Innovations for the display of web pages

• US 20030137522A1
• Filed: 03/14/2003
• Published: 07/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marlborough Software Development Holdings Inc. (Pageflex, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bitstream Incorporated
• Inventors: Kaasila, Sampo J., Porter, Edward W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,219,309 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4015 Image demosaicing, e.g. colour filter arrays [CFA] or Bayer patterns

Abstract

Web pages are displayed with a simultaneous overview and magnified view. An indicator can show the portion of the overview in the magnified view. Both views can be shown, one above the other, across the full width of the same screen. A user can select between such a split view and another view, including an overview-only view, a magnified-only view, and a view in which selected text is laid out to fit the width of the magnified view. Navigational input can directly move the layout in the magnified view or the cursor, and can scroll both the overview and magnified view. The magnified view can display text with antialiased fonts designed for its resolution. The magnified view can be made to function like a magnifying glass. The width of text in multicolumn layouts can be limited to fit the width of a view window, such as the magnified-view.

Claims

1. A method of viewing media on a computing device, said method comprising:

receiving digital content representing a web-page to be displayed;

laying out the web-page;

producing a split view of said web-page by simultaneously;

displaying in an overview window a portion of the web page layout at a first scale factor;

displaying in a magnified-view window a sub-part of the portion of the layout shown in the overview window, with the display in the magnified-view window being at a second scale factor that causes elements of the layout to appear larger in the magnified-view window than in the overview window;

displaying in the overview window a magnified-view indicator that indicates the sub-part of the portion of the layout shown in the overview window that is currently displayed in the magnified-view window; and

responding to a navigation input from a user by moving the sub-part of the layout shown in the magnified-view window and by correspondingly moving the magnified-view indicator relative to the layout shown in the overview window, so the sub-part of the layout shown in the magnified-view window continues to corresponds to the sub-part of the layout indicated by the magnified-view indicator after such movement;

wherein;

the overview and magnified-view windows are simultaneously displayed on different portions of a single rectangular display screen having a given width and height; and

the overview and magnified windows each are substantially as wide as the screen, but each occupies a different portion of the screen'"'"'s height.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein the height of the magnified-view window occupies less than half the combined height of said magnified view and overview windows.

3. A method as in claim 1 wherein the screen has a portrait orientation relative to the orientation at which the web page layout is displayed in said magnified view and overview windows.

4. A method as in claim 3 wherein the overview window and magnified-view window each have a greater width than height, causing each of them to have a landscape orientation despite the fact that the screen in which they are both displayed has a portrait orientation.

5. A method as in claim 1 wherein said split view is shown on the display screen of a personal digital assistant.

6. A method as in claim 1 wherein said split view is shown on the display screen of a cellphone.

7. A method of viewing media on a computing device, said method comprising:

receiving digital content representing a web-page to be displayed;

laying out the web-page;

responding to a first view selecting input from a user by producing a first view of said web-page, which is a split view, by simultaneously;

displaying in an overview window a portion of the web page layout at a first scale factor;

displaying in a magnified-view window a sub-part of the portion of the layout shown in the overview window, with the display in the magnified-view window being at a second scale factor that causes elements of the layout to appear larger in the magnified-view window than in the overview window;

displaying in the overview window a magnified-view indicator that indicates the sub-part of the portion of the layout shown in the overview window that is currently displayed in the magnified-view window; and

responding to a navigation input from a user, when said split view is displayed, by moving the sub-part of the layout shown in the magnified-view window and by correspondingly moving the magnified-view indicator relative to the layout shown in the overview window, so the sub-part of the layout shown in the magnified-view window continues to corresponds to the sub-part of the layout indicated by the magnified-view indicator after such movement; and

responding to a second view selecting input from a user by producing a second view which does not have the split view'"'"'s combination of said overview and magnified-view windows.

8. A method as in claim 7 wherein said second view is an overview-only view:

in which a portion of the web page layout is displayed at a scale factor that causes elements of the layout to appear smaller than in the magnified view; and

which is substantially equal in total display size to the combined size of said overview window and said magnified-view window in said split view.

