A method for coordinating state between an initial message consumer and a plurality of subtask consumers (102A1, 102A2), in a computer system including one or more processors, system memory, and a message state coordinator, the method comprising: an act of the message state coordinator receiving a content view of the contents of a message (131, 132, 133) along with a coordination property from the initial message consumer, the message consumer having received the content view from a communication medium connected to the computer architecture, receiving the content view indicative of the communication medium having locked the message for exclusive access by the initial consumer, the coordination property providing information on how the initial message consumer is to signal a disposition of the message back to the communication medium, wherein the disposition of the message indicates whether the message is locked, unlocked, or deleted; an act of the message state coordinator dividing the content view into a stream of subtask messages (121, 122, 123), each subtask message corresponding to a partial application state update for an application and each subtask message including a subtask coordination property (121P, 122P, 123P), each subtask coordination property providing information on how to signal the disposition of a corresponding subtask message back to the message state coordinator; for each subtask message, an act of the message state coordinator receiving one or more subtask signals (146S, 147S, 148S) from subtask consumers that consumed the subtask message, the one or more subtask signals indicating a disposition of the subtask message, wherein the disposition of the subtask message indicates whether the subtask message is locked, unlocked, or deleted; an act of the message state coordinator determining the disposition of the message based on the received subtask signals; and an act of the message state coordinator using the coordination property for the message to signal the disposition of the message to the initial message consumer. an act of the message state coordinator receiving a content view of the contents of a message (131, 132, 133) along with a coordination property from the initial message consumer, the message consumer having received the content view from a communication medium connected to the computer architecture, receiving the content view indicative of the communication medium having locked the message for exclusive access by the initial consumer, the coordination property providing information on how the initial message consumer is to signal a disposition of the message back to the communication medium, wherein the disposition of the message indicates whether the message is locked, unlocked, or deleted; an act of the message state coordinator dividing the content view into a stream of subtask messages (121, 122, 123), each subtask message corresponding to a partial application state update for an application and each subtask message including a subtask coordination property (121P, 122P, 123P), each subtask coordination property providing information on how to signal the disposition of a corresponding subtask message back to the message state coordinator; for each subtask message, an act of the message state coordinator receiving one or more subtask signals (146S, 147S, 148S) from subtask consumers that consumed the subtask message, the one or more subtask signals indicating a disposition of the subtask message, wherein the disposition of the subtask message indicates whether the subtask message is locked, unlocked, or deleted; an act of the message state coordinator determining the disposition of the message based on the received subtask signals; and an act of the message state coordinator using the coordination property for the message to signal the disposition of the message to the initial message consumer.