical information  346 . Historical information  346  is historical information collected from prior web page access. In this example, historical information  346  may be obtained from data storage  324 . Historical information  346  may include, for example, without limitation, history  328 , the contents of cache  326 , bookmarks  330 , and other information regarding prior web pages accessed by browser  310 . 
     User information  348  may include various preferences by a user. For example, user information  348  may include an identification of a user, a schedule, or other information about a user. Client  332  may use this information along with historical information  346  to select home page  342 . Home page  342  may vary over time. As a user visits different websites or has a different pattern of accessing websites, or as other information regarding website access changes, the selection of home page  342  also may change. 
     For example, if user input  318  is received by browser  310  at 9:00 a.m., client  332  may search historical information  346  to identify websites that may have been visited by user around 9:00 a.m. This website may be, for example, a news website. Client  332  may then select that news website as home page  342  for presentation by browser  310 . In another example, if the user has entered work hours in user information  348 , client  332  may select a work website as home page  342 . Further, if a user is working on a particular project, the user may visit a number of different websites with some level of frequency. Client  332  may identify that set of websites and select a home page from the website with the most visits over a period of time as home page  342 . 
     In yet other advantageous embodiments, user qualified data  344  also may include tag cloud  350 . A tag cloud is a visual depiction of user generated tags. In these examples, a tag is a key word or term assigned to a piece of information. In these examples, the word or term is assigned to a particular universal resource locater. Tag cloud  350  may be selected as home page  342 . Client  332  updates tag cloud  350 . For example, tag cloud  350  may be updated to emphasize or list in order the popularity of websites visited by the user based on historical information  346 . These updates also may include adding new websites visited by the user as well as changing the order or emphasis of presentation based on frequency of visits to various websites. 
     In yet other advantageous embodiments, proxy server  334  also may provide additional services to enrich a browsing experience using browser  310 . For example, client  332  may generate a number of requests such as, for example, request  338 , to search engines  352 . A number of items in these examples refers to one or more items. For example, a number of requests is one or more request. Client  332  may generate these searches based on historical information  346 . A search term directed to one search engine, for example, would also be automatically submitted to other search engines by default or by settings in the user qualified data  344 . 
     As an additional feature, home page management process  312  is also capable of providing an interface to perform browser record keeping. This record keeping may include, for example, without limitation, viewing and managing information such as cookies, histories, bookmarks, and other suitable information relating to browser usage. Additional qualifications to the standard data supplied by browser  310  may be provided by the user in user qualified data  344 . 
     Further, home page  342 , as generated by client  332 , also may be shared with other users in addition to being used by browser  310 . For example, proxy server  334  may send home page  342  to home page management process  316  for use as a home page by browser  314  in data processing system  304 . In these examples, home page management process  316  is a process similar to home page management process  312 . Details of components in this process are not shown to avoid obscuring a description of an illustrative embodiment. Home page management process  316  may send a home page to home page management process  312  for use in selecting a home page for browser  310 . 
     In this manner, home pages may be selected on a dynamic basis without requiring user input to pre-select or define home pages. The illustrative embodiment selects a home page that changes as the historical information collected from prior web page access changes. 
     The illustration of web page management environment  300  is not meant to imply physical or architectural limitations to the manner in which other environments may be implemented. In other examples, other numbers of data processing systems may be present in addition to or in place of data processing system  302  and data processing system  304 . Further, in some illustrative embodiments, home page management process  312  may be implemented as a single process in forms other than proxy server  334  and client  332 . For example, home page management process  312  may be implemented within or as part of browser  310  in some illustrative embodiments. 
     With reference now to  FIG. 4 , a flowchart of a process for selecting a web page is depicted in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. The process illustrated in  FIG. 4  may be implemented using a software component such as, for example, home page management process  312  in  FIG. 3 . 
     Home page management process  312  begins by waiting to detect a browser activation (step  400 ). In these examples, a browser activation is a user input that opens a browser window. In response to detecting a browser activation, home page management process  312  analyzes historical information  346  collected from prior web page access (step  402 ). Home page management process  312  then selects a home page using this analysis (step  404 ). The selection of the home page may include retrieving the home page from a website, updating a tag cloud, or performing some other suitable operation to select the home page. Home page management process  312  sends the selected home page to browser  310  for display (step  406 ), with the process returning to step  400  as described above. 