9. A method as in claim 7 wherein said second view is a magnified-only view:

in which a portion of said web page layout is displayed at a scale factor that causes elements of the layout to appear larger than in said overview window; and

which is substantially equal in total display size to the combined size of said overview window and said magnified-view window in said split view.

10. A method as in claim 7 wherein:

said digital content includes text to be displayed as part of said web page;

said responding to the second view selecting input includes performing a second layout of a selected portion of said web page'"'"'s text, including re-flowing said selected portion of text across the lines of a new text column at one or more font sizes that are larger relative to the width of the lines of said new column than the font sizes of the selected text were relative to the width of the selected text'"'"'s layout in the layout used in the split view; and

said second view includes a re-flowed-text window in which the full width of said new text column is displayed on said screen.

11. A method as in claim 10 wherein the re-flowed-text window of the second view is substantially as large as the combination of said magnified view and overview windows of the first view.

12. A method as in claim 10:

said second view is a second type of split view that simultaneously includes the display of;

said re-flowed-text window; and

a second overview window that displays a portion of said web page layout at a scale factor that causes elements of the layout to appear smaller than in the magnified view and that causes text to appear in smaller fonts than in said re-flowed-text window; and

wherein said second overview window includes an indication of the portion of text currently displayed in the re-flowed-text window.

13. A method as in claim 7 wherein said first and second views are shown on the display screen of a personal digital assistant.

14. A method as in claim 7 wherein said first and second views are shown on the display screen of a cellphone.

15. A method of viewing media on a computing device, said method comprising:

receiving digital content representing a web-page to be displayed, including text to be displayed in one or more columns as part of said web-page;

performing a first layout of the web-page;

performing a second layout of a selected portion of the web page'"'"'s text, including re-flowing said selected portion of text across the lines of a new text column at one or more font sizes that are larger relative to the width of the lines of said new column than the font sizes of the selected text were relative to the width of the selected text in the first layout;

producing a split view of said web-page by simultaneously;

displaying a portion of the web page layout at a first scale factor in an overview window; and

displaying said re-flowed selected text in a re-flowed-text window, in which the full width of said new text column is displayed on said screen at a second scale factor that causes the portion of text shown in the re-flowed-text window to be displayed in larger fonts than in said overview window.

16. A method as in claim 15 further including:

displaying in the overview window a displayed-text indicator that indicates the sub-part of text shown in the overview window that is currently displayed in the re-flowed-text window; and

responding to a navigation input from a user by moving the portion of text shown in the re-flowed-text window and by correspondingly moving the displayed-text indicator relative to the layout shown in the overview window, so the sub-part of the text shown in the re-flowed-text window continues to corresponds to the sub-part of the text indicated by the display-text indicator after such movement.

17. A method of viewing media on a computing device, said method comprising:

receiving digital content representing a web-page to be displayed;

laying out the web-page;

producing a split view of said web-page by simultaneously;

displaying in an overview window a portion of the web page layout at a first scale factor;

displaying in a magnified-view window a sub-part of the portion of the layout shown in the overview window, with the display in the magnified-view window being at a second scale factor that causes elements of the layout to appear larger in the magnified-view window than in the overview window;

displaying in the overview window a magnified-view indicator that indicates the sub-part of the portion of the layout shown in the overview window that is currently displayed in the magnified-view window; and

responding to a navigation input from a user by moving the sub-part of the layout shown in the magnified-view window and by correspondingly moving the magnified-view indicator relative to the layout shown in the overview window, so the sub-part of the layout shown in the magnified-view window continues to corresponds to the sub-part of the layout indicated by the magnified-view indicator after such movement;

wherein;

said responding to a navigation input includes responding to a navigation input that would move a portion of the magnified-view indicator past the portion of the web page layout shown in the overview window before the navigational input was generated, onto a previously un-shown portion of the web-page layout by;

scrolling the web page layout relative to the overview window, so said previously un-shown portion is scrolled into said overview window;

moving said portion of the magnified-view indicator onto said previously un-shown portion of the web-page layout; and

correspondingly scrolling the sub-part of the layout displayed in the magnified-view window so said sub-part shown in the magnified-view window corresponds to the sub-part of the web-page layout indicated by the magnified-view indicator after such movement.

