text:
VIEWS: 11 PAGES: 40 CATEGORY: Computers: Software POSTED ON: 10/22/2010
This invention relates to methods and systems for providing software via a network. More specifically, the invention pertains to Internet-based delivery of software.BACKGROUNDInstallation of traditional PC applications requires physical media, such as a disk or CD-ROM that must be physically inserted into a computer in order for software to be loaded onto a user's computer. Typically, this process requires the userto enter settings information that can be confusing to the user. Once the software is installed, it is typically fixed in terms of its location and functionality. When the software is updated, the user must typically purchase additional physical mediaand repeat the installation process so that they can use the updated software. In this model, the software is fixed in its association with the computer on which it was installed. If a user moves to another computer, they will not be able to use thespecific software on their machine.As computing continues to evolve in the environment of the Internet, it has become clear that the traditional software delivery model described above is inadequate to meet the demands of consumers who desire dynamic, flexible, and adaptablesoftware. Software delivery over the Web is becoming the subject of increasing focus by those who develop and deliver software. Unlocking the potential for Web-based software delivery will require smart, innovative and streamlined solutions, especiallyin situations where bandwidth may be limited.Accordingly, this invention arose out of concerns associated with providing new software delivery models that are particularly well-suited for network-based software delivery, e.g. delivery via the Internet.SUMMARYMethods and systems for network-based or Internet-based software delivery are described. In one embodiment, an application program or software platform resides on a client and is configured so that it is extensible based on software extensionsthat are deliverable over a network such as
United States Patent: 7743063 ( 1 of 1 ) United States Patent 7,743,063 James , et al. June 22, 2010 Methods and systems for delivering software via a network Abstract Methods and systems for network-based or Internet-based software delivery are described. In one embodiment, an application program or software platform resides on a client and is configured so that it is extensible based on software extensions that are deliverable over a network such as the Internet. Inventors: James; Sarita M. (Bellevue, WA), Syme; Brian J. (Redmond, WA), Raman; Suryanarayanan V. (Mercer Island, WA), Licata; John A. (Woodinville, WA), Sanchez; Lawrence M. (Redmond, WA) Assignee: Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, WA) Appl. No.: 11/044,106 Filed: January 27, 2005 Related U.S. Patent Documents Application NumberFiling DatePatent NumberIssue Date 10939588Sep., 2004 09599299Jun., 20006883168 Current U.S. Class: 707/752 ; 707/736; 707/828 Current International Class: G06F 7/00 (20060101); G06F 17/30 (20060101) Field of Search: 707/1,7 References Cited [Referenced By] U.S. Patent Documents 4201978 May 1980 Nally 4498147 February 1985 Agnew et al. 4514800 April 1985 Gruner et al. 4564752 January 1986 Lepic et al. 4641274 February 1987 Swank 4674040 June 1987 Barker et al. 4723211 February 1988 Barker et al. 4739477 April 1988 Barker et al. 4815029 March 1989 Barker et al. 4847749 July 1989 Collins et al. 4910663 March 1990 Bailey 4926476 May 1990 Covey 4933880 June 1990 Borgendal et al. 4962475 October 1990 Hernandez et al. 5025484 June 1991 Yamanari et al. 5072412 December 1991 Henderson, Jr. et al. 5140563 August 1992 Thinesen 5179703 January 1993 Evans 5182709 January 1993 Makus 5187786 February 1993 Densmore et al. 5191645 March 1993 Carlucci et al. 5195183 March 1993 Miller et al. 5204947 April 1993 Bernstein et al. 5206951 April 1993 Khoyi et al. 5218672 June 1993 Morgan et al. 5220649 June 1993 Forcier 5222160 June 1993 Sakai et al. 5228100 July 1993 Takeda et al. 5237680 August 1993 Adams et al. 5249275 September 1993 Srivastava 5271273 December 1993 Leunissen 5274803 December 1993 Dubin et al. 5297249 March 1994 Bernstein et al. 5297283 March 1994 Kelly, Jr. et al. 5313631 May 1994 Kao 5313646 May 1994 Hendricks et al. 5317686 May 1994 Salas et al. 5333317 July 1994 Dann 5339423 August 1994 Beitel et al. 5339424 August 1994 Fushimi 5341478 August 1994 Travis, Jr. et al. 5369766 November 1994 Nakano et al. 5369778 November 1994 San Soucie et al. 5371675 December 1994 Greif et al. 5377323 December 1994 Vasudevan 5379419 January 1995 Heffeman et al. 5381547 January 1995 Flug et al. 5390325 February 1995 Miller 5396623 March 1995 McCall et al. 5408665 April 1995 Fitzgerald 5410646 April 1995 Tondevold et al. 5410688 April 1995 Williams et al. 5412772 May 1995 Monson 5434975 July 1995 Allen 5436637 July 1995 Gayraud et al. 5438659 August 1995 Notess et al. 5440744 August 1995 Jacobson et al. 5446842 August 1995 Schaeffer et al. 5455875 October 1995 Chevion et al. 5459865 October 1995 Heninger et al. 5481722 January 1996 Skinner 5497489 March 1996 Menne 5504898 April 1996 Klein 5517655 May 1996 Collins et al. 5535389 July 1996 Elder et al. 5542070 July 1996 LeBlanc et al. 5550976 August 1996 Henderson et al. 5551035 August 1996 Arnold et al. 5555325 September 1996 Burger 5566330 October 1996 Sheffield 5572643 November 1996 Judson 5572648 November 1996 Bibayan 5577252 November 1996 Nelson et al. 5581686 December 1996 Koppolu et al. 5581760 December 1996 Atkinson et al. 5600789 February 1997 Parker et al. 5602996 February 1997 Powers, III et al. 5608720 March 1997 Biegel et al. 5625783 April 1997 Ezekiel et al. 5627979 May 1997 Chang et al. 5630126 May 1997 Redpath 5634121 May 1997 Tracz et al. 5634124 May 1997 Khoyi et al. 5640544 June 1997 Onodera et al. 5644738 July 1997 Goldman et al. 5649099 July 1997 Theimer et al. 5659729 August 1997 Nielsen 5664133 September 1997 Malamud et al. 5664178 September 1997 Sinofsky 5668966 September 1997 Ono et al. 5669005 September 1997 Curbow et al. 5682536 October 1997 Atkinson et al. 5689667 November 1997 Kurtenbach 5689703 November 1997 Atkinson et al. 5704029 December 1997 Wright, Jr. 5706501 January 1998 Horikiri et al. 5717939 February 1998 Bricklin et al. 5721824 February 1998 Taylor 5740439 April 1998 Atkinson et al. 5742504 April 1998 Meyer et al. 5745683 April 1998 Lee et al. 5745712 April 1998 Turpin et al. 5748807 May 1998 Lopresti et al. 5758184 May 1998 Lucovsky et al. 5758358 May 1998 Ebbo 5761408 June 1998 Kolawa et al. 5761683 June 1998 Logan et al. 5764984 June 1998 Loucks 5764985 June 1998 Smale 5778372 July 1998 Cordell et al. 5778402 July 1998 Gipson 5784555 July 1998 Stone 5790796 August 1998 Sadowsky 5798757 August 1998 Smith 5801701 September 1998 Koppolu et al. 5802304 September 1998 Stone 5806079 September 1998 Rivette et al. 5815830 September 1998 Anthony 5826031 October 1998 Nielsen 5826265 October 1998 Van Huben et al. 5835777 November 1998 Staelin 5838906 November 1998 Doyle et al. 5842018 November 1998 Atkinson et al. 5845077 December 1998 Fawcett 5845090 December 1998 Collins, III et al. 5845122 December 1998 Nielsen et al. 5854630 December 1998 Nielsen 5859973 January 1999 Carpenter et al. 5862372 January 1999 Morris et al. 5862379 January 1999 Rubin et al. 5864819 January 1999 De Armas et al. 5873088 February 1999 Hayashi et al. 5905492 May 1999 Straub et al. 5907621 May 1999 Bachman et al. 5907704 May 1999 Gudmundson et al. 5910895 June 1999 Proskauer et al. 5911776 June 1999 Guck 5915112 June 1999 Boutcher 5919247 July 1999 Van Hoff et al. 5922072 July 1999 Hutchinson et al. 5928363 July 1999 Ruvolo 5929858 July 1999 Shibata et al. 5940075 August 1999 Mutschler, III et al. 5950010 September 1999 Hesse et al. 5953731 September 1999 Glaser 5956481 September 1999 Walsh et al. 5960199 September 1999 Brodsky et al. 5963964 October 1999 Nielsen 5973696 October 1999 Agranat et al. 5974454 October 1999 Apfel et al. 5982370 November 1999 Kamper 5983348 November 1999 Ji 5987480 November 1999 Donohue et al. 5991710 November 1999 Papineni et al. 5991731 November 1999 Colon et al. 5991877 November 1999 Luckenbaugh 5995103 November 1999 Ashe 5999740 December 1999 Rowley 6005570 December 1999 Gayraud et al. 6006227 December 1999 Freeman et al. 6012066 January 2000 Discount et al. 6014135 January 2000 Fernandes 6016520 January 2000 Facq et al. 6018743 January 2000 Xu 6021403 February 2000 Horvitz et al. 6026379 February 2000 Haller et al. 6026416 February 2000 Kanerva et al. 6031989 February 2000 Cordell 6035297 March 2000 Van Huben et al. 6035309 March 2000 Dauerer et al. 6044205 March 2000 Reed et al. 6052531 April 2000 Waldin et al. 6052710 April 2000 Saliba et al. 6054987 April 2000 Richardson 6057837 May 2000 Hatakeda et al. 6058413 May 2000 Flores et al. 6065043 May 2000 Domenikos et al. 6069626 May 2000 Cline et al. 6070184 May 2000 Blount et al. 6072870 June 2000 Nguyen et al. 6078326 June 2000 Kilmer et al. 6078327 June 2000 Liman et al. 6078924 June 2000 Ainsbury et al. 6081610 June 2000 Dwork et al. 6084585 July 2000 Kraft et al. 6088679 July 2000 Barkley 6088708 July 2000 Burch et al. 6091417 July 2000 Lefkowitz 6094657 July 2000 Hailpern et al. 6096096 August 2000 Murphy et al. 6097382 August 2000 Rosen et al. 6098081 August 2000 Heidom et al. 6105012 August 2000 Chang et al. 6108637 August 2000 Blumenau 6108783 August 2000 Krawczyk et al. 6115646 September 2000 Fiszman et al. 6121965 September 2000 Kenney et al. 6122647 September 2000 Horowitz et al. 6144969 November 2000 Inokuchi et al. 6151624 November 2000 Teare et al. 6154128 November 2000 Wookey et al. 6163772 December 2000 Kramer et al. 6167521 December 2000 Smith et al. 6167523 December 2000 Strong 6182094 January 2001 Humpleman et al. 6182095 January 2001 Leymaster et al. 6188401 February 2001 Peyer 6191797 February 2001 Politis 6192367 February 2001 Hawley et al. 6195661 February 2001 Filepp et al. 6199204 March 2001 Donohue 6209128 March 2001 Gerard et al. 6216152 April 2001 Wong et al. 6219423 April 2001 Davis 6219698 April 2001 Iannucci et al. 6225996 May 2001 Gibb et al. 6235027 May 2001 Herzon 6243088 June 2001 McCormack et al. 6253366 June 2001 Mutschler, III 6253374 June 2001 Dresevic et al. 6263313 July 2001 Milsted et al. 6266810 July 2001 Tanaka et al. 6268852 July 2001 Lindhorst et al. 6272506 August 2001 Bell 6275227 August 2001 DeStefano 6275599 August 2001 Adler et al. 6279042 August 2001 Ouchi 6281896 August 2001 Alimpich et al. 6282709 August 2001 Reha et al. 6282711 August 2001 Halpern et al. 6286033 September 2001 Kishinsky et al. 6292897 September 2001 Gennaro et al. 6292941 September 2001 Jollands 6297819 October 2001 Furst 6300948 October 2001 Geller et al. 6307955 October 2001 Zank et al. 6308179 October 2001 Petersen et al. 6308273 October 2001 Goertzel et al. 6311221 October 2001 Raz et al. 6311271 October 2001 Gennaro et al. 6314415 November 2001 Mukherjee 6321259 November 2001 Ouellette et al. 6321334 November 2001 Jerger et al. 6327628 December 2001 Anuff et al. 6331864 December 2001 Coco et al. 6336214 January 2002 Sundaresan 6342907 January 2002 Petty et al. 6343149 January 2002 Motoiwa 6343302 January 2002 Graham 6343377 January 2002 Gessner et al. 6344862 February 2002 Williams et al. 6345256 February 2002 Milsted et al. 6345278 February 2002 Hitchcock et al. 6345361 February 2002 Jerger et al. 6347323 February 2002 Garber et al. 6349408 February 2002 Smith 6351574 February 2002 Yair et al. 6353851 March 2002 Anupam et al. 6353926 March 2002 Parthesarathy et al. 6356906 March 2002 Lippert et al. 6357038 March 2002 Scouten 6366907 April 2002 Fanning et al. 6366912 April 2002 Wallent et al. 6367013 April 2002 Bisbee et al. 6369840 April 2002 Barnett et al. 6369841 April 2002 Salomon et al. 6374402 April 2002 Schmeidler et al. 6381742 April 2002 Forbes et al. 6381743 April 2002 Mutschler, III 6389434 May 2002 Rivette et al. 6393456 May 2002 Ambler et al. 6393469 May 2002 Dozier et al. 6396488 May 2002 Simmons et al. 6397264 May 2002 Stasnick et al. 6405221 June 2002 Levine et al. 6405238 June 2002 Votipka 6408311 June 2002 Baisley et al. 6414700 July 2002 Kurtenbach et al. 6421070 July 2002 Ramos et al. 6421656 July 2002 Cheng et al. 6421777 July 2002 Pierre-Louis 6425125 July 2002 Fries et al. 6429885 August 2002 Saib et al. 6434563 August 2002 Pasquali et al. 6434564 August 2002 Ebert 6442563 August 2002 Bacon et al. 6442755 August 2002 Lemmons et al. 6446110 September 2002 Lection et al. 6449617 September 2002 Quinn et al. 6457009 September 2002 Bollay 6460058 October 2002 Koppolu et al. 6463419 October 2002 Kluss 6470349 October 2002 Heninger et al. 6473800 October 2002 Jerger et al. 6476828 November 2002 Burkett et al. 6476833 November 2002 Moshfeghi 6477544 November 2002 Bolosky et al. 6480860 November 2002 Monday 6487566 November 2002 Sundaresan 6490601 December 2002 Markus et al. 6493007 December 2002 Pang 6493702 December 2002 Adar et al. 6501864 December 2002 Eguchi et al. 6502101 December 2002 Verprauskus et al. 6502103 December 2002 Frey et al. 6505200 January 2003 Ims et al. 6505230 January 2003 Mohan et al. 6505300 January 2003 Chen et al. 6507856 January 2003 Chen et al. 6516322 February 2003 Meredith 6519617 February 2003 Wanderski et al. 6523027 February 2003 Underwood 6529909 March 2003 Bowman-Amuah 6535229 March 2003 Kraft 6535883 March 2003 Lee et al. RE38070 April 2003 Spies et al. 6546546 April 2003 Van Doom et al. 6546554 April 2003 Schmidt et al. 6549221 April 2003 Brown et al. 6549878 April 2003 Lowry et al. 6549922 April 2003 Srivastava et al. 6553402 April 2003 Makarios et al. 6560616 May 2003 Garber 6560620 May 2003 Ching 6560640 May 2003 Smethers 6563514 May 2003 Samar 6571253 May 2003 Thompson et al. 6578144 June 2003 Gennaro et al. 6581061 June 2003 Graham 6584469 June 2003 Chiang et al. 6584548 June 2003 Bourne et al. 6585778 July 2003 Hind et al. 6589290 July 2003 Maxwell et al. 6594686 July 2003 Edwards et al. 6598219 July 2003 Lau 6603489 August 2003 Edlund et al. 6604099 August 2003 Chung et al. 6606606 August 2003 Starr 6609200 August 2003 Anderson et al. 6611822 August 2003 Beams et al. 6611840 August 2003 Baer et al. 6611843 August 2003 Jacobs 6613098 September 2003 Sorge et al. 6615276 September 2003 Mastrianni et al. 6629109 September 2003 Koshisaka 6631357 October 2003 Perkowski 6631379 October 2003 Cox 6631497 October 2003 Jamshidi et al. 6631519 October 2003 Nicholson et al. 6632251 October 2003 Rutten et al. 6633315 October 2003 Sobeski et al. 6635089 October 2003 Burkett et al. 6636845 October 2003 Chau et al. 6643633 November 2003 Chau et al. 6643652 November 2003 Helgeson et al. 6643684 November 2003 Malkin et al. 6651217 November 2003 Kennedy et al. 6654737 November 2003 Nunez 6654932 November 2003 Bahrs et al. 6658417 December 2003 Stakutis et al. 6658622 December 2003 Aiken et al. 6661920 December 2003 Skinner 6668369 December 2003 Krebs et al. 6671805 December 2003 Brown et al. 6675202 January 2004 Perttunen 6678717 January 2004 Schneider 6681370 January 2004 Gounares et al. 6691230 February 2004 Bardon 6691281 February 2004 Sorge et al. 6697944 February 2004 Jones et al. 6701434 March 2004 Rohatgi 6701486 March 2004 Weber et al. 6704906 March 2004 Yankovich et al. 6711679 March 2004 Guski et al. 6720985 April 2004 Lapstun et al. 6725426 April 2004 Pavlov 6728755 April 2004 de Ment 6735721 May 2004 Morrow et al. 6745367 June 2004 Bates et al. 6748385 June 2004 Rodkin et al. 6748569 June 2004 Brooke et al. 6751777 June 2004 Bates et al. 6754874 June 2004 Richman 6757826 June 2004 Paltenghe 6757868 June 2004 Glaser et al. 6760723 July 2004 Oshinsky et al. 6763343 July 2004 Brooke et al. 6772139 August 2004 Smith, III 6772165 August 2004 O'Carroll 6774926 August 2004 Ellis et al. 6779154 August 2004 Nussbaum et al. 6781609 August 2004 Barker et al. 6782144 August 2004 Bellavita et al. 6799299 September 2004 Li et al. 6801929 October 2004 Donoho et al. 6816849 November 2004 Halt, Jr. 6828992 December 2004 Freeman et al. 6845380 January 2005 Su et al. 6845499 January 2005 Srivastava et al. 6847387 January 2005 Roth 6848078 January 2005 Birsan et al. 6850895 February 2005 Brodersen et al. 6862689 March 2005 Bergsten et al. 6871220 March 2005 Rajan et al. 6871345 March 2005 Crow et al. 6874130 March 2005 Baweja et al. 6876996 April 2005 Czajkowski et al. 6889359 May 2005 Conner et al. 6901403 May 2005 Bata et al. 6915454 July 2005 Moore et al. 6925609 August 2005 Lucke 6931532 August 2005 Davis et al. 6941510 September 2005 Ozzie et al. 6941511 September 2005 Hind et al. 6941521 September 2005 Lin et al. 6948129 September 2005 Loghmani 6948133 September 2005 Haley 6948135 September 2005 Ruthfield et al. 6950980 September 2005 Malcolm 6950987 September 2005 Hargraves et al. 6957395 October 2005 Jobs et al. 6961897 November 2005 Peel, Jr. et al. 6963875 November 2005 Moore et al. 6968503 November 2005 Chang et al. 6968505 November 2005 Stoll et al. 6993714 January 2006 Kaler et al. 6993722 January 2006 Greer et al. 6996776 February 2006 Makely et al. 6996781 February 2006 Myers et al. 7000179 February 2006 Yankovich et al. 7002560 February 2006 Graham 7003548 February 2006 Barck et al. 7003722 February 2006 Rothchiller et al. 7010580 March 2006 Fu et al. 7020869 March 2006 Abriari et al. 7024417 April 2006 Russakovsky et al. 7032170 April 2006 Poulose 7036072 April 2006 Sulistio et al. 7039875 May 2006 Khalfay et al. 7043687 May 2006 Knauss et al. 7051273 May 2006 Holt et al. 7058663 June 2006 Johnston et al. 7062764 June 2006 Cohen et al. 7065493 June 2006 Homsi 7076728 July 2006 Davis et al. 7080083 July 2006 Kim et al. 7080325 July 2006 Treibach-Heck et al. 7081882 July 2006 Sowden et al. 7086009 August 2006 Resnick et al. 7086042 August 2006 