     With reference now to  FIG. 5 , a flowchart of a process for selecting a web page is depicted in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. The process illustrated in  FIG. 5  is a more detailed description of step  404  in  FIG. 4 . 
     Home page management process  312  identifies search parameters (step  500 ). These search parameters may be based on user information  348 . For example, search parameters may be a schedule for a user, a location of the user, or some other suitable parameter. The history may be searched on terms like frequency of use and subject matter category. Home page management process  312  then searches the historical information using the search parameters (step  502 ). Home page management process  312  then identifies a web page accessed most frequently that meets the search parameters (step  504 ), with the process terminating thereafter. 
     For example, home page management process  312  may identify a web page that has been accessed most frequently during a particular time or period of time. In other examples, the most frequently accessed web page may be a web page from a website for the user&#39;s employer if the search parameter is for a work-based web page. In another example, the web page selected may be based on bandwidth capabilities currently present for the data processing system on which the process executes. For example, if the bandwidth is low, the web page selected as a home page may be one that is most frequently accessed that does not contain multi-media content. 
     With reference now to  FIG. 6 , a flowchart of a process for generating queries is depicted in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. The process in  FIG. 6  may be implemented in a software component, such as home page management process  312  in  FIG. 3 . 
     Home page management process  312  begins by analyzing the historical information (step  600 ). Home page management process  312  generates a query from the analysis (step  602 ). The query may return results based on default entries of common search engines or by user setup in user qualified data  344 .] Home page management process  312  then identifies a number of search engines (step  604 ). The number of search engines may be identified from a pre-selected list. In other illustrative examples, the number of search engines may be identified based on the analysis. For example, if the query identified is for a publication, then search engines that may identify that type of publication may be selected. 
     Home page management process  312  then sends the query to the number of search engines (step  606 ). Home page management process  312  receives results (step  608 ) and generates a home page with the results (step  610 ). Home page management process  312  then sends the home page to the browser for presentation (step  612 ), with the process terminating thereafter. 
     The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. 
     For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. 
     Thus, the different illustrative embodiments provide a computer-implemented method, apparatus, and computer program code for managing home page selection as well as providing other services for users of browsers. In the different illustrative embodiments, a home page is selected for a browser from historical information collected from prior web page access to form a selected home page. This selected home page may then be displayed on a display device. 
     In selecting the home page from the historical information collected from prior web page access, other information also may be used. This information may include at least one of user information, a time at which the browser is activated, a network to which a computer in which the browser is executing is connected to, a time of day, a time of week, an amount of bandwidth available, the type of connection, and other suitable information. As used herein, the phrase “at least one of”, when used with a list of items, means that different combinations of one or more of the items may be used and only one of each item in the list may be needed. For example, “at least one of item A, item B, and item C” may include, for example, without limitation, item A or item A and item B. This example also may include item A, item B, and item C or item B and item C. Further, with the use of a proxy, selected web pages may be sent to other users for use by those users. 
     The different illustrative embodiments also may automatically submit queries to different search engines based on the history. The selection of historical information collected from prior web page access by another user may be received by the proxy and used to select a web page. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
     The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. 
     The invention can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment containing both hardware and software elements. In a preferred embodiment, the invention is implemented in software, which includes, but is not limited to, firmware, resident software, microcode, etc. 
     Furthermore, the invention can take the form of a computer program product accessible from a computer usable or computer readable medium providing program code for use by or in connection with a computer or any instruction execution system. For the purposes of this description, a computer usable or computer readable medium can be any tangible apparatus that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. 
     The medium can be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus or device), or a propagation medium. Examples of a computer readable medium include a semiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk, and an optical disk. Current examples of optical disks include compact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk-read/write (CD-R/W), and DVD. 
     A data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing program code will include at least one processor coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements through a system bus. The memory elements can include local memory employed during actual execution of the program code, bulk storage, and cache memories which provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from bulk storage during execution. 
     Input/output or I/O devices (including, but not limited to, keyboards, displays, pointing devices, etc.) can be coupled to the system either directly or through intervening I/O controllers. 
     Network adapters may also be coupled to the system to enable the data processing system to become coupled to other data processing systems or remote printers or storage devices through intervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modem, and Ethernet cards are just a few of the currently available types of network adapters. 
     The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.