18. A method as in claim 17 wherein said split view is shown on the display screen of a personal digital assistant.

19. A method as in claim 17 wherein said split view is shown on the display screen of a cellphone.

20. A method of viewing media on a computing device, said method comprising:

receiving digital content representing a web-page to be displayed;

laying out the web-page;

producing a split view of said web-page by simultaneously;

displaying in an overview window a portion of the web page layout at a first scale factor;

displaying in a magnified-view window a sub-part of the portion of the layout shown in the overview window, with the display in the magnified-view window being at a second scale factor that causes elements of the layout to appear larger in the magnified-view window than in the overview window;

displaying in the overview window a magnified-view indicator that indicates the sub-part of the portion of the layout shown in the overview window that is currently displayed in the magnified-view window; and

responding to a navigation input from a user by moving the sub-part of the layout shown in the magnified-view window and by correspondingly moving the magnified-view indicator relative to the layout shown in the overview window, so the sub-part of the layout shown in the magnified-view window continues to corresponds to the sub-part of the layout indicated by the magnified-view indicator after such movement;

wherein said responding to navigation inputs includes;

responding to a first type of navigational input by directly moving the magnified-view indicator and the portion of the web page layout shown in the magnified-view window; and

responding to a second type of navigational input by directly moving a cursor relative to the portion of the web page layout shown in the magnified view.

21. A method as in claim 20 wherein said responding to the second type of navigation input includes responding to a given second type of navigational input by:

moving the cursor past the sub-part of the web page layout shown in the magnified-view window before the given second type of navigational input was generated, onto a part of the web-page layout previously un-shown in the magnified-view window;

scrolling the web page layout relative to the magnified-view window, so said previously un-shown part onto which the cursor is moved is scrolled into, and displayed in, said magnified-view window; and

correspondingly scrolling the magnified-view indicator in the overview window so the sub-part of the web-page layout indicated by the magnified-view indicator continues to corresponds to the sub-part of the web-page layout shown in the magnified-view window.

22. A method as in claim 20 wherein the cursor is shown at the same location relative to the web page layout in both the magnified-view window and the overview window.

23. A method as in claim 20 wherein:

said split view is displayed on a screen that is part of a browser computer capable of browsing digital content;

the browser computer includes browser programming that responds to user input requesting a given web page by requesting that web page from a proxy server over a computer network;

said proxy server communicates said user request over a computer network to one or more servers that store or dynamically generate said requested web page;

said one or more servers sends said requested web page to said proxy server;

the proxy server receives the downloaded web page as said receiving of digital content;

the proxy server performs said laying out of the web page;

the proxy server downloads the web page layout to said browser computer;

the browser programming running on the browser computer then produces said split view by making said displays of the downloaded web page layout in said overview and magnified-view windows.

24. A method as in claim 23 wherein said browsing computer is a personal digital assistant.

25. A method as in claim 23 wherein said browsing computer is a cellphone.

26. A method as in claim 20 wherein said first and second views are shown on the display screen of a personal digital assistant.

27. A method as in claim 20 wherein said first and second views are shown on the display screen of a cellphone.

28. A method of viewing media on a computing device, said method comprising:

receiving digital content representing a web-page to be displayed;

laying out the web-page;

producing a split view of said web-page by simultaneously;

displaying in an overview window a portion of the web page layout at a first scale factor;

displaying in a magnified-view window a sub-part of the portion of the layout shown in the overview window, with the display in the magnified-view window being at a second scale factor that causes elements of the layout to appear larger in the magnified-view window than in the overview window;

displaying in the overview window a magnified-view indicator that indicates the sub-part of the portion of the layout shown in the overview window that is currently displayed in the magnified-view window; and

responding to navigation inputs from a user by correspondingly moving a cursor relative to the portion of the web page layout shown in said magnified-view window;

wherein said responding to navigation inputs includes responding to a given navigation input by;

moving the cursor past the sub-part of the web page layout shown in the magnified-view window before the given navigational input was generated, onto a part of the web-page layout previously un-shown in the magnified-view window;

scrolling the web page layout relative to the magnified-view window, so that said previously un-shown part onto which the cursor is moved is scrolled into, and displayed in, said magnified-view window; and

correspondingly scrolling the magnified-view indicator in the overview window so the sub-part of the web-page layout indicated by the magnified-view indicator continues to corresponds to the sub-part of the web-page layout shown in the magnified-view window.