Abe et al. 7088374 August 2006 David et al. 7100147 August 2006 Miller et al. 7103611 September 2006 Murthy et al. 7106888 September 2006 Silverbrook et al. 7107282 September 2006 Yalamanchi 7107521 September 2006 Santos 7107539 September 2006 Abbott et al. 7120863 October 2006 Wang 7124167 October 2006 Bellotti et al. 7130885 October 2006 Chandra et al. 7143341 November 2006 Kohli 7146564 December 2006 Kim et al. 7152205 December 2006 Day et al. 7159011 January 2007 Knight et al. 7168035 January 2007 Bell et al. 7178166 February 2007 Taylor et al. 7190376 March 2007 Tonisson 7191394 March 2007 Ardeleanu et al. 7200665 April 2007 Eshghi et al. 7200816 April 2007 Falk et al. 7213200 May 2007 Abe et al. 7236982 June 2007 Zlatanov et al. 7237114 June 2007 Rosenberg 7249328 July 2007 Davis 7272789 September 2007 O'Brien 7281018 October 2007 Begun et al. 7281206 October 2007 Schnelle et al. 7281245 October 2007 Reynar et al. 7284208 October 2007 Matthews 7287218 October 2007 Knotz et al. 7296017 November 2007 Larcheveque et al. 7313758 December 2007 Kozlov 7316003 January 2008 Dulepet et al. 7318237 January 2008 Moriconi et al. 7337391 February 2008 Clarke et al. 7337392 February 2008 Lue 7346840 March 2008 Ravishankar et al. 7346848 March 2008 Ruthfield et al. 7370066 May 2008 Sikchi et al. 7373595 May 2008 Jones et al. 7376673 May 2008 Chalecki et al. 7412649 August 2008 Emek et al. 7424671 September 2008 Elza et al. 7428699 September 2008 Kane et al. 7441200 October 2008 Savage 7490109 February 2009 Sikchi et al. 7496632 February 2009 Chapman et al. 7496837 February 2009 Larcheveque et al. 7543228 June 2009 Kelkar 7549115 June 2009 Kotler et al. 7584417 September 2009 Friend 7613996 November 2009 Dallett et al. 7673227 March 2010 Kotler 7673228 March 2010 Kelkar 7676843 March 2010 Stott 7689929 March 2010 Ruthfield 7692636 April 2010 Kim 7712022 May 2010 Smuga 7721190 May 2010 Sikchi 2001/0007109 July 2001 Lange 2001/0016880 August 2001 Cai et al. 2001/0022592 September 2001 Alimpich et al. 2001/0024195 September 2001 Hayakawa 2001/0037345 November 2001 Kiernan 2001/0044850 November 2001 Raz et al. 2001/0051928 December 2001 Brody 2001/0054004 December 2001 Powers 2001/0056411 December 2001 Lindskog et al. 2001/0056429 December 2001 Moore et al. 2001/0056460 December 2001 Sahota et al. 2002/0010700 January 2002 Wotring 2002/0010743 January 2002 Ryan et al. 2002/0010746 January 2002 Jilk, Jr. et al. 2002/0010855 January 2002 Reshef et al. 2002/0013788 January 2002 Pennell et al. 2002/0019941 February 2002 Chan et al. 2002/0023113 February 2002 Hsing et al. 2002/0026441 February 2002 Kutay et al. 2002/0026461 February 2002 Kutay et al. 2002/0032590 March 2002 Anand et al. 2002/0032692 March 2002 Suzuki et al. 2002/0032706 March 2002 Perla et al. 2002/0032768 March 2002 Voskuil 2002/0035579 March 2002 Wang et al. 2002/0035581 March 2002 Reynar et al. 2002/0040469 April 2002 Pramberger 2002/0052769 May 2002 Navani et al. 2002/0053021 May 2002 Rice et al. 2002/0054126 May 2002 Gamon 2002/0054128 May 2002 Lau et al. 2002/0057297 May 2002 Grimes et al. 2002/0065798 May 2002 Bostleman et al. 2002/0065847 May 2002 Furukawa et al. 2002/0070973 June 2002 Croley 2002/0078074 June 2002 Cho et al. 2002/0078103 June 2002 Gorman et al. 2002/0083145 June 2002 Perinpanathan 2002/0083148 June 2002 Shaw et al. 2002/0083318 June 2002 Larose 2002/0091738 July 2002 Rohrabaugh et al. 2002/0099952 July 2002 Lambert et al. 2002/0100027 July 2002 Binding 2002/0107885 August 2002 Brooks et al. 2002/0111699 August 2002 Melli et al. 2002/0111932 August 2002 Roberge et al. 2002/0112224 August 2002 Cox 2002/0129056 September 2002 Conant 2002/0133484 September 2002 Chau 2002/0152222 October 2002 Holbrook 2002/0152244 October 2002 Dean et al. 2002/0156772 October 2002 Chau 2002/0156846 October 2002 Rawat et al. 2002/0156929 October 2002 Hekmatpour 2002/0169752 November 2002 Kusama et al. 2002/0169789 November 2002 Kutay et al. 2002/0174147 November 2002 Wang et al. 2002/0174417 November 2002 Sijacic et al. 2002/0178187 November 2002 Rasmussen et al. 2002/0178380 November 2002 Wolf et al. 2002/0184188 December 2002 Mandyam et al. 2002/0184219 December 2002 Preisig et al. 2002/0184485 December 2002 Dray et al. 2002/0188597 December 2002 Kern et al. 2002/0188613 December 2002 Chakraborty et al. 2002/0194219 December 2002 Bradley et al. 2002/0196281 December 2002 Audleman et al. 2002/0196288 December 2002 Emrani 2002/0198891 December 2002 Li 2002/0198935 December 2002 Crandall, Sr. et al. 2003/0004951 January 2003 Chokshi 2003/0007000 January 2003 Carlson et al. 2003/0014397 January 2003 Chau 2003/0018668 January 2003 Britton et al. 2003/0020746 January 2003 Chen et al. 2003/0023641 January 2003 Gorman et al. 2003/0025732 February 2003 Prichard 2003/0026507 February 2003 Zlotnick 2003/0028550 February 2003 Lee et al. 2003/0033037 February 2003 Yuen et al. 2003/0037303 February 2003 Bodlaender et al. 2003/0038788 February 2003 Demartines et al. 2003/0038846 February 2003 Hori et al. 2003/0043986 March 2003 Creamer 2003/0046665 March 2003 Ilin 2003/0048301 March 2003 Menninger 2003/0051243 March 2003 Lemmons et al. 2003/0055811 March 2003 Stork et al. 2003/0055828 March 2003 Koch et al. 2003/0056198 March 2003 Al-Azzawe 2003/0061386 March 2003 Brown 2003/0061567 March 2003 Brown et al. 2003/0074279 April 2003 Viswanath et al. 2003/0084424 May 2003 Reddy et al. 2003/0093755 May 2003 O'Carroll 2003/0110443 June 2003 Yankovich et al. 2003/0120578 June 2003 Newman 2003/0120651 June 2003 Bernstein et al. 2003/0120659 June 2003 Sridhar 2003/0120671 June 2003 Kim et al. 2003/0120686 June 2003 Kim et al. 2003/0126555 July 2003 Aggarwal et al. 2003/0128196 July 2003 Lapstun et al. 2003/0135825 July 2003 Gertner et al. 2003/0140132 July 2003 Champagne et al. 2003/0140160 July 2003 Raz et al. 2003/0142072 July 2003 Lapstun et al. 2003/0149934 August 2003 Worden 2003/0158897 August 2003 Ben-Natan et al. 2003/0163285 August 2003 Nakamura et al. 2003/0167277 September 2003 Hejlsberg et al. 2003/0172113 September 2003 Cameron et al. 2003/0182268 September 2003 Lal 2003/0182327 September 2003 Ramanujam et al. 2003/0187756 October 2003 Klivington et al. 2003/0187930 October 2003 Ghaffar 2003/0188260 October 2003 Jensen et al. 2003/0189593 October 2003 Yarvin 2003/0192008 October 2003 Lee 2003/0200506 October 2003 Abe et al. 2003/0204481 October 2003 Lau 2003/0204511 October 2003 Brundage 2003/0204814 October 2003 Elo et al. 2003/0205615 November 2003 Marappan 2003/0210428 November 2003 Bevlin et al. 2003/0212664 November 2003 Breining et al. 2003/0212902 November 2003 van der Made 2003/0217053 November 2003 Bachman et al. 2003/0218620 November 2003 Lai et al. 2003/0220930 November 2003 Milleker et al. 2003/0225469 December 2003 DeRemer et al. 2003/0225768 December 2003 Chaudhuri 2003/0225829 December 2003 Pena et al. 2003/0226111 December 2003 Wirts et al. 2003/0226132 December 2003 Tondreau et al. 2003/0233374 December 2003 Spinola et al. 2003/0233644 December 2003 Cohen et al. 2003/0236859 December 2003 Vaschillo et al. 2003/0236903 December 2003 Piotrowski 2003/0237046 December 2003 Parker et al. 2003/0237047 December 2003 Borson 2004/0002939 January 2004 Arora 2004/0002950 January 2004 Brennan et al. 2004/0003031 January 2004 Brown et al. 2004/0003353 January 2004 Rivera et al. 2004/0003389 January 2004 Reynar et al. 2004/0006744 January 2004 Jones et al. 2004/0010752 January 2004 Chan et al. 2004/0015783 January 2004 Lennon et al. 2004/0024842 February 2004 Witt 2004/0030991 February 2004 Hepworth et al. 2004/0039881 February 2004 Shoebridge et al. 2004/0039990 February 2004 Bakar et al. 2004/0039993 February 2004 Kougiouris et al. 2004/0044961 March 2004 Pesenson 2004/0044965 March 2004 Toyama et al. 2004/0046789 March 2004 Inanoria 2004/0054966 March 2004 Busch et al. 2004/0059754 March 2004 Barghout et al. 2004/0073565 April 2004 Kaufman et al. 2004/0073868 April 2004 Easter et al. 2004/0078756 April 2004 Napper et al. 2004/0083426 April 2004 Sahu 2004/0088647 May 2004 Miller et al. 2004/0088652 May 2004 Abe et al. 2004/0093596 May 2004 Koyano 2004/0107367 June 2004 Kisters 2004/0117769 June 2004 Lauzon et al. 2004/0123277 June 2004 Schrader et al. 2004/0139400 July 2004 Allam et al. 2004/0146199 July 2004 Berkner et al. 2004/0148178 July 2004 Brain 2004/0148514 July 2004 Fee et al. 2004/0148571 July 2004 Lue 2004/0162741 August 2004 Flaxer et al. 2004/0163041 August 2004 Engel 2004/0163046 August 2004 Chu et al. 2004/0172442 September 2004 Ripley 2004/0181543 September 2004 Wu et al. 2004/0181711 September 2004 Johnson et al. 2004/0186762 September 2004 Beaven et al. 2004/0189708 September 2004 Larcheveque et al. 2004/0189716 September 2004 Paoli et al. 2004/0194035 September 2004 Chakraborty 2004/0199572 October 2004 Hunt et al. 2004/0205473 October 2004 Fisher et al. 2004/0205525 October 2004 Murren et al. 2004/0205534 October 2004 Koelle 2004/0205571 October 2004 Adler et al. 2004/0205592 October 2004 Huang 2004/0205605 October 2004 Adler et al. 2004/0205653 October 2004 Hadfield et al. 2004/0205671 October 2004 Sukehiro et al. 2004/0210599 October 2004 Friedman et al. 2004/0210645 October 2004 Kouznetsov et al. 2004/0216084 October 2004 Brown et al. 2004/0221238 November 2004 Cifra et al. 2004/0221245 November 2004 Chickles et al. 2004/0237030 November 2004 Malkin 2004/0260593 December 2004 Abraham-Fuchs et al. 2004/0261019 December 2004 Imamura et al. 2004/0268229 December 2004 Paoli et al. 2005/0004893 January 2005 Sangroniz 2005/0005248 January 2005 Rockey et al. 2005/0015279 January 2005 Rucker 2005/0015732 January 2005 Vedula et al. 2005/0022115 January 2005 Baumgartner et al. 2005/0027757 February 2005 Kiessig et al. 2005/0028073 February 2005 Henry et al. 2005/0033626 February 2005 Kruse et al. 2005/0033728 February 2005 James 2005/0038711 February 2005 Marlelo 2005/0050066 March 2005 Hughes 2005/0055627 March 2005 Lloyd et al. 2005/0060324 March 2005 Johnson et al. 2005/0060647 March 2005 Doan et al. 2005/0060721 March 2005 Choudhary et al. 2005/0065933 March 2005 Goering 2005/0065936 March 2005 Goering 2005/0066287 March 2005 Tattrie et al. 2005/0071752 March 2005 Marlatt 2005/0076049 April 2005 Qubti et al. 2005/0080801 April 2005 Kothandaraman et al. 2005/0091285 April 2005 Krishnan et al. 2005/0091305 April 2005 Lange et al. 2005/0097536 May 2005 Bernstein et al. 2005/0102370 May 2005 Lin et al. 2005/0102612 May 2005 Allan et al. 2005/0108104 May 2005 Woo 2005/0108624 May 2005 Carrier 2005/0114757 May 2005 Sahota et al. 2005/0114764 May 2005 Gudenkauf et al. 2005/0132043 June 2005 Wang et al. 2005/0132196 June 2005 Dietl 2005/0138031 June 2005 Wefers 2005/0138086 June 2005 Pecht-Seibert 2005/0138539 June 2005 Bravery et al. 2005/0149375 July 2005 Wefers 2005/0149726 July 2005 Joshi et al. 2005/0160398 July 2005 Bjornson et al. 2005/0171746 August 2005 Thalhammer-Reyero 2005/0198086 September 2005 Moore et al. 2005/0198125 September 2005 Beck et al. 2005/0198247 September 2005 Perry et al. 2005/0210263 September 2005 Levas et al. 2005/0223063 October 2005 Chang et al. 2005/0223320 October 2005 Brintzenhofe et al. 2005/0234890 October 2005 Enzler et al. 2005/0240876 October 2005 Myers et al. 2005/0246304 November 2005 Knight et al. 2005/0257148 November 2005 Goodman et al. 2005/0262112 November 2005 Moore 2005/0268217 December 2005 Garrison 2005/0268222 December 2005 Cheng 2006/0010386 January 2006 Khan 2006/0020586 January 2006 Prompt et al. 2006/0026500 February 2006 Qa 'Im-maqami' 2006/0026534 February 2006 Ruthfield et al. 2006/0031757 February 2006 Vincent, III 2006/0036995 February 2006 Chickles et al. 2006/0041838 February 2006 Khan 2006/0059107 March 2006 Elmore et al. 2006/0059434 March 2006 Boss et al. 2006/0069605 March 2006 Hatoun 2006/0069985 March 2006 Friedman et al. 2006/0075245 April 2006 Meier 2006/0080657 April 2006 Goodman 2006/0085409 April 2006 Rys et al. 2006/0101037 May 2006 Brill et al. 2006/0101051 May 2006 Carr et al. 2006/0107206 May 2006 Koskimies 2006/0129583 June 2006 Catorcini et al. 2006/0129978 June 2006 Abriani et al. 2006/0136422 June 2006 Matveief et al. 2006/0143220 June 2006 Spencer 2006/0155857 July 2006 Feenan et al. 2006/0161559 July 2006 Bordawekar et al. 2006/0161837 July 2006 Kelkar et al. 2006/0173865 August 2006 Fong 2006/0184393 August 2006 Ewin et al. 2006/0195413 August 2006 Davis et al. 2006/0200754 September 2006 Kablesh et al. 2006/0230363 October 2006 Rapp 2006/0248468 November 2006 Constantine et al. 2007/0005611 January 2007 Takasugi et al. 2007/0036433 February 2007 Teutsch 2007/0050719 March 2007 Lui et al. 2007/0061467 March 2007 Essey 2007/0061706 March 2007 Cupala 2007/0074106 March 2007 Ardeleanu 2007/0088554 April 2007 Harb et al. 2007/0094589 April 2007 Paoli 2007/0100877 May 2007 Paoli 2007/0101280 May 2007 Paoli 2007/0118538 May 2007 Ahern et al. 2007/0118803 May 2007 Walker et al. 2007/0130500 June 2007 Rivers-Moore et al. 2007/0130504 June 2007 Betancourt et al. 2007/0186157 August 2007 Walker et al. 2007/0208606 September 2007 MacKay et al. 2007/0208769 September 2007 Boehm et al. 2007/0276768 November 2007 Pallante 2008/0021916 January 2008 Schnelle et al. 2008/0028340 January 2008 Davis 2008/0052287 February 2008 Stanciu 2008/0126402 May 2008 Sitchi et al. 2008/0134162 June 2008 James 2009/0070411 March 2009 Chang et al. 2009/0119580 May 2009 Rohrabaugh et al. 2009/0138389 May 2009 Barthel 2009/0177961 July 2009 Fortini Foreign Patent Documents 0841615 Nov., 1999 EP 0961197 Dec., 1999 EP 1076290 Feb., 2001 EP 1221661 Jul., 2002 EP 63085960 Apr., 1988 JP 401173140 Jul., 1989 JP 3191429 Aug., 1991 JP 4225466 Aug., 1992 JP 5314152 Nov., 1993 JP 406014105 Jan., 1994 JP 6139241 May., 1994 JP 6180697 Jun., 1994 JP 6180698 Jun., 1994 JP 10171662 Jun., 1998 JP 10-2207805 Aug., 1998 JP 10207805 Aug., 1998 JP 2000132436 May., 2000 JP 2002183652 Jun., 2002 JP 2003173288 Jun., 2003 JP WO 99/24945 May., 1999 WO WO 99/56207 Nov., 1999 WO WO 01/44934 Jun., 2001 WO WO0157720 Sep., 2006 WO Other References "Delphi 5 Developer's Guide", by Xavier Pacheco et al., Sams Publishing, 1999, Chapter 31, Section: Data Streaming, 4 pages. cited by examiner . "Architecture for a Dynamic Information Area Control" IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin IBM Corp. New York US vol. 37 No. 10 Jan. 10, 1994, pp. 245-246. cited by other . Alschuler Liora "A tour of Xmetal" O'Reilly XML.COM 'Online Jul. 14, 1999 XP002230081 retrieved from the Internet: <URL:http://www.xml.com/pub/a/SeyboldReport/ip0311025.html> retrieved on Feb. 5, 2003. cited by other . Au Irene et al. "Netscape Communicator's Collapsible Toolbars" CHI'98 Human Factors in Computing Systems Conference Proceedings Los Angeles CA Apr. 18-23, 1998 pp. 81-86. cited by other . Battle Steven A. et al.; "Flexible Information Presentation with XML" 1998 The Institution of Electrical Engineers 6 pages. cited by other . Brogden William; "Arbortext Adept 8 Editor Review" O'Reilly XML.COM 'Online! Sep. 22, 1999 XP002230080 retrieved from the Internet <URL:http://www.xml.com/pub/a/1999/09/adept/AdeptRvw.htm> retreived on Feb. 5, 2003. cited by other . Chen Yi et al.: A: "XKvalidator: A Constraint Validator for XML" CIKM'-2 Nov. 4-9, 2002 Copyright 2002 ACM 1-58113.492-4/02/0011 pp. 446-452. cited by other . Ciancarini Paolo et al.; "Managing Complex Documents Over the WWW: A Case Study for XML" IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering Vo.l. 11 No. 4 Jul./Aug. 1999, pp. 629-938. cited by other . Davidow Ari: Atle; "XML Editors: Allegations of Functionality in search of reality" Internet 'Online! 1999 XP002230082 retrieved from the Internet <URL:http://www.ivritype.com/xml/>. cited by other . Kanemoto Hirotaka et al; "An Efficiently Updatable Index Scheme for Structured Documents" 1998 IEEE pp. 991-996. cited by other . Sutanthavibul Supoj et al.; "XFIG Version 3.2 Patchlevel 2 (Jul. 2, 1998) Users Manual (Edition 1.0)" Internet Document [Online] Jul. 2, 1998 XP002229137 Retrieved from the Internet <URL:http://www.ice.rntu.edu/online.sub.