Patent ID: 7117243

Claim:
In a network including a client system and a plurality of server systems, a method for enabling distributed program execution, the method comprising the steps: (a) receiving at a client system, from one of a plurality of server systems, a mapping specifying an association between a plurality of executable application programs and a corresponding plurality of types of data files accepted for processing by the executable application programs; (b) presenting, by the client system, a graphical depiction of a data file stored on a client system; (c) receiving, by the client system, a selection of the graphical depiction of the data file; (d) identifying, by the client system, one of the plurality of executable application programs associated with the type of file identified by the selected graphical depiction using the received mapping; and (e) sending, by the client system, to one of the plurality of server systems a request to execute the identified one of the plurality of executable application program.