29. A method as in claim 28 wherein said cursor is shown at the same location relative to the web page layout in both the magnified-view window and in the overview window as it is moved in response to said navigational inputs.

30. A method as in claim 28 wherein:

said split view is displayed on a screen that is part of a browser computer capable of browsing digital content;

the browser computer includes browser programming that responds to user input requesting a given web page by requesting that web page from a proxy server over a computer network;

said proxy server communicates said user request over a computer network to one or more servers that store or dynamically generate said requested web page;

said one or more servers sends said requested web page to said proxy server;

the proxy server receives the downloaded web page as said receiving of digital content;

the proxy server performs said laying out of the web page;

the proxy server downloads the web page layout to said browser computer;

the browser programming running on the browser computer then produces said split view by making said displays of the downloaded web page layout in said overview and magnified-view windows.

31. A method as in claim 30 wherein said browsing computer is a personal digital assistant.

32. A method as in claim 30 wherein said browsing computer is a cellphone.

33. A method as in claim 28 wherein said first and second views are shown on the display screen of a personal digital assistant.

34. A method as in claim 28 wherein said first and second views are shown on the display screen of a cellphone.

35. A method of viewing media on a computing device, said method comprising:

receiving digital content representing a web-page to be displayed;

laying out the web-page;

producing a split view of said web-page by simultaneously;

displaying in an overview window a portion of the web page layout at a first scale factor;

displaying in a magnified-view window a sub-part of the portion of the layout shown in the overview window, with the display in the magnified-view window being at a second scale factor that causes elements of the layout to appear larger in the magnified-view window than in the overview window;

displaying in the overview window a magnified-view indicator that indicates the sub-part of the portion of the layout shown in the overview window that is currently displayed in the magnified-view window; and

responding to navigation inputs from a user by correspondingly moving a cursor relative to the portion of the web page layout shown in said magnified-view and overview windows so the cursor points to the same portion of the layout in both windows as it is moved in response to said navigational imputs.

36. A method of viewing media on a computing device, said method comprising:

receiving digital content representing a web-page to be displayed, including text to be displayed as part of said web page;

laying out the web-page;

producing a split view of said web-page by simultaneously;

displaying in an overview window a portion of the web page layout at a first scale factor;

displaying in a magnified-view window a sub-part of the portion of the layout shown in the overview window, with the display in the magnified-view window being at a second scale factor that causes elements of the layout to appear larger in the magnified-view window than in the overview window;

displaying in the overview window a magnified-view indicator that indicates the sub-part of the portion of the layout shown in the overview window that is currently displayed in the magnified-view window; and

responding to a navigation input from a user by moving the sub-part of the layout shown in the magnified-view window and by correspondingly moving the magnified-view indicator relative to the layout shown in the overview window, so the sub-part of the layout shown in the magnified-view window continues to corresponds to the sub-part of the layout indicated by the magnified-view indicator after such movement;

wherein each of a plurality of text characters in said web page layout is represented in the magnified-view window by a font bitmap in which the character'"'"'s shape and pixel alignment has been selected to increase the degree of alignment of edges of the character'"'"'s shape with pixel boundaries of said font bitmap, given the font bitmap'"'"'s pixel resolution in the magnified-view window.

37. A method as in claim 36 wherein:

said web page layout defines a layout of said font bitmaps used in said magnified-view window; and

the display of the web page layout shown in the overview window includes a scaled-down, lower pixel resolution representation of the font bitmaps included in said layout, which lower resolution representations do not have character shapes and pixel alignments selected to increase the degree of alignment of edges of character shapes with pixel boundaries of the lower resolution font bitmap representations displayed in said overview window.