--docs/xfig332/> [retrieved on Jan. 28, 2003]. cited by other . Usdin Tommie et al.; Not a; "XML: Not a Silver Bullet But a Great Pipe Wrench" Standardview vol. 6. No. 3 Sep. 1998 pp. 125-132. cited by other . Chien Shu-Yao et al.; "Efficient Management of Multiversion Documents by Object Referencing" Proceedings of the 77th VLDB Conference 2001 pp. 291-300. cited by other . Chien Shu-Yao et al.; "Efficient schemes for managing mulitversion XML documents" VLDB Journal (2002) pp. 332-352. cited by other . Chien Shu-Yao et al.; "Storing and Querying Multiversion XML Documents using Durable Node Numbers" IEEE 2002 pp. 232-241. cited by other . Chien Shu-Yao et al.; "XML Document Versioning" SIGMOD Record vol. 30 No. 3 Sep. 2001 pp. 46-53. cited by other . Dyck Timothy; "XML Spy Tops as XML Editor" http://www.eweek.com/article2/0395972404 100.asp Nov. 25, 2002 4 pages. cited by other . Haukeland Jan-Henrick; "Tsbiff--tildeslash biff--version 1.2.1" Internet Document [Online] Jun. 1999 URL: http://web.archive.org/web/19990912001527/http://www.tildeslash.com/tsbif- f/. cited by other . Nelson Mark; "Validation with MSXML and XML Schema" Windows Developer Magazine Jan. 2002 pp. 35-38. cited by other . Netscape Communication Corpora; "Netscape Communicator 4.61 for OS/2 Warp" Software 1999 The whole software release & "Netscape--Version 4.6 [en]-010615" Netscape Screenhot Oct. 2, 2002. cited by other . Noore A.; "A secure conditional access system using digital signature and encryption" 2003 Digest of Technical Papers. International Conference on Consumer Electronics Jun. 2003 pp. 220-221. cited by other . Rogge et al.; "Validating MPEG-21 Encapsulated Functional Metadata" IEEE 2002 pp. 209-212. cited by other . Wong Raymond K. et al.; "Managing and Querying Multi-Version XML Data with Update Logging" DocEng '02 Nov. 8-9, 2002 Copyright 2002 ACM 1-58113-594-7/02/0011 pp. 74-81. cited by other . Cheng Ya Bing et al.; "Designing Valid XML Views" ER 2002 LNCS 2503 2002 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2002 pp. 463-477. cited by other . Chuang Tyng-Ruey; "Generic Validation of Structural Content with Parametric Modules" ICFP '01 Sep. 3-5, 2001 Copyright 2001 ACM 1-58113-415-0/01/0009 pp. 98-109. cited by other . Dayton Linnea and Jack Davis: "Photo Shop 5/5.5 WOW! Book" 2000 Peachpit Press pp. 8-17. cited by other . Hall Richard Scott; "Agent-based Software Configuration and Deployment" Thesis of the Univeristy of Colorado Online Dec. 31, 1999 retrieved from the Internet on Nov. 7, 2003: <http://www.cs.colorado.edu/users/rickhall/documents/ThesisFinal.pdf&g- t; 169 pages. cited by other . Hardy Mathew R. B. et al; "Mapping and Displaying Structural Transformations between XML and PDF" DocEng '02 Nov. 8-9, 2002 Copyright 2002 ACM 1-58113-597-7/02/0011 pp. 95-102. cited by other . Kim Seng-Kyun et al.; "Immediate and Partial Validation Mechanism for the Conflict Resolution of Update Operations in XML Databases" WAIM 2002 LNCS 2410 2002 pp. 387-396 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2002. cited by other . Netscape Communication Corp; "SmartUpdate Developer's Guide" Online Mar. 11, 1999 retrieved from the Internet on Dec. 8, 2000: <http://developer.netscape.com:80/docs/manuals/communicator/jarman/ind- ex.htm> 83 pages. cited by other . Tomimori et al.; "An Efficient and Flexible Access Control Framework for Java Programs in Mobile Terminals"; 22nd International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems Workshops; 2002; pp. 777-782. cited by other . Van Hoff Arthur et al.; "The Open Software Description Format" Online Aug. 13, 1997 retrieved from the Internet on Nov. 7, 2003; <http://www.w3.org/TR/NOTE-OSD> 11 pages. cited by other . Verlamis Iraklis et al.; "Bridging XML-Schema and relational databases. A System for generating and manipulating relational databases using valid XML documents." DocEng '01 Nov. 9-10, 2001 Coppyright 2001 ACM 1-58113-432-0/01/0011 pp. 105-114. cited by other . Williams Sara and Charlie Kin; "The Component Object Model" A Technical Overview Oct. 1994 Microsoft Corp. pp. 1-14. cited by other . Pacheco et al., "Delphi 5 Developer's Guide," Sams Publishing, 1999, Chapter 31 Section: Data Streaming, 6 pages. cited by other . "Netscape window," Netscape Screenshot Oct. 2, 2002. cited by other . Clarke P., "From small beginnings" Knowledge Management Nov. 2001, pp. 28-30. cited by other . Hwang et al., "Micro-Firewalls for Dynamic Network Security with Distributed Intrusion Detection"; IEEE International Symposium on Network Computing and Applications; 2001; pp. 68-79. cited by other . Kaiya et al., "Specifying Runtime Environments and Functionalities of Downloadable Components Under the Sandbox Mode"; International Symposium on Principles of Software Evolution; 2000; pp. 138-142. cited by other . Komatsu N. et al., "A Proposal on Digital Watermark in Document Image Communication and Its Application to Realizing a Signature" Electronics and Communications in Japan Part I: Communications vol. 73 No. 5, May 1990, pp. 22-33. cited by other . Sun Q. et al.., "A robust and secure media signature scheme for JPEG images" Proceedings of 2002 IEEE Workshop on Multimedia Signal Processing, Dec. 2002, pp. 296-299. cited by other . Prevelakis et al., "Sandboxing Applications"; Proceedings of the FREENIX Track; 2001; pp. 119-126. cited by other . Schmid et al., "Protecting Data from Malicious Software"; 18th Annual Computer Security Applications Conference; 2002: pp. 199-208. cited by other . W3C Editor James Clark and Ste: "XML Path Language (XPath) Version 1.0" Nov. 16, 1999W3C (MIT INRIA Kejo) pp. 1-49. cited by other . Rapaport L; "Get more from SharePoint" Transform Magazine vol. 11 No. 3. Mar. 2002 pp. 1315. cited by other . Clark James--W3C Editor; "XSL Transformation (XSLT) Verison 1.0" Nov. 16, 1999 W3C (MIT INRIA Kejo) pp. 1-156. cited by other . Description of Whitehill Composer software product producted by Whitehill Technologies Inc. available at <http://www.xml.com/pub/p/221> accessed on Apr. 8, 2004, two pages. cited by other . McCright J.S.; "New Tool Kit to Link Groove with Microsoft Sharepoint" eWeek Enterprise News & Reviews Ziff Davis Media INc. Jul. 29, 2002 1 page. cited by other . Musgrave S; "Networking technology--impact and opportunities" Survey and Statistical Computing 1996. Proceedings of the Second ASC International Conference. Sep. 1996. pp. 368-378. London UK. cited by other . "Store and Organize Related Project Files in a Binder" Getting Results with Microsoft Office 1990 pp. 109-112. cited by other . Barker et al.,"Creating In-Line Objects Within An Integrated Editing Environment" IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin vol. 27 No. 5 Oct. 1984 p. 2962. cited by other . Berg A., "Naming and Binding: Monikers" Inside Ole 1995 Chapter 9 pp. 431-490. cited by other . Clapp D., "The NeXT Application Kit Part I: Non-Responsive Classes" The NeXT Bible 1990 Chapter 16 pp. 275-293. cited by other . DiLascia et al., "Sweeper" Microsoft Interactive Developer vol. 1 No. 1 1996 27 pages. cited by other . Herzner et al., "CDAM- Compound Document Access and Management. An Object-Oriented Approach" Multimedia Systems Interaction and Applications 1992 Chapter 3 pp. 17-36. cited by other . Kobayashi et al., "An Update on BTRON-specification OS Development" IEEE 1991 pp. 132-140. cited by other . OMG XML Metadata Interchange (XMI) Specification Version 1.2 Jan. 2002. cited by other . "Unix Variants" Unix Review vol. 10 No. 4 Apr. 1992 pp. 29-31. cited by other . Pike et al., "Plan 9 from Bell Labs" UKUUG Summer 1990 10 pages. cited by other . Pike et al., "The Use of Name Spaces in Plan 9" Operating Systems Review vol. 27 No. 2 Apr. 1993 pp. 72-76. cited by other . Staneck W., "Internal and External Media" Electronic Publishing Unleashed 1995 Chapter 22 pp. 510-542. cited by other . Trupin J.,"The Visual Programmer" Microsoft Systems Journal Apr. 1996 pp. 103-105. cited by other . Zdonik S., "Object Management System Concepts" ACM 1984 pp. 13-19. cited by other . Laura Acklen & Read Gilgen, "Using Corel Wordperfect 9", 251-284, 424-434, 583-586 (1998). cited by other . Bruce Halberg et al, "Using Microsoft Excel 97", Published 1997, Bestseller Edition, Pertinent pp. 1-9, 18-25, 85-89, 98-101, 106-113,124-127, 144-147, 190-201, 209-210, 218-227, 581-590, 632-633, 650-655, 712-714. cited by other . LeBlond et al,"PC Magazine Guide to Quattro Pro for Windows", pp. 9-11, 42-61, Ziff-Davis Press, Copyright 1993 by the LeBlond Group. cited by other . Mansfield, "Excel 97 for Busy People", Published by Osborne/Mcgraw-Hill 1997 pp. 48-50. cited by other . "Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0 Programmer's Guide 1997"; pp. 578-579; Redmond WA 98052-6399. cited by other . Atova, "User Reference manual Version 4,4, XML Spy suite 4.4," Atova Ges.m.b.H and Altova, Inc., May 24, 2002, pages cover, copyright pages, 1-565. cited by other . Altova et al. XML Spy, XML integrated Development Environments, Altova Inc., 2002, pp. 1-18. cited by other . Ben-Natan, U.S. Appl. No. 60/203,081, filed May 9, 2000, entitled "Internet platform for creating and supporting communities". cited by other . Han et al., WebSplitter: A Unified XML Framework for Multi-Device Collaborative Web Browsing, 2000, ACM Conference on Cimputer Supported Cooperative Work, 10 pages. cited by other . IBM: Stack Algorithm for Extractin Subtree from Serialized Tree, Mar. 1, 1994, TDB-ACC-NONN94033, 3 pages. cited by other . Ixia Soft, "Steamlining content creation, retrieval, and publishing on the Web using TEXTML Server and SML Spy 4 Suite in an integrated, Web publishing environment," (Partner's Whitepaper, published on the Web as of Jun. 6, 2002, downlowad pp. 1-16. cited by other . Kutay, U.S. Appl. No. 60/209,713, filed Jun. 5, 2000, entitled, "Methods and systems for accessing, organizing presenting and viewing data". cited by other . Microsoft Word 2000 (see Screen Shot "About Microsoft Word") Published 1983-1999 and Microsoft Excel 2000 (see Screen Shot "About Microsoft Excel") Published 1988-1999, Three pages. cited by other . Moore, U.S. Appl. No. 60/191,662, filed Mar. 23, 2000, entitled "Collection-based presistent digital archives". cited by other . Altova, Inc., "XML Spy 4.0 Manual," Altova Inc. & Altova GmbH, coyright 1998-2001, Chapters 1, 2, and 6, encompassing pp. 1-17, 18-90, and 343-362. cited by other . Cybook, Inc.: "Copying the Search Form to Services-based Web Sites" INtemet Article, (online) Jul. 26, 2004. *the whole document*. cited by other . Excel Developer Tip (hereinafter "Excel"), "Determining the Data Type of a Cell", May 13, 1998, p. 1 (available at http://jwalk.com/ss//excel/tips/tip62.htm). cited by other . Macromedia, INC.: "Dreamweaver Technote, Changes in copying and pasting in Dreamweaver 4" Internet Article (online). *the whole document*. cited by other . Rado, Dave: "How to create a template that makes it easy for users to "fill in the blanks", without doing any programming" Microsoft Word MVP FAQ Site, (online) Apr. 30, 2004, the whole document. cited by other . Cover, XML Forms Architecture, retrieved at << http://xml.coverpages.org/xfa.html>> on Aug. 17, 2006, Coverpages, Jun. 16, 1999. cited by other . Raggett, "HTML Tables", retrieved on Aug. 6, 2006, at <<http://www://ls-edu.hcmuns.edu.vn/WebLib/books/Web/Tel/html3-tabl- es.html>>, W3C Internet Draft, Jul. 7, 1995, pp. 1-12. cited by other . "Webopedia Computer Dictionary" retrieved on May 9, 2006, at <<http://www.pewebopedia.com/TERM/O/OLE.html>>, Jupitermedia Corporation, 2006, pp. 07. cited by other . Microsoft Corporation, "Microsoft Computer Dictionary" Microsoft Press, Fifth Edition, p. 149. cited by other . Anat, Eyal et al., "Integrating and Customizing Hererogeneous E-Commerce Applications", The VLDB Journal-The International Journal on Very Large Data Bases, vol. 10, Issue 1,(Aug. 2001),16-38. cited by other . Adams, Susie et al., "BizTalk Unleashed", Sams publishing, 2002, first printing Mar. 2001,1-2, 31-138. cited by other . Vasters, Clemens F., "BizTalk Server 2000 A Beginner's Guide", Osborne/McGraw-Hill,(2001),1-2, 359-402. cited by other . Halberg, Bruce et al., "Using Microsoft Excel 97", (1997),191-201, 213-219. cited by other . Villard, et al., "An Incremental XSLT Transformation Processor for XML Document Manipulation", http://www 2002.org/CDROM/refereed/321, Printed on May 18, 2007,(May 2002),25 pages. cited by other . Bradley, Neil "The XML Companion, Third Edition", Published by Addison Wesley Professional, http://proquest.safaribooksonline.com0201770598, http,(Dec. 12, 2001),1-18. cited by other . Klarlund, Nils "DSD: A Schema Language for XML", ACM, FSMP Portland Oregon, (2000),101-111. cited by other . Watt, Andrew "Microsoft Office Infopath 2003 Kick Start", (Published by Sams) Print ISBN-10:0-672-32623-X, (Mar. 24, 2004),1-57. cited by other . Grosso, et al., "XML Fragment Interchange", W3C,(Feb. 2001),1-28. cited by other . Altova, et al., "User and Reference Manual Version 4.4", www.xmlspy.com, (May 24, 2007),1-565. cited by other . "XForm 1.0", W3C,(Jul. 16, 2001). cited by other . "Microsoft Word 2000 Screenshots", (2000),11-17. cited by other . XmlSpy, "XmlSpy 2004 Enterprise Edition Manual", Altova,(May 17, 2004),1-25, 220-225. cited by other . StylusStudio, "StylusStudio: XPath Tools", 2004-2007, StylusStudio,1-14. cited by other . Dodds, "Toward an XPath API", xml.com,(May 7, 2001),1-3. cited by other . Altova, "Altova Tools for XPath 1.0/2.0", Altova,1-12. cited by other . "Microsoft Word 2000 Screenshots", Word,(2000),1-17. cited by other . Bray, Tim "Extensible Markup Language (XML)", http://www.textuality.com/sgml-erb/WD-xml.html, second named inventor Jean Paoli, third named inventor C.M. Sperberg-McQueen,(Feb. 10, 1998),37 Pages. cited by other . Hu, et al., "A Programmable Editor for Developing Structured Documents based on Bidirectional Transformations", ACM,(Aug. 2004),178-179. cited by other . Kay, Michael "XSL Transfornmations (XSLT) Version 2.0", http://www.w3.org/TR/2005/WD-xslt20-20050404, (04/205),1-374. cited by other . "Notice of Allowance", U.S. Appl. No. 10/404,312, (Jan. 12, 2009),12 pages. cited by other . "Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/857,689, (Jan. 6, 2009),23 pages. cited by other . "Non Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/977,198, (Feb. 2, 2009),15 pages. cited by other . "Non Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/939,588, (Feb. 18, 2009),40 pages. cited by other . "Non Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/976,451, (Feb. 23, 2009),39 pages. cited by other . "Non final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/234,767, (Feb. 26, 2009),37 pages. cited by other . "Notice of Allowance", U.S. Appl. No. 11/167,514, (Mar. 11, 2009),6 pages. cited by other . "Non Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/942,528, (Mar. 6, 2009),31 pages. cited by other . "Non Final Offfice Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/170,521, (Jan. 21, 2009),86 pages. cited by other . "Foreign Office Action", Application Serial No. 2,412,611, (Feb. 9, 2009),6 pages. cited by other . "Foreign Office Action", Application Serial No. 200610003709.2, (Jan. 9, 2009),8 pages. cited by other . Hall, Richard S., "Agent-based Software Configuration and Development", http://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/.about.alw/edu/theses/hall-phd-0599.pdf on Jun. 8, 2009, Thesis of the University of Colorado,(May 1, 1999),182 pages. cited by other . Acklen, et al., "Using Corel Wordperfect 9", Que Corporation,,(1998),pp. 251-284, 424-434, 583-585. cited by other . "Notice of Allowance", U.S. Appl. No. 10/988,718, (Apr. 9, 2009),17 pages. cited by other . "Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/107,347, (Apr. 2, 2009),15 pages. cited by other . "Restriction Requirement", U.S. Appl. No. 11/227,550, (Apr. 2, 2009),8 pages. cited by other . "Non Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/955,665, (Apr. 2, 2009),19 pages. cited by other . "Non Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/988,720, (Apr. 2, 2009),19 pages. cited by other . "Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/203,818, (Apr. 14, 2009),31 pages. cited by other . "Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/226,044, (Apr. 20, 2009),24 pages. cited by other . "Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/056,500, (Apr. 16, 2009),10 pages. cited by other . "Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/203,937, (May 7, 2009),13 pages. cited by other . "Non Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/955,666, (May 7, 2009),28 pages. cited by other . "Non Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/876,433, (Apr. 24, 2009),62 pages. cited by other . "Non Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/916,692, (Apr. 30, 2009),14 pages. cited by other . "HP Blade Sever BH Series Operating System Guide", Hewlett-Packard,(Jul. 2002). cited by other . "Non Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 09/599,809, (May 13, 2009),25 pages. cited by other . "Non Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/295,178, (May 27, 2009),111 pages. cited by other . "Non Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/990,152, (May 28, 2009),19 pages. cited by other . "Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/036,910, (Jun. 1, 2009),15 pages. cited by other . "Non Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/857,689, (Jun. 11, 2009),25 pages. cited by other . "Non Flnal Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/095254, (Jun. 8, 2009),21 pages. cited by other . "Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/234,767, (Jun. 10, 2009),24 pages. cited by other . "Foreign Office Action", Application Serial No. 2002-503702, Final Notice of Rejection,(Jun. 5, 2009),212 pages. cited by other . Kaori, Iwantani et al., "Perfect Manual of Clarisworks 4.0 for Macintosh", 1st Edition, Japan,(07/297),pp. 153-167. cited by other . Noriko, Matsushita "Step-up Training of Clarisworks (tabulation), Successful Use of Spreadsheet and Tabulation", Mac People, vol. 4, No. 19,(Oct. 1, 1998),pp. 138-139. cited by other . Akihiro, Senda "Word 2000, Conservative- Looking but `Attentive` New Function", NIKKEI PC 21, vol. 4, No. 8,(Aug. 1, 1999),pp. 115-116. cited by other . Yasuji, Fukuhara "Clarisworks, Introduction to Business Document Construction, No. 4, Estimate", NIKKEI MAC, No. 14,(May 17, 1994),pp. 197-204. cited by other . "Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/976,451, 22 pages. cited by other . "Advisory Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/942,528, (Oct. 26, 2009),3 pages. cited by other . "Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/916,692, (Nov. 16, 2009),10 pages. cited by other . "Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/942,528, (Sep. 17, 2009),27 pages. cited by other . "Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/955,666, (Oct. 14, 2009),24 pages. cited by other . "Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/072,087, (Nov. 16, 2009),9 pages. cited by other . "Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/170,521, (Sep. 8, 2009),12 pages. cited by other . "Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/218,149, (Nov. 16, 2009),18 pages. cited by other . "Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/977,198, (Aug. 19, 2009),15 pages. cited by other . "Foreign Office Action", Application Serial No. 200610051554.X, (Jul. 10, 2009),11 pages. cited by other . "Non-Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/939,588, (Aug. 27, 2009),28 pages. cited by other . "Non-Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/976,451, (Oct. 29, 2009),14 pages. cited by other . "Non-Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/036,910, (Nov. 13, 2009),9 pages. cited by other . "Non-Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/107,347, (Sep. 17, 2009),9 pages. cited by other . "Non-Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/557,931, (Oct. 20, 2009),27 pages. cited by other . "Non-Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/567,149, (Sep. 8, 2009),5 pages. cited by other . "Non-Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/234,767, (Aug. 12, 2009),24 Pages. cited by other . "Non-Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/227,550, (Aug. 3, 2009),10 pages. cited by other . "Notice of Allowance", U.S. Appl. No. 10/955,665, (Nov. 3, 2009),8 pages. cited by other . "Notice of Allowance", U.S. Appl. No. 10/988,720, (Sep. 17, 2009),18 pages. cited by other . "Notice of Allowance", U.S. Appl. No. 11/095,254, (Nov. 18, 2009),8 pages. cited by other . "Notice of Allowance", U.S. Appl. No. 11/203,937, (Aug. 3, 2009),7 pages. cited by other . "Notice of Allowance", U.S. Appl. No. 11/203,937, (Aug. 31, 2009),2 pages. cited by other . "Notice of Allowance", U.S. Appl. No. 11/203,937, Supplemental,(Sep. 15, 2009),2 pages. cited by other . Reagan, Moore W., et al., "Collection-based persistent digital archives", U.S. Appl. No. 60/191,662, filed Mar. 23, 2000, 133 pages. cited by other . Van Hoff, Arthur et al., "The Open Software Description Format", Retrieved from: <www.w3.org/TR/NOTE-OSD> on Nov. 7, 2003, (Aug. 13, 1997),11 pages. cited by other . Webopedia, "Definition of Network", Retrieved from: <http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/n/network.html>, cited by examiner,(Sep. 1, 1996),2 pages. cited by other . Webopedia, "Definition of OLE", Retrieved from: <http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/O/OLE.html>, cited by examiner,(May 16, 1998),3 pages. cited by other . Webopedia, "Definition of OpenDoc", Retrieved from: <http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/O/OpenDoc.html>, cited by examiner,(Sep. 18, 1997),3 pages. cited by other . Brabrand, Claus et al., "Power Forms: Declarative Client-Side Form Field Validation", Retrieved from: <www.brics.dk/.about.brabrand/powerforms.pdf >, World Wide Web Journal vol. 3, No. 4,(2000), pp. 1-20. cited by other . "Foreign Office Action", Mexican Patent Application No. PA/a/2006/002493, (Sep. 14, 2009), 5 pages. cited by other . "Notice of Allowance", U.S. Appl. No. 10/942,528, (Dec. 3, 2009), 8 pages. cited by other . "Copying the Search Form to Custom Pages in Windows SharePoint Services-based Web Sites", Retrieved from <www.sharepointcustomization.com/resources/tipstricks/04wss-searchbox-- tip.htm> (Feb. 11, 2009), Microsoft Corp,(2003),1 page. cited by other . "Enter Key" Retrieved from: <http://systems.webopedia.com/TERM/Enter.sub.--key.html> on Dec. 20, 2006, (Sep. 1, 1996),1 page. cited by other . "Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/402,640, (Aug. 28, 2009),17 pages. cited by other . "Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/227.550, (Jan. 19, 2010),12 pages. cited by other . "Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/234,767, (Jan. 26, 2010),23 pages. cited by other . "Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/295,178, (Dec. 24, 2009),38 pages. cited by other . "Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/557,931, (Feb. 26, 2010),8 pages. cited by other . "Foreign Notice of Allowance" Mexican Application No. PA/a/2005/012067, (Nov. 13, 2009),3 pages. cited by other . "Foreign Office Action", Application Serial No. 200610051544.X, (Dec. 4, 2009),9 pages. cited by other . "Non-Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/402,640, (Dec. 30, 2009),16 pages. cited by other . "Non-Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/170,521, (Dec. 17, 2009),11 pages. cited by other . "Non-Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/218,149, (Jan. 14, 2010),15 Pages. cited by other . "Non-Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 12/021,894, (Dec. 31, 2009),10 pages. cited by other . "Notice of Allowance", U.S. Appl. No. 10/990,152, (Dec. 21, 2009),6 pages. cited by other . "Notice of Allowance", U.S. Appl. No. 11/056,500, (Dec. 2, 2009),17 pages. cited by other . "Notice of Allowance", U.S. Appl. No. 11/072,087, (Feb. 23, 2010),4 pages. cited by other . "Notice of Allowance", U.S. Appl. No. 11/872,703, (Jan. 27, 2010),19 pages. cited by other . "Supplemental Notice of Allowance", U.S. Appl. No. 10/955,665, (Dec. 30, 2009),2 pages. cited by other . "Supplemental Notice of Allowance", U.S. Appl. No. 10/955,665, (Feb. 4, 2010),2 pages. cited by other . "Supplemental Notice of Allowance", U.S. Appl. No. 10/955,665, (Nov. 27, 2009),2 pages. cited by other . Beauchemin, Dave "Using InfoPath to Create Smart Forms" Retrieved from: <http:/www.microsoft.com/office/infopath/prodinfo/using.mspx> on Jan. 21, 2007, (Mar. 27, 2003),6 pages. cited by other . Begun, Andrew et al., "Support and Troubleshooting for XML Schemas in InfoPath 2003", Retrieved from: <http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa168241(office.11,d=printer- ).aspx> on Feb. 24, 2009, Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003 Technical Articles,(Aug. 2004),12 pages. cited by other . Dubinko, Micah "XForms and Microsoft InfoPath" Retrieved from: <http://www.xml.com/lpt/a/1311> on Feb. 24, 2009, (Oct. 29, 2003),6 pages. cited by other . Hoffman, Michael "Architecture of Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003", Retrieved from: <http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa219024(office.11,d=printer- ).aspx> on Jan. 21, 2007, Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003 Technical Articles,(Jun. 2003),18 pages. cited by other . Honkala, Mikko et al., "Multimodal Interaction with XForms", ICWE '06, (Nov. 14, 2006),pp. 201-208. cited by other . Lehtonen, Miro et al., "A Dynamic User Interface for Document Assembly", DocEng '02, Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki,(Nov. 2002),pp. 134-141. cited by other . Raman, T. V., et al., "XForms 1.0", Retrieved from: <file://M:\MS\Files\MS307986.01\DOCS\OA1.sub.--Docs\Raman.htm> on May 22, 2007, Section 1-12.2.3 & Appendices A-G,(Dec. 7, 2001),64 pages. cited by other . Rees, Michael J., "Evolving the Browser Towards a Standard User Interface Architecture" Third Australian User Interfaces Conference (AUIC2002), School of Information Technology, Bond University, Australia,(2001),pp. 1-7. cited by other . Singh, Darshan "Microsoft InfoPath 2003 By Example", Retrieved from: <http://www.perfectxml.com/InfoPath.asp>on Jan. 21, 2007, (Apr. 20, 2003),19 pages. cited by other . Udell, Jon "InfoPath and XForms", Retrieved from: http://jonudell.net/udell/2003-02-26-infopath-and-xforms.html (Mar. 4, 2010), (Feb. 26, 2003),2 pages. cited by other . "Microsoft Word 2000", Screenshots,(1999),1-5. cited by other . Borland, Russo , "Running Microsoft Word 97", 314-315, 338, 361-362, 390, and 714-719. cited by other . "Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/107,347, (Mar. 22, 2010),11 pages. cited by other . "Non-Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/402,640, (Apr. 30, 2010),4 pages. cited by other . "Non-Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/916,692, (Apr. 5, 2010),6 pages. cited by other . "Non-Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 10/976,451, (Apr. 9, 2010),11 pages. cited by other . "Non-Final Office Action", U.S. Appl. No. 11/227,550, (Mar. 10, 2010),12. cited by other . "Notice of Allowance", U.S. Appl. No. 10/939,588, (Mar. 10, 2010),10 pages. cited by other . "Notice of Allowance", U.S. Appl. No. 11/557,931, (May 5, 2010),7 pages. cited by other . "Supplemental Notice of Allowance", U.S. Appl. No. 10/955,665, (Mar. 5, 2010),2 pages. cited by other . "Supplemental Notice of Allowance", U.S. Appl. No. 10/990,152, (Apr. 19, 2010),2 pages. cited by other . "Supplemental Notice of Allowance", U.S. Appl. No. 11/072,087, (Apr. 19, 2010),2 pages. cited by other. Primary Examiner: Mofiz; Apu M Assistant Examiner: Bibbee; Jared M Parent Case Text RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 10/939,588 which, in turn, is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/599,299, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein. The following patent applications are related to the presents application, are assigned to the assignee of this patent application, and are expressly incorporated by reference herein: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/599,298, entitled "Single Window Navigation Methods and Systems", U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/599,806, entitled "Methods and Systems of Providing Information to Computer Users", U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/599,048, entitled "Network-based Software Extensions", U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/599,813, entitled "Authoring Arbitrary XML Documents Using DHTML and XSLT", U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/599,812, entitled "Architectures For And Methods Of Providing Network-based Software Extensions", U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/599,086, entitled "Task Sensitive Methods And Systems For Displaying Command Sets". Claims The invention claimed is: 1. A system for delivering software via a network comprising: one or more processors; one or more computer-readable media; computer-readable instructions on the computer-readable media which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to implement a method that comprises: describing one or more software extensions using a hierarchical, tag-based language, the extensions being configured for incorporation on a client, said describing defining one or more manifests containing at least one list of files comprising an extension; and delivering the one or more manifests to the client via the network, the one or more manifests being configured for use in downloading the software extensions via the network, at least some of the extensions being downloaded by streaming extension files to the client in an ordered manner that enables a user to begin to interact with the extension sooner than if the user had to wait for the entire extension to load, said ordered manner being developed based on file usage statistics collected from logs, the logs generated from a script of tasks in which files that are more likely to be first used by the user are downloaded before files that are less likely to be first used, and wherein files that are less likely to be used first can be downloaded via a background download process. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more manifests are configured to assist in validating individual files listed in the one or more manifests. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more manifests are configured to assist in updating individual files listed in the one or more manifests. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more manifests describe individual file locations. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more manifests contain individual hashes for one or more of the listed files. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more manifests contain download directives for downloading the listed files. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more manifests are defined in extensible markup language (XML). 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the network comprises the Internet. 9. A system for providing software via a network comprising: one or more processors; one or more computer-readable media; computer-readable instructions on the computer-readable media which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to implement a method comprising: describing one or more software extensions using one or more extensible markup language (XML) files, the extensions being configured for incorporation in a software program executing on a client, individual XML files providing individual manifests that contain a list of files that comprise an extension; and storing the XML files in a Web-accessible location; wherein at least some of the extensions are downloaded by streaming extension files to the client in an ordered manner that enables a user to begin to interact with the extension sooner than if the user had to wait for the entire extension to load, said ordered manner being developed based on scenario runs collected from logs run on a script of tasks in which files that are more likely to be first used by the user are downloaded before files that are less likely to be first used, and wherein files that are less likely to be used first can be downloaded via a background download process. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises storing extension files associated with the XML files in a Web-accessible location. 11. The system of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises: storing extension files associated with the XML files in a Web accessible location; and providing one or more XML files and one or more associated extension files to a client via the network. 12. The system of claim 9, wherein individual manifests can contain one or more file hashes that can be used for file security. 13. The system of claim 9, wherein individual manifests can contain one or more file hashes that can be used for versioning. 14. The system of claim 9, wherein individual manifests comprise one or more file groups that determine when particular files are downloaded to the client. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the file groups determine where files are stored on the client. 16. The system of claim 14, wherein the file groups determine how files are packaged. 17. The system of claim 14, wherein the file groups determine where files are stored on the client and how files are packaged. 18. A method for creating a package manifest comprising: receiving one or more input parameters pertaining to a package manifest that is to describe a software extension that is configured to extend a software application executing on a client; and generating and storing a package manifest that describes the extension, the package manifest being generated using a hierarchical language; wherein the extension is downloaded by streaming extension files to the client in an ordered manner that enables a user to begin to interact with the extension sooner than if the user had to wait for the entire extension to load, said ordered manner being developed based on scenario runs that are each a script of tasks followed from a log run on the software application in which files that are more likely to be first used by the user are downloaded before files that are less likely to be first used, and wherein files that are less likely to be used first can be downloaded via a background download process. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the hierarchical language comprises extensible markup language (XML). 20. The method of claim 18, wherein said input parameters can comprise one or more of the following: a specification of a directory containing files that are to be described in the package manifest; file group information and load dependencies; or file usage statistics that are ascertained from scenario runs. Description TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to methods and systems for providing software via a network. More specifically, the invention pertains to Internet-based delivery of software. BACKGROUND Installation of traditional PC applications requires physical media, such as a disk or CD-ROM that must be physically inserted into a computer in order for software to be loaded onto a user's computer. Typically, this process requires the user to enter settings information that can be confusing to the user. Once the software is installed, it is typically fixed in terms of its location and functionality. When the software is updated, the user must typically purchase additional physical media and repeat the installation process so that they can use the updated software. In this model, the software is fixed in its association with the computer on which it was installed. If a user moves to another computer, they will not be able to use the specific software on their machine. As computing continues to evolve in the environment of the Internet, it has become clear that the traditional software delivery model described above is inadequate to meet the demands of consumers who desire dynamic, flexible, and adaptable software. Software delivery over the Web is becoming the subject of increasing focus by those who develop and deliver software. Unlocking the potential for Web-based software delivery will require smart, innovative and streamlined solutions, especially in situations where bandwidth may be limited. Accordingly, this invention arose out of concerns associated with providing new software delivery models that are particularly well-suited for network-based software delivery, e.g. delivery via the Internet. SUMMARY Methods and systems for network-based or Internet-based software delivery are described. In one embodiment, an application program or software platform resides on a client and is configured so that it is extensible based on software extensions that are deliverable over a network such as the Internet. