Multiple-page shell user interface

A computer system for providing a user with selectable links to access local and remote resources in a manner that allows a user to easily find and select a desired resource without the user being aware of a source location of the resource, the computing system comprising:

• a processing unit;
• one or more storage media having computer-executable instructions executable by the processing unit, the computer-executable instructions including:
• an operating system;
• and
• a shell user interface within the operating system, the shell user interface within the operating system being configured to be displayed automatically, upon initial start-up of the operating system, wherein the shell user interface comprises a start page that includes:
• a customized heading region identifying the start page, the customized heading region further including a link for customizing the start page;
• a hierarchical links region having a plurality of hierarchical categories therein, wherein the plurality of hierarchical categories includes an activity center category, and wherein, each of the hierarchical categories is visible upon initial display of the shell user interface, and each of the hierarchical categories comprising:
• a top-level category heading identifying a logical relationship between a plurality of resources, the top-level category heading having a link thereon which, upon selection, removes the start page and replaces it with a second-level category page identifying a plurality of resources which have the logical relationship associated with the top-level category heading, wherein each second-level category page has a page heading region identifying the top-level category heading selected from the start page;
• and
• displaying in association with a corresponding top-level category heading, a lower-level list of a plurality resources having the logical relationship identified by the corresponding top-level category heading, wherein the logical relationship of the plurality of resources in the list and on the category page is unrelated to a source location of the resources, and wherein each item in the list comprises a link to a corresponding one of the plurality of resources, and wherein the list of resources associated with the activity center category links to a plurality of activity center category pages, each of the plurality of activity center category pages having a particular theme and identifying local and remote resources related by the particular theme;
• wherein each top-level category heading and the lower-level list of a plurality of resources for each top-level category heading is visible upon the initial display of the shell interface;
• a storage device storing the plurality of local resources;
• an association database storing relationships between the local and remove resources;
• and
• a display device configured to render and display the user interface to a user.