38. A method as in claim 36 wherein the font bitmaps used to represent characters in the magnified-view window are anti-aliased font bitmaps in which the anti-aliasing is performed for the resolution at which the font bitmaps are displayed in said magnified-view window.

39. A method as in claim 38 wherein text displayed in the magnified-view window is composed from characters of the Latin alphabet and is displayed in a font in which a majority of the lower case characters are displayed with an advance width of 4 pixels or less.

40. A method as in claim 38 wherein:

the overview window and magnified-view window are displayed on a screen having pixels comprised of a given arrangement of separately-addressable, differently-colored subpixels;

the anti-aliased font bitmaps used to represent characters in the magnified-view window are subpixel-optimized bitmaps that assign a luminosity value to each given subpixel of a screen pixel having said given arrangement of differently-colored subpixels as a function of;

a coverage value representing the percent of the given subpixel that is covered by a character shape being represented by the font bitmap;

in the case of at least some subpixels of said font bitmaps, a color balancing distribution of a percent of the given subpixel'"'"'s coverage value from said given coverage value to coverage values of nearby subpixels, including subpixels of different color, made to a prevent color imbalance that would result from the difference between the given subpixel'"'"'s coverage value and the coverage values of a given set of one or more nearby subpixels of different colors; and

in the case of at least some subpixels of said font bitmaps, one or more of said color balancing distributions to the given subpixel'"'"'s coverage value from the coverage values from one or more nearby subpixels;

wherein said color balancing distributions are substantially limited to distribution of portions of a subpixel'"'"'s coverage value that causes color imbalance within the whole pixel of which it is part.

41. A method as in claim 36 wherein

said digital content includes both images and text strings;

said laying out of the web page includes laying out said images and text at a virtual pixel resolution using virtual layout pixel sizes for said images and text, so as to assign a horizontal and vertical virtual position in said layout to each of said images and each portion of a string of text displayed on a given line; and

the second scale factor has a non-unity value that causes the portion of the web page layout displayed in the magnified-view window to be displayed with a pixel resolution that is scaled down by said second scale factor relative to the corresponding portion in the layout performed at said virtual pixel resolution;

images and text in said magnified-view window are shown at pixel coordinates that corresponding to the positions of said images and text in the virtual web page layout, as scaled down by said second scale factor;

the images and text are drawn in said magnified-view window at scaled-down pixel sizes that correspond to the pixel sizes used for said images and text in the virtual layout, as scaled down by said second scale factor;

the image of a string of text in said magnified-view window is composed from a succession of font bitmaps that have a pixel size scaled down by said second scale factor relative to the size allocated to characters of said string in said virtual layout; and

the shape and pixel alignment of the character represented by a font bitmap used to display one of said characters in the magnified-view window have been selected to increase the degree of alignment of edges of the character'"'"'s shape with the bitmap'"'"'s pixel boundaries at the resolution at which the font bitmap is displayed in said magnified-view window.

42. A method as in claim 36 wherein:

said split view is displayed on a screen that is part of a browser computer capable of browsing digital content;

the browser computer includes browser programming that responds to user input requesting a given web page by requesting that web page from a proxy server over a computer network;

said proxy server communicates said user request over a computer network to one or more servers that store or dynamically generate said requested web page;

said one or more servers sends said requested web page to said proxy server;

the proxy server receives the downloaded web page as said receiving of digital content;

the proxy server performs said laying out of the web page;

the proxy server downloads the web page layout to said browser;

the browser programming running on the browser computer then perform said displays of the web page layout in said overview window and said magnified-view window.

43. A method as in claim 42 wherein said browser computer is a cellphone.

44. A method as in claim 42 wherein said browser computer is a handheld or wearable computer.

45. A method as in claim 36 wherein said split view is shown on the display screen of a personal digital assistant.

46. A method as in claim 36 wherein said split view is shown on the display screen of a cellphone.

47. A method of viewing the media on a computing device, said method comprising:

receiving digital content representing a web-page to be displayed;

laying out the web-page;

producing a view of said web-page by simultaneously;

displaying in an overview window a portion of said web page layout at a first scale factor; and

displaying a magnified-view window over a sub-portion of the layout shown in the overview window, which displays, at a second scale factor that causes elements of the layout to appear larger than in the overview window, a magnified sub-part of the covered sub-portion of the layout over which the magnified-view window is shown in the overview window;

responding to navigation inputs from user by;

moving the magnified-view window relative to said overview window; and

correspondingly moving the magnified sub-part of the layout shown in the magnified-view window, so the portion of the web-page layout shown in the magnified-view window continues to corresponds to a sub-part of the covered sub-portion of the layout show in the overview window after such movement.

48. A method as in claim 47 further including displaying one or more magnified sub-part markers that indicate the location of the sub-part of the layout displayed on the magnified view window relative to the layout shown in the overview window.

49. A method as in claim 48 wherein one or more of said magnified sub-part markers extend along a sub-part of the width and/or height of one or more edges of the magnified-view window and indicate, respectively, the horizontal and/or vertical extent and location of the sub-part of the layout shown in the magnified-view window relative to the layout shown in the overview.

50. A method as in claim 48 wherein:

the magnified-view window has substantially the same width as the overview window; and

said responding to navigational inputs by the user includes;

responding to vertical navigational inputs by;

vertically moving the magnified-view window relative to the overview window;

vertically moving the location of the magnified sub-part of the layout shown in the magnified-view window relative to the layout; and

vertically moving one or more of said magnified sub-part markers to correspond to the change in vertical location of the magnified sub-part of the layout relative to the layout shown in the overview window; and

responding to horizontal navigational inputs, without substantially moving the magnified-view window relative to the overview window, by;

horizontally moving the location of the magnified sub-part of the layout shown in the magnified-view window relative in the layout; and

horizontally moving one or more of said magnified sub-part markers to correspond to the change in horizontal location of the magnified sub-part of the layout relative to the layout shown in the overview window.

51. A method as in claim 47 wherein:

said digital content includes text;

said laying out lays out said text into said web page layout;

each of a plurality of characters of said text is displayed in the magnified-view window by a font bitmap in which the character'"'"'s shape and pixel alignment has been selected to increase the degree of alignment of edges of the character'"'"'s shape with pixel boundaries of said font bitmap at the resolution at which it is displayed in the magnified-view window.

52. A method as in claim 51 wherein said overview window shows a scaled-down representation of the same web page layout shown in the magnified-view window, using the same fonts bitmaps as are shown in the magnified-view window, but scaled down to a smaller pixel resolution than that for which the character shapes and pixel alignments have been selected.

53. A method as in claim 51 wherein the font bitmaps used to represent characters in the magnified-view window are anti-aliased font bitmaps in which the anti-aliasing is performed for the resolution at which the font bitmaps are displayed in said magnified-view window.

54. A method as in claim 53 wherein text displayed in the magnified-view window is composed from characters of the Latin alphabet and is displayed in a font in which a majority of the lower case characters are displayed with an advance width of 4 pixels or less.

55. A method as in claim 53:

the screen on which the overview window and magnified-view window are displayed has pixels comprised of a given arrangement of separately addressable, differently-colored subpixels;

the anti-aliased font bitmaps used to represent characters in said magnified view are subpixel-optimized bitmaps that assign a luminosity value to each given subpixel of a screen pixel having said given arrangement of differently-colored subpixels as a function of;

a coverage value representing the percent of the given subpixel that is covered by a character shape being represented by the font bitmap;

in the case of at least some subpixels of said font bitmaps, a color balancing distribution of a percent of the given subpixel'"'"'s coverage value from said coverage value to coverage values of nearby subpixels, including subpixels of different color, made to a prevent color imbalance that would result from the difference between the given subpixel'"'"'s coverage value and the coverage values of a given set of one or more nearby subpixels of different colors; and

in the case of at least some subpixels of said font bitmaps, one or more of said color balancing distributions to the given subpixel'"'"'s coverage value from the coverage values from one or more nearby subpixels;

wherein said color balancing distributions are substantially limited to distribution of portions of a subpixel'"'"'s coverage value that causes color imbalance within the whole pixel of which it is part.