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a high level view of a system that can be utilized in accordance with one described embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exemplary computer system that can be utilized in accordance with the described embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram of an exemplary Extension Definition File (EDF) and package manifest (PKG) in accordance with one described embodiment. FIG. 4 shows a portion of an EDF schema in accordance with the described embodiment. FIG. 5 shows a portion of an EDF schema in accordance with the described embodiment. FIG. 6 shows a portion of a PKG in accordance with the described embodiment. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating how file hashes can be used for versioning in accordance with one embodiment. FIG. 8 is a block diagram that illustrates two exemplary package objects in accordance with one embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flow diagram that describes steps in a method in accordance with one described embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flow diagram that describes steps in a method in accordance with one described embodiment. FIG. 11 is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary package manifest creation tool in accordance with one described embodiment. FIG. 12 is a flow diagram that describes steps in a method in accordance with one described embodiment. FIG. 13 is a flow diagram that describes steps in a method in accordance with one described embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flow diagram of steps in a method in accordance with the described embodiment. FIG. 15 is a flow diagram of steps in a method in accordance with the described embodiment. FIG. 16 shows a portion of an exemplary catalog structure in accordance with the described embodiment. FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a software architecture in accordance with the described embodiment. FIG. 18 is a flow diagram of steps in a method in accordance with the described embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram that illustrates one aspect of attachment point architecture in accordance with the described embodiment. FIG. 20 is a diagram that illustrates one aspect of the FIG. 17 architecture. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Overview The methods and systems described just below provide a mechanism by which software can be delivered over a network, such as the Internet. In one specific example, various functionalities can be added dynamically to an application program. The functionalities or "extensions" as they will be referred to, can be advantageously added via a network such as the Internet. Extensions, which can be associated with various levels of granularity, can be added using only a Web URL as a basis for extension installation. That is, all of the files that comprise an extension can be maintained on the Web and accessed via one or more Web sites. Extensions can be described utilizing a hierarchical tag-based language which facilitates handling and use of the various extensions. In one particular implementation, a software platform is provided that can incorporate various functionalities. The software platform and the inventive architecture described below enable third and fourth party developers to develop extensions for the platform that can be easily and seamlessly incorporated into the platform, while relieving the developers of any requirements associated with knowledge about how the extensions will be incorporated into the platform. Thus, the incorporation of third party extensions is essentially a transparent process, as far as developers are concerned. Consider for example, FIG. 1 which shows a user's computer 100 and several so-called extension sources 102, 104, and 106. The extension sources can comprise any entity from which a software extension can be obtained via a network. In an exemplary implementation, the network can comprise the Internet, although other networks (e.g. LANs and WANs) can certainly be utilized. Extension sources can include, without limitation, business entities such as retail stores that might maintain a network site. In one implementation, a user can execute software on their computer that provides an application program or software platform. In this document, the terms "application program" and "software platform" will be used interchangeably. Each of the different extension sources 102-106 can provide software extensions that can plug into the software platform that is executing on the user's machine. These extensions are deliverable via a network such as the Internet, and assist in providing applications that can be executed on the user's machine. In the described embodiment, the extensions are logically described in XML which is in line with emerging industry standards. Additionally, the use of XML assists in the future discoverability of extensions by promoting XML DOM properties on the Internet. It will be appreciated, however, is that any suitable format can be used for describing the extensions, e.g. a binary description could be used. Extensions can be delivered from any number of different extension sources. The inventive methods and systems provide a streamlined and organized way to handle the provided extensions. The use of XML advantageously enables efficient handling of extensions from multiple different extension sources, without unduly taxing the software components that utilize specific portions of an extension or extensions. In one particular implementation, the software platform on the user's machine provides various different integrated functionalities that enable a user to accomplish different document-centric tasks. An exemplary system is described in the U.S. patent application entitled "Single Window Navigation Methods and Systems", incorporated by reference above. Exemplary Computer Environment FIG. 2 shows an exemplary computer system that can be used to implement the embodiments described herein. Computer 130 includes one or more processors or processing units 132, a system memory 134, and a bus 136 that couples various system components including the system memory 134 to processors 132. The bus 136 represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. The system memory 134 includes read only memory (ROM) 138 and random access memory (RAM) 140. A basic input/output system (BIOS) 142, containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within computer 130, such as during start-up, is stored in ROM 138. Computer 130 further includes a hard disk drive 144 for reading from and writing to a hard disk (not shown), a magnetic disk drive 146 for reading from and writing to a removable magnetic disk 148, and an optical disk drive 150 for reading from or writing to a removable optical disk 152 such as a CD ROM or other optical media. The hard disk drive 144, magnetic disk drive 146, and optical disk drive 150 are connected to the bus 136 by an SCSI interface 154 or some other appropriate interface. The drives and their associated computer-readable media provide nonvolatile storage of computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for computer 130. Although the exemplary environment described herein employs a hard disk, a removable magnetic disk 148 and a removable optical disk 152, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of computer-readable media which can store data that is accessible by a computer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, digital video disks, random access memories (RAMs), read only memories (ROMs), and the like, may also be used in the exemplary operating environment. A number of program modules may be stored on the hard disk 144, magnetic disk 148, optical disk 152, ROM 138, or RAM 140, including an operating system 158, one or more application programs 160, other program modules 162, and program data 164. A user may enter commands and information into computer 130 through input devices such as a keyboard 166 and a pointing device 168. Other input devices (not shown) may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are connected to the processing unit 132 through an interface 170 that is coupled to the bus 136. A monitor 172 or other type of display device is also connected to the bus 136 via an interface, such as a video adapter 174. In addition to the monitor, personal computers typically include other peripheral output devices (not shown) such as speakers and printers. Computer 130 commonly operates in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer 176. The remote computer 176 may be another personal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described above relative to computer 130, although only a memory storage device 178 has been illustrated in FIG. 2. The logical connections depicted in FIG. 2 include a local area network (LAN) 180 and a wide area network (WAN) 182. Such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets, and the Internet. When used in a LAN networking environment, computer 130 is connected to the local network 180 through a network interface or adapter 184. When used in a WAN networking environment, computer 130 typically includes a modem 186 or other means for establishing communications over the wide area network 182, such as the Internet. The modem 186, which may be internal or external, is connected to the bus 136 via a serial port interface 156. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the personal computer 130, or portions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory storage device. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers may be used. Generally, the data processors of computer 130 are programmed by means of instructions stored at different times in the various computer-readable storage media of the computer. Programs and operating systems are typically distributed, for example, on floppy disks or CD-ROMs. From there, they are installed or loaded into the secondary memory of a computer. At execution, they are loaded at least partially into the computer's primary electronic memory. The invention described herein includes these and other various types of computer-readable storage media when such media contain instructions or programs for implementing the steps described below in conjunction with a microprocessor or other data processor. The invention also includes the computer itself when programmed according to the methods and techniques described below. For purposes of illustration, programs and other executable program components such as the operating system are illustrated herein as discrete blocks, although it is recognized that such programs and components reside at various times in different storage components of the computer, and are executed by the data processor(s) of the computer. Extensions An "extension", as used in this document, will be considered to include, without limitation, software functionality and content that can be added to an application program or software platform. These additions typically provide some type of functionality that the application program may not have had before the extension was incorporated, or alter the behavior of at least one existing feature. The extension is incorporated or integrated directly into the application program in a way that changes, to some degree, the manner in which the application program behaves or operates. Extensions provide dynamically added content and can provide applications (such as an email application), plug-ins to extend existing applications (like a fax plug-in to an email application), or simply web pages, to name just a few. In the described embodiment, extensions are described using XML, an industry-standard, text-based markup language. XML greatly facilitates the extensibility of software content. Specifically, various extensions can be authored by third parties and described in XML in a manner that enables the extensions to be readily integrated into application programs. It should be appreciated, however, the XML constitutes but one exemplary way of describing and using the extensions. Other ways can, of course, be used. Exemplary Extension Organization In the described embodiment, extensions are organized in three separate but related portions: an Extension Definition File (EDF), a Package Manifest (PKG), and the code, components, or "bits" that make up or define the extension. An EDF can be, but need not be associated with a URL (Universal Resource Locator) that provides a way for a client to access the EDF. By convention and choice, the PKG file is located at the same URL as the EDF. It will be appreciated that the described EDFs and PKG are each not required for the other to be used. It just so happens that, in the example that is given is this document, the two are employed together. To that end, each of these features can be separately and independently employed. EDFs describe logical attachments to an application program or software platform, while PKGs specify the physical files and resources that are used in an extension. There can be a one to one correspondence between EDFs and PKGs. FIG. 3 shows an exemplary organization 300 that includes an EDF 302 and a corresponding package manifest (PKG) 304. In the illustrated example, the EDF 302 uses XML, a hierarchical tag-based language, to describe the logical attachments or extensions to an application program. The corresponding PKG 304 also specifies the physical files and resources that are associated with a particular extension in XML. Exemplary file types are shown to the right of PKG 304 and include, without limitation, HTM, GIF, UDO, XML, DLL, and various other types of files. Extension Definition File (EDF) In the described example, an EDF is an XML file that logically describes an extension. For example, the EDF can describe HTML that makes up a user interface (UI), the objects that contain code for implementing various functions, and the like. The EDF can also contain all or part of the functionality that comprises an extension. For instance, the HTML that describes a toolbar could be incorporated directly into an EDF file, and a toolbar attachment manager could read it from the EDF file, instead of from a URL. The information contained in the EDF is processed and (together with the information contained in the PKG), the appropriate files are automatically installed on a user's computer. This is done unobtrusively without manipulating the computer's persisted settings, as might be found in the user's system registry. An EDF, implemented in XML, contains various tags that are associated with various extensions. The various tags can correspond to: User interface elements Behaviors/Components/Objects Store Elements User-defined objects Or anything else that represents a point of extensibility in the application or platform EDFs advantageously have an "open schema" which means that third party developers can extend the extension mechanism and include their own extensions by creating their own tags. Additionally, extensions can themselves be extended by other developers. EDFs can also have one or more predefined tags. Exemplary predefined XML tags for user interface elements can include tags for feature types such as: tool bars, accelerators, menu items, and themes. These feature types are utilized in the single navigable window application incorporated by reference above and defined in the table immediately below: TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Feature Type Definition Tool Bars Horizontal command containers above the document area. Accelerators Keyboard shortcuts for commands Menu Items Pop-up or drop-down menu choices that third parties can add to well-known, named menu attachments in the platform Themes A data-driven way to provide overrides for well-known resources of the platform, such as default buttons or default style sheet Exemplary predefined XML tags for behaviors/components/objects include tags for Services. These feature types are utilized in the single navigable window application incorporated by reference above and defined in the table immediately below: TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Feature Type Definition Services Services are objects that extend existing objects (such as the application, window, or document) in the application or platform's Object Model. For example, editing functions use Object Model Attachments attached to the window or document that maintain document context and editing state per-window. These can also include Object Model Attachments attached to the application (such as a spellchecker dictionary object) Exemplary predefined XML tags for store elements include tags for content classes and offline data sources. These feature types are utilized in the single navigable window application incorporated by reference above and defined in the table immediately below: TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Feature Type Definition Content Classes Allow extension writers to define new types of XML documents with new schemas. Offline Data Allow for extension writers to define store replication Sources instructions in an EDF. EDF Schema In the described embodiment, the EDFs have a particular XML schema that is utilized. The schema comprises collections of XML tags that are arranged in a hierarchical organization to facilitate information dissemination to software components that need certain extensions. In the described embodiment, the outer (encompassing tag) for EDFs is an "extension" tag. FIG. 4 shows an exemplary extension tag. "extension" tags can include one or more of the following attributes, all of which are optional: TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Attribute Definition urn ID for the extension. It allows extension writers to specify relative locations for content in EDFs without using relative paths or fixed URLs. It also allows hosting administrators to move around extensions on