Patent ID: 7685598

Claim:
A desktop framework implemented by a computer, comprising: an application framework component that includes a set of core libraries that provide a plurality of desktop applications access to shared data and services; a download component that maintains versions of the plurality of desktop applications and core libraries installed on the computer; a license component that restricts access to the desktop framework at an application level, wherein said license component determines whether each desktop application in the plurality of desktop applications is authorized to access the shared data and services provided by the desktop framework using a encryption key associated with each desktop application in the plurality of desktop applications, wherein the desktop framework is provided as an installable application for a particular operating system as a foundation upon which the plurality of desktop applications build and includes user interface elements that provide information, installation, and registration services for the particular operating system, wherein said license component restricts access to the desktop framework and the shared data and services to authorized ones of the plurality of desktop applications based on the application level determination, and wherein said set of core libraries of the application framework component when executed by the computer expose Application Programming Interfaces to provide the authorized ones of the plurality of desktop applications access to the shared data and services; wherein said download component provides for browsing, installing and updating of the plurality of desktop applications; and a verifier that determines if the downloaded component is authentic via checksums and the encryption key.