56. A method as in claim 47 wherein

said digital content includes both one or more images and one or more text strings;

said laying out of the web page includes laying out said images and text at a virtual pixel resolution using layout pixel sizes for said images and text, so as to assign a horizontal and vertical virtual position in said layout to each of said images and each portion of a string of text displayed on a given line; and

the portion of the web page layout displayed in the magnified-view window is displayed with a pixel resolution that is scaled down by a said second scale factor relative to the corresponding portion in the layout performed at said virtual pixel resolution;

images and text in said magnified-view window are shown at pixel coordinates that corresponding to the positions of said images and text in the virtual web page layout, as scaled down by said second scale factor;

the images and text are drawn in said magnified-view window at scaled-down pixel sizes that correspond to the pixel sizes used for said images and text in the virtual layout, as scaled down by said second scale factor;

the image of a string of text in said magnified-view window is composed from a succession of font bitmaps that have a pixel size scaled down by said second scale factor relative to the size allocated to the characters of said string in said virtual layout and in which the shape and pixel alignment of the character shape represented by each such font bitmap has been selected to increase the degree of alignment of edges of the character'"'"'s shape with pixel boundaries of the bitmap.

57. A method as in claim 47 wherein:

said overview and magnified-view window are displayed on a screen that is part of a browser computer capable of browsing digital content;

the browser computer includes browser programming that responds to user input requesting a given web page by requesting that web page from a proxy server over a computer network;

said proxy server communicates said user request over a computer network to one or more servers that store or dynamically generate said requested web page;

said one or more servers sends said requested web page to said proxy server;

the proxy server receives the downloaded web page as said receiving of digital content;

the proxy server performs said laying out of the web page;

the proxy server downloads the web page layout to said browser;

the browser programming running on the browser computer then perform said displays of the web page layout in said overview and magnified-view windows.

58. A method as in claim 57 wherein said browser computer is a cellphone.

59. A method as in claim 57 wherein said browser computer is a handheld or wearable computer.

60. A method of displaying a web page comprising:

accessing a multicolumn web page'"'"'s content, including a plurality of strings of displayable text, and specifications of a plurality of columns, each of which includes a specification of;

the strings in the column;

the column'"'"'s layout width; and

the column'"'"'s horizontal layout displacement;

laying out the web page into a multi-column format using a layout scale factor, including determining a layout position for each of said columns, where the horizontal layout positions of each column is determined as a function of the column'"'"'s horizontal displacement specification;

enabling a user to select a given sub-part of the multicolumn layout from among a plurality of different horizontally displaced sub-parts of said layout; and

displaying the user selected portion of the layout on a given screen window having a given horizontal resolution at a given display scale factor;

wherein;

said multicolumn layout includes a set of laterally arranged columns having a total multicolumn layout width from the leftmost edge of the leftmost column of the set to the rightmost edge of the rightmost column of the set; and

said laying out includes limiting the width at which the text in one or more of said laterally arranged columns is laid out to a width less than or equal to a maximum desired column width, when the width corresponding to each of said one or more column'"'"'s specified layout width, as scaled by said layout scale factor, is greater than said maximum desired column width; and

said maximum desired column width is less than said total multicolumn layout width and is equal to or less than the width of said given window when displayed in said given window at said given scale factor.

61. A method as in claim 60 wherein:

the accessed web page'"'"'s content includes one or more images;

the specification of an individual column includes a specification of which text and/or one or more images are in the column;

the laying out of the web page includes laying out, in each column, the position of the text and/or one or more images that are in said column; and

said limiting the width at which the text in one or more of said laterally arranged columns is laid out includes limiting the width of any image that is laid out in such a column to a width less than or equal to said maximum desired column width, by scaling down the size of such image, if the width corresponding to said image, as scaled by said layout scale factor, is greater than said maximum desired column width.