servers without breaking any links. name Name that can be used in a status bar or message display version Vendor-determined version number for the extension. lastUpdate Date/time that the EDF was last modified. description Brief description of the extension. Within the "extension" outer tag are one or more child tags, also referred to as "top level tags". These top level tags are each associated with a feature type that can be added by a particular extension. Exemplary feature types are discussed in connection with Tables 1-3 above. Underneath each top level tag there can be one or more child tags that are individually associated with a particular feature of the feature type that is to be added by a particular extension. FIG. 5 shows an exemplary XML schema organization in accordance with this embodiment. For each top level tag in an EDF, there is an associated attachment manager which is a software component that receives data associated with the tag so that the data can be used to incorporate the extension into the platform or application program. Different attachment managers may interpret the data from the tag in different ways to provide different types of extensibility, so different top level tags will contain different types of data in different structures. This will become more evident in the "Architecture" section below. Note that the "edf:" XML namespace qualifier enables support of an open schema where extensions can provide their own tags and corresponding attachment managers. Tags within the edf namespace are used by built-in attachment managers in the application or software platform. Tags in other namespaces are used by third-parties to provide additional points of extensibility. Package Manifest (PKG File) The package manifests (PKGs) assist in organizing the downloading of software in the form of multiple files over a network such as the Internet. The PKGs are advantageously employed, in the example given in this document, with EDFs. As pointed out above, however, the techniques discussed in connection with the PKGs can be deployed independently of EDFs and in any suitable scenario where it is desirable to deliver software over a network such as the Internet. While the EDFs describe the logical attachment of extensions into an application program or platform, the package manifest's role is to assist in one or more of: organized delivery, validation and/or, updating of files associated with the various extensions that can be provided. In designing a delivery mechanism for Web-assisted delivery of software content or files, several considerations are of interest. Whenever possible, it is desirable to reduce the size of required downloads during update and installation operations. To address this consideration, software content is broken into multiple packages. Each package contains a group of one or more files that implement a common or well-defined functionality. By breaking the content into individual packages, the size of the required download during installation and update can be minimized. Each package is then described by a package manifest (PKG) that includes file information such as file locations and hash values that can be used for validation or security and versioning. It is also desirable to give the end user a Web-like experience. To do this, extensions are loaded in a manner that feels to a user more like they are loading a web page, rather than traditional software packages where the user has to wait until the entire package is loaded before they can interact with it. In the described embodiment, users are given a web-like experience by streaming the extension files down to the client so that a user can begin to interact with an application program much sooner than if they had to wait for the entire software application program to load. For example, if there are user interface (UI) image files streaming down, the user can see the UI as the files stream in. Consider, for example, the single application program having the multiple different functionalities that is described in the patent application incorporated by reference above. A user might browse to an email functionality and download the files that are necessary to interact with the email functionality. Files that are associated with another different functionality would then be downloaded after the files associated with the email functionality. In this way, the user can begin to operate within a particular functionality without having to wait for all of the files associated with all of the other functionalities. Another consideration of interest pertains to the efficiency with which the extension files or "bits" are delivered to the client. To address this consideration, the described embodiment utilizes a couple of different download approaches: a throttled download and a background download. Throttled downloading conducts download operations while taking into account the available bandwidth and type of media over which the files are being transferred. Any suitable throttled download process can be employed and will be understood by those of skill in the art. Background download is conducted while the user is working within the application program and is implemented by allocating a background thread so that the user can continue their work. One optimization that is utilized is that packages are prioritized and delivered in accordance with what a user might be working on. Another consideration is associated with optimizing the user's computing experience. Here, the user's experience is optimized by making available the most common scenarios for the user. This is effectively directed to giving the user the functionality that they want first, and then, through the background download process, providing the code that implements functionalities that the user might use in the future. To determine which functionalities a user desires to have first, an automated scenario-based packaging process is provided that runs against file usage logs from scripted scenarios. All of these considerations and the inventive solutions directed to addressing the considerations are discussed in detail in the sections that follow below. Package Manifest Definition In the described embodiment, a package manifest (PKG file) comprises a list of files that are utilized in a package. The list is advantageously compressed somewhat and digitally signed. Each package manifest can contain a list of one or more files each of which can include an associated hash, as well as download directives that control caching of the files. Once an extension is authored, a software tool can be used to generate the package manifest. In addition, the package manifest can specify several other pieces of information: File Group All files in an extension can be labeled according to a number of predefined file groups. The file group of a particular file determines when the particular file gets downloaded, where it is stored on the client, and how it gets packaged. In the described embodiment, four predefined file groups are provided and are listed and described in the table immediately below: TABLE-US-00005 Where When stored on Group name downloaded the client Packaging Content Required Downloaded before any NetDocs All required DLLs included so that other files in the package files in an a user will not have to extension. cache extension are wait for a prolonged packaged period of time before together as a clicking on a UI CAB* file. element Offline Offline files start getting NetDocs File are sent Bulk of the UI files. downloaded as soon as package down Required are down. cache individually. Providing the user stays on line long enough, these files will all get downloaded and will later be available for offline use. On demand Only downloaded when NetDocs Files are sent To avoid using up disk they are requested for package down space on the client, the first time. cache individually. advanced features can be put in this category. Online only Downloaded on WinInet Files are sent Content that is not to demand. Content is Cache down be provided offline. only available when the individually Examples include help user is online. pages and other content that can consume a large amount of disk space. *CAB stands for the CABinet technology that Internet Explorer uses to package bits for download. CAB files average from 2 to 3:1 compression, and are optimized for quick expansion. CAB files have the added security benefit that they are easily signed. File Download Priority Files in each group are listed according to the order in which they should be downloaded. This download order is implicit in the ordering of the files in the package manifest, an example of which is shown in FIG. 6. Hash Value For Security/Versioning Individual files in the package manifest can have an associated hash value. Each hash value is generated by running the file through an encryption algorithm. An exemplary encryption algorithm is Microsoft's CryptoAPI. In the illustrated example, each file can be listed with a base 64-encoded hash value, so that the file can be validated once the content arrives at the client. Specifically the package manifest is sent to the client in a secure manner (i.e. it is digitally signed). The package manifest contains the hash values for individual files. When the individual files are received by the client, each of the files can be run through the same Crypto API that was used to provide the hash values in the package manifest. If the hash values for a particular file compare favorably, then the file has not been altered and is secure. When a file is updated, hash values can serve a useful purpose in identifying files that have not been changed between different versions of an extension. Consider FIG. 7, for example. There, an old directory 700 in a client package cache contains package A which include two files--file 1 with hash=x, and file 2 with hash=y. Assume that this package is associated with an older version of an extension. When an updated version is produced, its package manifest is delivered to the client. The updated extension version is represented on a source directory of a code or web server 704. The package manifest includes the hash values for all of the files in the new extension version. A new client destination directory 702 is defined for all of the files of the new extension. If any of the hash values for files in the new extension are the same as the hash values of the files in the old directory 700, then those files can be copied directly from the old directory 700 to the new destination directory 702. In this example, file 1's hash value is the same as the hash value for file 1 on the source directory 704, so it can be copied into the new destination directory 702. File 2's hash value, however is different from the hash value for file 2 on the source directory, so it is not copied from the old directory 700. Rather, file 2 is downloaded from the code server. A new file 3 has been added and is also downloaded from the code server. Hence, in this example, a new version of an extension resulted in a download of less than all of the files in the extension version. This is because hash values for each of the files in the old extension version were able to be compared with hash values of the files in the new extension version. Those hash values that are the same indicate files that have not changed as between versions. Using hash values for versioning has two important advantages over traditional versioning schemes. First, the update process is automatic. That is, with an explicit version number, it is possible to forget to update the version number when shipping a new release of a file. Using hash values avoids this problem. Second, versioning does not rely on file types. Specifically, traditional versioning schemes commonly embed version information within files; however, not all files (e.g. GIF files) support embedded version information. In the present example, using hash values for versioning does not depend on whether a particular file type supports or does not support embedded version information. In addition, the version information can be stored separately from the file itself. Thus, access to actual file to determine whether it is current is not needed. Total Storage Size of Package The total storage size of a package is useful at download time to verify that the user has sufficient disk space. ClassID's For The DLLs Listing ClassIDs for each DLL is necessary to enable script writers to create classes by scripting against the OM. Additionally, this enables a determination of which package contains the code for a particular class. DLL Load Dependencies The reason for the dependencies section is to allow for legacy code that relies on being loaded by virtue of being in the search path of some other dll. In this case we have to make sure that the dependency dll is in the package cache directory before the dependant dll is loaded. FIG. 6 shows an exemplary package manifest 600 that is defined in a hierarchical tag-based language. Advantageously, the tag-based language comprises XML which is desirably extensible and flexible. In this example, a number of tags are provided in a hierarchical arrangement. The "package" tag contains information about the size of the package. The "files" tag is a child of the "package" tag and contains information about the file groups that are contained in that particular package. The "file" tag is a child of the "group" tag and contains information about specific files that comprise the extension, i.e. file name and hash value. A "dependency" tag is provided as a child of the "file" tag and lists any dependencies as discussed above. A "COMClass" tag is also provided as a child of the "file" tag and contains IDs as mentioned above. The ordering of the file groups in this schema implicitly defines the download order of the files. Package Delivery To optimize package delivery, two different delivery schemes are utilized. First, a throttled download approach is utilized using known throttling download techniques. Here, considerations such as available bandwidth and media over which the extensions are being provided are considered. Second, a background download approach is utilized. Background downloads enable a user to continue to work within an application program while content is downloaded. Foreground downloads are used when the user has explicitly requested a file/extension by clicking, for example, on an extension link, or requested an action, for example, by clicking on the "Compose" mail button, that requires download of files which are not available locally. Along with background downloads, a queue management feature is provided. Specifically, when an extension must be installed or updated, a package manager, which is essentially a software component that manages packages, is provided with the following information: URL for the package manifest information on a code server URN for package destination directory in the package cache at the client (Optional) URN for the old package directory (if one exists) in the package cache From this information, the package manager creates a package object and adds the package object to a download queue. The download queue is designed for easy rearrangement of a package download order. Consider, for example, FIG. 8 which shows a portion of a download queue 800 that contains two package objects--package object 802 (corresponding to package A) and package object 804 (corresponding to package B). The package objects maintain a list of which files of a corresponding package have been downloaded or installed. In the present example, files 1 and 2 from package A have been installed while file 3 has not been installed; and files 1, 2, and 3 have not been installed from package B. The download queue can be rearranged based on what the user is doing. That is, based on the actions that a user takes, the priority of files that are to be downloaded can be changed. In this example, the package manager is designed to process the first uninstalled file in the package at the head of the download queue. If, however, the user starts to use a file in an extension that is different from the extension whose files are at the head of the download queue, the corresponding package for the file that the user has started to use can be moved to the head of the download queue. Because a file's package is specified by its URN, the file's package can be quickly identified and located in the download queue. For example, and considering FIG. 8, if one of the files in package B is requested before the package manager has started to install package A's third file, then package B will be moved to the head of the download queue. FIG. 9 is a flow diagram that describes steps in a download queue management method in accordance with the described example. The method can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware or combination thereof. In the present example, the method is implemented in software. Step 900 receives one or more requests for an extension. The requests can be generated in any suitable way. Step 902 creates a package object that corresponds to each extension package that is to be downloaded. Step 904 arranges the package objects in a download queue. Step 906 then downloads files corresponding to the package objects in the download queue. This step can be implemented by, for example, starting at the head of the download queue and downloading files until all of the files for a package object have been downloaded, and then moving to the next package object. Step 908 ascertains whether a user action requires a file that is not described in the current package object. If the user's action does not require a file not described by the current package object, then the method