1. A system for presenting a graphical user interface (GUI) for displaying search results, the system comprising: a processor; and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to generate the graphical user interface on a display device, the graphical user interface comprising: a window having at least two panes arranged as adjacent columns and separated by at least one adjustable column delimiter that visibly marks the boundaries between adjacent panes, a search element that enables a user to submit a search query; said at least two panes configured to collectively, responsive to submission of the search query, each display search results information from a different respective search category in each of said at least two panes, the different respective search category selected from the group consisting of: general web search results, image search results, book search results, movie search results, map search results, local area search results, reference search results, dictionary search results, address based search results, news search results, diary search results, bookmark search results, search history search results and tracking number search results, and each pane being user configurable to be in either an open state suitable for displaying search results information from a particular search category or a closed state in which a column width of the pane is narrowed to a display identifying the particular search category, wherein moving the at least one adjustable column delimiter to a position where a non-zero column width of an adjacent open pane in the open state is below a designated threshold for closing the open pane causes the open pane to automatically be configured in the closed state.
1. A system for presenting a graphical user interface (GUI) for displaying search results, the system comprising: a processor; and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to generate the graphical user interface on a display device, the graphical user interface comprising: a window having at least two panes arranged as adjacent columns and separated by at least one adjustable column delimiter that visibly marks the boundaries between adjacent panes, a search element that enables a user to submit a search query; said at least two panes configured to collectively, responsive to submission of the search query, each display search results information from a different respective search category in each of said at least two panes, the different respective search category selected from the group consisting of: general web search results, image search results, book search results, movie search results, map search results, local area search results, reference search results, dictionary search results, address based search results, news search results, diary search results, bookmark search results, search history search results and tracking number search results, and each pane being user configurable to be in either an open state suitable for displaying search results information from a particular search category or a closed state in which a column width of the pane is narrowed to a display identifying the particular search category, wherein moving the at least one adjustable column delimiter to a position where a non-zero column width of an adjacent open pane in the open state is below a designated threshold for closing the open pane causes the open pane to automatically be configured in the closed state. 15. The system of claim 1 , the graphical user interface further comprising a pane preference indicator, wherein preferences marked using the pane preference indicator apply only to the associated pane.