62. A method as in claim 60 wherein:

one of said laterally arranged columns has a layout width corresponding to the column'"'"'s specified width that is less than said maximum desired column width; and

the text in said column is laid out at the layout width corresponding to the column'"'"'s specified width.

63. A method as in claim 60 wherein:

the width at which a first of said laterally arranged column'"'"'s text is laid is decreased by said width limiting; and

a second of said laterally arranged columns that is laid out to the right of said first column is laid out with a rightward horizontal displacement that is decreased relative to the second column'"'"'s horizontal displacement specification, as scaled by said layout scale factor, as a function of said decrease in the layout width of the text of said first column.

64. A method as in claim 60 wherein said layout scale factor and/or said display scale factor cause the display of the user selected portion of the layout on said given screen window at the given display scale factor to display elements of the web page, including characters of said text, at a scaled down pixel resolution, independently of the operation of said limiting of the layout width of text columns.

65. A method as in claim 64 wherein individual characters of text in said display are each represented by a font bitmap in which the character'"'"'s shape and pixel alignment has been selected to increase the degree of alignment of edges of the character'"'"'s shape with pixel boundaries for the resolution at which the font bitmap is shown in said display.

66. A method as in claim 65 wherein said font bitmaps shown in the display are anti-aliased font bitmaps in which the anti-aliasing is performed for the resolution at which the font bitmaps are shown in said display.

67. A method as in claim 66 wherein text shown in the display is composed from characters of the Latin alphabet and is displayed in a font in which a majority of the lower case characters are displayed with an advance width of 4 pixels or less.

68. A method as in claim 66:

the given screen window has pixels comprised of a given arrangement of separately-addressable, differently-colored subpixels;

the anti-aliased font bitmaps used to represent characters in said display are subpixel-optimized bitmaps that assign a luminosity value to each given subpixel of a screen pixel having said given arrangement of differently-colored subpixels as a function of;

a coverage value representing the percent of the given subpixel that is covered by a character shape being represented by the font bitmap;

in the case of at least some subpixels of said font bitmaps, a color balancing distribution of a percent of the given subpixel'"'"'s coverage value from said coverage value to coverage values of nearby subpixels, including subpixels of different color, made to a prevent color imbalance that would result from the difference between the given subpixel'"'"'s coverage value and the coverage values of a given set of one or more nearby subpixels of different colors; and

in the case of at least some subpixels of said font bitmaps, one or more of said color balancing distributions to the given subpixel'"'"'s coverage value from the coverage values from one or more nearby subpixels;

wherein said color balancing distributions are substantially limited to distribution of portions of a subpixel'"'"'s coverage value that causes color imbalance within the whole pixel of which it is part.

69. A method as in claim 60 wherein a split view of said web-page is produced by simultaneously:

performing said display of the user selected portion of the layout in said given window, which is a magnified-view window, at said given display scale factor; and

displaying in an overview window, at a different display scale factor that causes elements of said layout to appears smaller than in the magnified-view window, a portion of said web page layout that is larger than said user selected portion of the layout shown in the magnified-view window;

displaying in the overview window a magnified-view indicator that indicates the portion of the layout shown in the overview window that is currently displayed in the magnified-view window; and

responding to a navigation input from a user by moving the user selected portion of the web page layout shown in said magnified-view window and also by correspondingly moving the magnified-view indicator in said overview window, so the portion of the layout shown in the magnified-view window continues to corresponds to the portion of the layout indicated by the magnified-view indicator after such movement.

70. A method as in claim 60 wherein:

said screen on which said display is made is part of a browser computer capable of browsing digital content;

the browser computer includes browser programming that responds to user input requesting a given web page by requesting that web page from a proxy server over a computer network;

said proxy server communicates said user request over a computer network to one or more servers that store or dynamically generate said requested web page;

said one or more servers sends said requested web page to said proxy server;

the proxy server receives the downloaded web page as said receiving of digital content;

the proxy server performs said laying out of the web page;

the proxy server downloads the web page layout to said browser;

the browser programming running on the browser computer then perform said displaying of the user selected portion of the layout.