Patent ID: 8533723

Claim:
A framework executing on a computing device in a layer between an operating system and applications that depend on the framework for shared data and services, comprising: an application component, executing on a processor of the computing device, that exposes operating system specific application programming interfaces (APIs) that are called by the applications that utilize the framework to access the shared data and services that are used by the applications during the execution thereof; a download component, executing on the processor of the computing device, that provides for installation of the applications and framework components, the download component updating the applications and framework components as new versions are released in accordance with a preference; and a license component, executing on the processor of the computing device, that restricts access by the applications to the framework by determining, at an application level using a security mechanism, whether each application is authorized to be installed and whether the applications are authorized to access the APIs and the shared data and services provided by the framework after the applications are installed, wherein application component includes user interface elements that provide for system-wide configuration of the applications, and wherein the application component maintains state information regarding the execution of the applications and the shared data and services.