branches back to step 906 and continues to download files associated with the current package object. If, on the other hand, the user's action requires a files that is not described in the current package object, then step 910 moves the package object associated with the required file to the head of the download queue and begins to download files associated with this newly-repositioned package object. This step can be implemented by ascertaining which package object is associated with the required file by ascertaining the URN associated with the file. This URN specifies the file's package so that its package object can be quickly located and moved to the front of the download queue. Package Creation One of the innovative features of the described embodiment is its extensibility. That is, a software platform is provided in the form of an application program that can be extended by various third-party user-defined extensions. These extensions are delivered via the Web and are integrated directly into the software platform. In order to provide an organized delivery process, packages should be created in a uniform manner so that they can be predictably handled and integrated into the software platform. In accordance with the described embodiment, each package should correspond to an end-user feature. For example, in the patent application incorporated by reference above, separate packages are provided for each of the email, contacts, document authoring, and planner functionalities. If packages that do not depend on one another share a dependency, then this shared dependency should become its own package. For example, there is no reason why the email and document authoring functionalities should depend on one another, yet both of them require the ability to publish content. By separating the publishing functionality into its own package, a certain amount of download order flexibility is preserved. Depending on what the user starts to work on, the files corresponding to the email functionality or the document authoring can be downloaded first. FIG. 10 is a flow diagram that describes steps in a package creation method in accordance with the described example. The method can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware or combination thereof. Portions of the method might, however, be implemented manually. Step 1000 identifies end user features that are to be provided as extensions. Step 1002 identifies any shared dependencies among the end user features. Step 1004 creates individual packages for the end user features. Step 1006 creates individual packages for any shared dependencies among the end user features. Automated Package Manifest Creation Tool Advantageously, and in accordance with one implementation, an automated package manifest tool is provided and takes various input parameters and automatically creates a package manifest. The tool can be available to third parties to assist them in creating a package manifest. FIG. 11 shows an exemplary package manifest creation tool 1100 that is desirably implemented in software. In this specific example, the tool can take the following input parameters (some of which are optional): Extension directory File group information and DLL load dependencies (Optional) File usage statistics from scenario runs (Optional) The extension directory input parameter specifies the directory containing all of the files that will be described by the package manifest. If this is the only parameter, then tool 1100 will generate a manifest in which the EDF and DLLs in the directory are listed in the "Required" set, and all other content is "Offline". The file group information and load dependencies parameter is optional. If an extension author has an idea of the categories in which his or her files should be placed, the categories should be specified here. For example, the author of the template manifest shown below knows that he wants his error handling GIF to be included in the package's required set. His choices here will always be respected in the final manifest. Additionally, if the extension author knows of any DLL load dependencies, these should be specified here as well. TABLE-US-00006 <?xml version="1.0"?> <Package> <Files> <Group Name= "required"> <File Name = "bar.dll"/> <File Name = "foo.dll"/> <Dependencies> <File Name= "bar.dll"/> </Dependencies> </File> <File Name= "myextension.edf"/> <File Name= "errorhandling.gif"> </Group> ... </Files> </Package> The file usage statistics from scenario runs parameter is an optional parameter. This parameter enables the file download priority to be determined based on scenario runs. A scenario is a script of tasks that the average user typically follows when using a product during a particular portion of product use. For example, one scenario might pertain to the tasks involved in sending an email message (i.e. click "new mail" button, type in "TO" well, type is "Subject" well, etc.). In the described embodiment, file usage statistics from scenario runs are collected from running IIS logs on various scenarios. The different scenarios are directed to ensuring, with some degree of probabilistic support, that the file download order reflects, in some way, the files that will likely be used by the user first. It will be appreciated that the file usage statistics can be provided dynamically by building a knowledge base that describes the actual tasks that people typically accomplish. The information that is maintained in the knowledge base can then be used to generate and adapt download scenarios that actually conform to patterns that are established across a user base. If extension writers want to pass the package manifest creation tool 1100 this information, they need to specify the log directory, as well as the start and end dates of the section of the log that the tool should analyze. For third parties, the download priority order within a group will be the order in which the group's files were requested in the logs across all scenarios. In one implementation, the approach is somewhat more sophisticated. Additional information (in addition to the scripted steps) is stored in the IIS logs and includes scenario priority and checkpoints. The scenario priority is a priority that is assigned for each scenario. So, for example, if one scenario is ten times more important than another scenario, this information can be maintained. The priority (e.g. a rating from between 1 to 100, with 100 being the highest priority), should be equal to a best guess as to the percentage of the time that users will step through the scenario, assuming they use the extension at all. Checkpoints provide a way to separate one scenario from another. For example, checkpoints designated as "Offline" and "Shutdown" can be automatically added at the beginning and end of the scenarios, respectively, so there can be a differentiation between scenario runs in the log. Additionally, script authors can optionally use checkpoints mid-scenario to indicate a change in group priority, e.g. part of a scenario script could be labeled as an "On demand" feature and another part could be labeled as "Offline". FIG. 12 is a flow diagram that describes steps in a package manifest creation method in accordance with the described example. The method can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware or combination thereof. In the described example, various steps of the method are implemented by a manifest creation tool that is implemented in software. Step 1200 provides a package manifest creation tool. This tool can be a software tool that resides on an extension author's machine. Step 1202 receives information pertaining to an extension directory as a first input parameter. Step determines whether there is any file group information or load dependency information provided by the extension author. If there is, step 1206 receives the information as an input parameter. Step 1208 determines whether there is any file usage statistic information. Such information can be provided, in one embodiment, through the use of scenario runs as described above. If such information is provided, then step 1210 receives the information as an input parameter. Step 1212 then uses all of the information provided as input parameters to generate a manifest automatically. Exemplary File Ordering Heuristics Based on File Usage Statistics FIG. 13 is a flow diagram that describes but one exemplary file ordering or sorting heuristic in accordance with the described embodiment. It is to be understood that this specific example constitutes but one way of ordering files for download. Accordingly, other heuristics can be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter. Step 1300 sorts files by file group. Recall that in the illustrated example above, files can be grouped in one of four possible groups: Required, Offline, On Demand and Online Only. A file's group is determined first by the manifest, and, if it does not provide any group information, then by the highest priority group that it uses, according to checkpoint information in the log. Files in the "Required" set should not be considered because their order is already known. If no group information is included about a file, then an assumption is made that the EDF and all DLLs are "Required" files and all other files in the directory are "Offline". Consider, for example, the following initial file usage information for three different scenarios: Scenario 1 file usage: 1) FileA.gif, 2) FileB.xml, 3)FileE.dll Scenario 2 file usage: 1) FileC.xml, 2) FileA.gif Scenario 3 file usage: 1) File D.js, 2) FileA.gif Scenario 1=priority 80 Scenario 2=priority 80 Scenario 3=priority 40 In this example, there are three scenarios that have files associated with them. Each of the scenarios has a priority with which it is associated. The files are first sorted by group (step 1300). Recall that in this ordering heuristic, DLLs are "Required" and all other files are considered "Offline". This provides the following sorted files: Required files FileE Offline files FileA, FileB, FileC, File D Step 1302 sorts files based on scenario priorities (from highest to lowest). Higher priority files are ordered so that they are downloaded first. This step provides the following sorted files: Required files FileE Offline files Priority 80 group: files used by Scenarios 1 & 2=File A, File B, and File C Priority 40 group: files used by Scenario 3 (that are not already listed)=File D. Step 1304 then sorts the files by file usage order within a scenario run. For each priority grouping with more than one file, the files are sorted according to the average order in which they were downloaded within scenarios of their labeled priority. Scenarios with a smaller average usage order will be downloaded earlier. Ties are broken based on the order in which the scenarios appear in the input file. As an example, consider the following: File A: average order=(Scenario 1 order+Scenario 2 order)/2=(1+2)/2=1.5. File B: average order=(Scenario 1 order)/1=(2)/1=2. File C: average order=(Scenario 2 order)/1=(1)/1=1. Here, file A got used first by scenario 1 and second by scenario 2 for an average of 1.5, and so one. File C has the smallest order number so, of the Offline files, it is sent first. The final file order is shown below: Required files FileE Offline files FileC, FileA, FileB, File D Code, Components and "Bits" The following files and resources can be, but need not be included with an extension. This list is not exclusive, as other resources can certainly be incorporated into an extension. Customized UI and keyboard shortcuts Components and Behaviors XML browsing and editing components (including XSL and business logic objects) Static pages or other resources Third-party defined custom content Users install extensions by navigating to a network site for the extension. In an Internet implementation, the user navigates to an appropriate URL for the extension. Hosting administrators can also "push" extensions so that users can automatically receive them by adding an entry into the appropriate users' "Preference" settings. Platform Set Up and Extension Installation FIG. 14 is a flow diagram that describes exemplary steps in a set up and extension installation process in accordance with the described embodiment. This example describes an Internet-based example. In the illustrated example, various extensions are maintained at or accessible through various Internet sites. The extensions are deliverable via the Internet to a client. It will be appreciated that the illustrated division of computers may not necessarily exist at all. For example, all of the functionality embodied by the computers may reside on one machine, or the extension may be local, or the platform and the extensions may be on the same machine, etc. The flow diagram, in this example, is illustrated in connection with three separate "zones", one of which represents a client, one of which represents a "platform" Internet server, and one of which represents a third party Internet server. The acts that are described in connection with the different zones are performed, in this example, by the entities assigned to the zone. In some configurations, one or more of these zones may overlap. For instance, the platform server may be the same device as the extension server. Step 1400 navigates a user to a particular Internet site that is associated with the software platform that is to be utilized as the foundation for extension installation described below. In step 1402, the user clicks an "install" button that sends a message to the software platform server that indicates that a user wishes to install the software platform. This step can be an optional step. Steps 1404 and 1405 then download the software associated with the software platform to the client. In the illustrated example, step 1404 downloads the package file for the single navigable window application and based on that file's contents step 1405 downloads other components and files to the user's computer. Step 1406 installs the software code on the client machine and can create local directories for the application cache, a local store and preferences. It will be appreciated, however, that local directories or preferences are not necessarily needed. Step 1408 launches the software platform. The steps described immediately above constitute steps associated with an initial set up in which the software code for the single navigable window application is delivered to and installed on a client machine. The steps described immediately below are associated with extension installation. Step 1410 uses a link that is associated with an extension to access the extension. This step can be implemented by a user navigating their browser to a particular Internet site through which one or more extensions can be accessed. Alternately, a reference to the link can be placed in the user's preferences or the preferences of a computing group with which the user is associated (e.g. the system administrator can place a reference in a group's preferences). The link can advantageously be associated with a third party Internet server or Internet site. Step 1412 downloads extension files according to the PKG associated with an EDF. The files are delivered to the client and step 1414 places the extension files in a local store as specified by the PKG specification. At this point, an extension is installed and the user can utilize the functionality provided by the extension. Step 1416 determines whether extension updates are available. This can be done by periodically polling an extension catalog (discussed in an "Extension Catalog" section below) to ascertain whether there are any updates to various extensions. Alternately, notifications might be automatically sent to the client so that the client is aware of updates or any other method might be used to determine if updates are available. If there are updates available, step 1418 branches to step 1412 which downloads the extension files associated with the update and installs them on the client. Developing Extensions Developing extensions for the software platform is a fairly straight-forward process. A developer develops the extension content using a tool such as Notepad or other tools such as Visual Studio. The extension is then described in an EDF and PKG and the PKG is digitally-signed and then optionally compressed. The extension can then be hosted on a particular network server. FIG. 15 is a flow diagram that describes steps in an extension development method in accordance with the described embodiment. One or more of these steps can be performed by a software developer or organization that creates a particular extension. Some of the steps are implemented in software. Step 1500 develops an extension. Any suitable tools can be used to develop the extension. Step 1502 then creates an extension definition file (EDF) for the extension. The EDF, in this example, is defined using XML as discussed above. Other formats can, of course, be used to describe the EDF. Step 1504 creates a package manifest (PKG) for the extension. The PKG, in this example, is defined using XML as discussed above. Step 1506 then hosts the EDF and PKG on a network server such as an Internet server. Additionally, the associated extension files that are described in the PKG can also be hosted by the network or Internet server (step 1508). Having accomplished the above, users can now navigate to an EDF directly (using, for example, the associated URL or some other network address), which then installs the extension by caching any required files locally and placing a reference to the extension in the user's preferences. Specifically, step 1510 delivers the EDF and PKG files to a client. This step can be implemented by a user navigating to a particular Internet site where the appropriate files are hosted and then downloading the files. Step 1512 delivers the extension files that are associated with the EDF and PKG files to the client, whereupon they can be installed and used. Extension Catalog One optimization, discussed briefly in connection with FIG. 14, is an extension or EDF catalog which provides an additional level of indirection to the EDF. An EDF catalog allows organizations to group extensions and provides a single place to determine when an extension changes. The desired extension can be automatically selected from the catalog by the software platform based upon the user's settings. The catalog can be queried to determine which extension is most appropriate for the user. In the described embodiment, a catalog is an XML file that contains mappings from extension URNs to one or more package URNs based upon language, version or other attributes. Catalogs can, however, be defined using any suitable format. Catalogs can provide: The ability for a hosting organization to update version information for one or more hosted extensions in a single place Optional automatic indirection to correct version based upon user's settings. For instance, a catalog may list several versions of an extension for different languages. The catalog file can be processed to find the version of the extension that matches the user's language settings. Optional automatic upgrade to new versions of extensions as they become available Like EDFs, catalogs can be compressed and digitally signed to prevent tampering. By subscribing to a catalog in order to detect changes for one or more hosted extensions, the number of server pings required from the client (or notifications to the client) in order to discover extension updates can be reduced. FIG. 16 shows an exemplary XML catalog structure. Entries in the catalog can be structured as follows: TABLE-US-00007 Attribute Type Required Description extensionURN uri Y Identifier for an extension. There may be more than one entry for a given extension urn in a single catalog representing different versions, languages, etc. name String N Friendly name for an extension. packageURN uri Y Required urn for the package. Package urn corresponds to a discrete set of bits. It is different from the extension urn: For each user, the extension urn (name) corresponds to a specific set of files based upon language preferences and version. This means that, for shared machines, different users may have different extensionURN to packageURN maps based upon their preferences. packageURL uri Y url of the digitally signed compressed file containing the PKG file is required. language String N Language is an optional language specifier. version String N Version is an optional version specifier defaultLanguage String N DefaultLanguage is an optional attribute specifying the default language package. For a given version of an extension, there should be only one entry with DefaultLanguage attribute. defaultVersion String N DefaultVersion is an optional attribute specifying default version for an extension. For a given extension urn and language attribute there should be only one entry with DefaultVersion attribute. In this particular example: The default language of the netdocs-planner is the English version. The default English version is 1.1. The default French version is 1.0. If there is no version available in the user's specified language on the platform, they will get the English version 1.1 by default. The English version of netdocs-planner has been upgraded from V1 to V1.1. There is also a French version. The extension URN is the same as the English version. There is no 1.1 release for French yet, so 1.0 is the current version for French speaking users. A query against the catalog returns only the rows where language matches the user's language preferences. The query would also return all rows where language is the user's language or default=`yes` and throw out duplicates for the same name. Architecture In the described embodiment, one of the aspects that provide desirable utility is the extensibility of the software platform. That is, third and fourth party developers are free to develop their own extensions which can then be used within the framework of the software platform. The extensions are integrated directly into the software so that the platform's functionality is modified by the extensions. Recall that in order to provide an extension, the developer simply authors the extension, describes their extension in an EDF and PKG, and then hosts the EDF, PKG, and associated files on a network server. The EDF, as pointed out above, can be defined in an XML schema that includes a root node (i.e. the "extension" tag) and one or more child nodes. In this particular example, the child nodes generally correspond to the individual extension feature types that are desired for incorporation into the software platform. For example, recall that Tables 1-3 above describe various exemplary predefined feature types that can be added through an extension using the predefined XML schema. Consider now a developer who wants to add two menus and a toolbar to the software platform. The menus and toolbar might be associated with a retail store that maintains a Web site for its customers. The retail store might want a customer who visits its Web site to be presented with a UI that is unique to the retail store and provides services that are specifically tailored to the store. To do this, the developer develops two different menus, one of which might be associated with displaying the most recent specials, and other of which might be associated with providing a search mechanism through which the user can search for specific products. The toolbar might contain specific buttons that are unique to the retail store. A simplified EDF called "retail.edf" for the retail store's extension is shown directly below: TABLE-US-00008 <edf:extension name= "retail extension" urn= "extension.retail.com"> <edf:menus> <edf:menu url= "url1.htm"/> <edf:menu url= "url2.htm"/> </edf:menus> <edf:toolbars> <edf:toolbar url= "url3.htm"/> </edf:toolbars> </edf:/extension> Here, the outer "extension" tag designates this XML file as an extension. The inner "menus" and "toolbars" tags are top level tags that designate that the information between these tags pertains respectively to menus and toolbars that correspond to the extensions that the developer has added. The boldface "menu" and "toolbar" tags describe data pertaining to the actual extension and contain a URL that is associated with each extension as described above. The EDF above logically describes the extensions that are being provided as including two menus and one tool bar. Consider also that the above EDF can constitute but one of many EDFs that are loaded into the system. Each EDF can contain one or more top level tags, each of which is associated with one or more specific extensions that are to be added to the software platform. FIG. 17 is a block diagram of an exemplary software architecture that is configured to process multiple different EDFs so that the software components that are responsible for incorporating each particular extension into the software platform receive the appropriate information that is specific to their extension. This example is specific to the XML implementation that is discussed throughout this document. It is to be understood that other architectures, similar in functionality to the one discussed below, can be used in other implementations without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter. Utility objects, herein referred to as attachment points, are used to process the information from the multiple EDFs. An attachment point is simply a collection of objects that fire events to registered listeners as objects are added to or removed from the collection. Many types of attachment points can be created, but all take data from a source (often another attachment point), process it (either dynamically or statically), and expose the results of their processing. Some of the simplest attachment points include: An XML attachment point, which loads an XML file and exposes the top-level nodes of the XML as objects in its collection. A filter attachment point, that connects to another attachment point and exposes only those objects from it that meet some criteria. A merge attachment point, that connects to one or more other attachment points and exposes all of their objects as one, merged collection of objects. In the illustrated example, the architecture includes a collection of one or more attachment points, including a funnel structure known as an EDFHub 1700, an attachment point manager 1702, and multiple attachment managers 1704. The EDFHub 1700 receives all of the EDFs and merges them together and exposes them as a single list. Other individual attachment points provide mechanisms that manipulate (including filter, merge and expand) the single list that is exposed by the EDFHub 1700. Whenever a new extension or EDF is added to or removed from the EDFHub, the various attachment points will see to it that the appropriate attachment manager(s) is notified. This is done by firing events to the appropriate attachment managers. The attachment point manager 1702 creates, destroys and manages the various attachment points in the system and allows easy reuse of identical attachment points. For each top level tag (i.e. "menus" and "toolbars" tags), there is a corresponding attachment manager 1704 that uses data provided by the attachment points to incorporate a particular type of feature within the software platform. Each attachment manager requests a set of attachment points from the attachment point manager 1702. These manipulate the data exposed by the EDFHub 1700. In the illustrated example, the attachment points can be requested as a predicate chain that the attachment point manager uses to create and build a set of attachment points that operate on the data exposed by the EDFHub 1700. FIG. 18 is a flow diagram that describes steps in a method in accordance with the described embodiment. The method is implemented in software and, in this example, by the software components of FIG. 17. Step 1800 receives multiple EDFs. These files can be received in any suitable way. For example, a user can specify in their preferences particular extensions that they desire to be loaded when they are online. Alternately, a user might navigate using a link to a particular Internet site that recognizes that the user is executing a software platform that is configured to dynamically add the extensions. The EDFs, in this example, are funneled into the EDFHub 1700 which uses attachment points to combine the EDFs (step 1802). In this example, the EDFs are defined as XML files and the nodes are combined into one single XML list. Step 1804 exposes the combined EDFs. In this particular example, the EDFs are combined into a single XML list that is exposed to other various attachment points which then further manipulate that data (step 1806). One goal of the attachment points is to avoid having the attachment managers 1704 re-query the whole system every time an extension gets added or removed from the system. Thus, if an extension gets added or removed, the attachment points ensure that only the appropriate attachment manager 1704 is notified of the specific additions or deletions of the extension. For example, if an EDF indicates the addition of a menu, then only the attachment manager associated with menus is notified. Accordingly, step 1808 notifies the appropriate attachment manager of any new data that matches the attachment managers requirements. Attachment Points and the Attachment Point Manager Attachment points are objects that expose collections of ordered objects and fire notifications when new objects are inserted or deleted. In the exemplary system, the objects are XML nodes, but they could be any type of object. Although there are many types of attachment points, they all follow a similar process: 1) Initially attach to one or more data sources. These could be files or, commonly, other attachment points. 2) Process the data based on some logic. Usually the logic is quite simple and could involve something like filtering the objects based on some criteria. 3) Expose the results of the processing step 2 in a new collection of objects. 4) Fire events to indicate how the exposed collection of objects changed (OnInserted(index, count) or OnRemoved(index, count). 5) Optionally, continue to listen for changes in the data sources and repeat step 2-4 when changes occur. Alone, each attachment point is quite simple, but when different types of attachment points are combined to form "chains", where one attachment point processes data from a second attachment point, the processing can be quite powerful. This is especially true if the attachment points only process the changed data in step 2, since they only do a small amount of simple work at any one time. In the exemplary system, this incremental processing means that the whole system does not have to be re-queried when a new extension is installed or when an existing extension is removed. Additionally, each attachment manager in the exemplary system uses a specific chain of attachment points and so is only informed of changes that impact its area of extensibility. The attachment point manager performs two important functions when building chains of attachment points. First, it allows the chains to be described as predicate strings. The attachment point manager interprets these strings and builds the required chain of attachment points. Second, it allows the reuse of identical attachment points, which makes the system more efficient. As the attachment point manager creates each chain of attachment points, it tracks which predicate string corresponds to which attachment point. If that predicate string is later requested again, it simply reuses the existing attachment point without creating a new one. As an example, consider that the attachment manager associated with menus has requested the following predicate chain of attachment points that utilizes the retail.edf file above: (Note: this example does not assume the presence of an EDFHub attachment point). Explode(Filter("menus",Explode(URL("retail.edf")))) This string represents all of the menus in the retail.edf file. The XML file located at retail.edf is loaded by the URL attachment point which exposes the root node of the XML file as the only object in its collection. The inner Explode attachment point uses the URL attachment point as its data source and exposes all of the children of the objects in that source collection. In this case, the children of the root node are the top level XML tags "menu" and "toolbars". The Filter attachment point uses the Explode attachment point as its data source and filters the exposed objects looking only for the nodes that are "menus". The outer Explode attachment point uses the Filter attachment point as its data source and exposes all of the children of the filtered menu nodes to provide a list containing the two menus that are added by the extension. Since this particular XML file contained menus that were identified by the attachment points associated with menu attachment manager, that attachment manager is then notified that two menus have been added by an extension. This process is diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 19 which shows attachment points 1900, 1902, 1904, and 1906. Each attachment point exposes a list of XML nodes. URL attachment point 1900 takes an input (a URL to an XML file--e.g. retail.edf) and exposes a list of XML nodes. This list contains only the root node "<edf:extension>". Explode attachment point 1902 takes as an input attachment point 1900 and exposes a list of XML nodes which are children of source XML nodes. In this example, the list of XML nodes exposed by attachment point 1902 are the "<menus>" nodes and the "<toolbars>" nodes. The filter attachment point 1904 takes attachment point 1902 as an input and filters on "menus." It then exposes an XML list having only "<menus>" nodes in it. The explode attachment point 1906 takes attachment point 1904 as an input and exposes a list with the XML nodes that are contained in the "<menus>" nodes--here both of the "<menu>" nodes. Consider additionally that the toolbar attachment manager would request a predicate chain of attachment points which would also use URL attachment point, an Explode attachment point and a filter attachment point 1904 that filters on "toolbars". Thus, the corresponding explode attachment point 1906 would expose an XML list containing only the "<toolbar>" node. But, the attachment point manager would detect the commonality of the URL attachment point and the inner Explode attachment point, so it would reuse the same attachment points it created for the menu attachment manager. The Filter attachment points used by the toolbar attachment manager and the menu attachment manager would use the same Explode attachment point as their data sources but would expose different collections of nodes, because they were filtering based on different criteria. Consider FIG. 20 which incorporates an EDFHub attachment point 2000. This attachment point receives all of the EDFs and, as discussed above, combines them into a single XML list. The EDFHub then exposes the root nodes of all of the EDFs. The explode attachment point 2002 then exposes an XML list that contains all of the top level nodes for all of the EDFs. As an example, there may be multiple EDFs that each contain top level menu nodes, toolbar nodes, accelerator nodes and the like. Explode attachment point 2002 exposes an XML list that contains all of these top level nodes for all of the EDFs. