So here's a completely different proposal: overflow-mode:paginate.
The idea: if an element has overflow-mode:paginate and would have a
scrollbar in the block-progression-direction, instead of a regular scrollbar
presentation, paginate the content into individual "pagelets" and show page
navigation UI instead of the block-progression-direction scrollbar.
This has several advantages. The biggest advantage I can see is that you
could apply it to the root of most any page, including the standard "header
+ sidebars + central column of multiple article" layout that's ubiquitous,
and in principle it would give you great results. Your engine would have to
make sure that columns flow properly from page to page of course, but Gecko,
at least, does that. You could also apply it to a single element with
columns and get good results. There is no issue about spacing or styling
individual column sets, because only one is visible at a time.
The biggest disadvantage that I can see is that there is then no way for the
user to view content from different horizontal column sets at the same time.
Rob
--
"He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are
healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his
own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." [Isaiah
53:5-6]