Interactive computer network and method of operation

Abstract

A method of operating a distributed processing, interactive computer network is described. The network is designed to provide very large numbers of simultaneous users access to large numbers of applications which feature interactive text/graphic sessions. The network includes one or more servers, interactive applications, and one or more reception systems, the reception systems being capable of communicating with the respective servers and receiving applications from them. In this arrangement, application are structured from packets termed “objects”, the objects including the display data and/or program code required to support execution of the application. When a request for an application is received at a reception system, if any objects for the application are unavailable from the reception system, the objects are requested from the server and supplied to the reception systems requesting the application objects. In accordance with the method, the respective reception systems include display interfaces for presenting applications to respective users the respective display interfaces featuring a plurality of display partitions. Also in accordance with the method, at least some of the respective applications are divided into sections, the respective sections being designed to form at least a part of an application display page. Further, application sections are constructed from objects such that display page parts of one or more respective applications may be controllably presented at the partitions of the interface to permit at least application page part nesting, scrolling and navigation, the objects being of multiple types and including display data and/or program code for enabling execution of applications and their presentation at the interface partitions of the respective user reception systems.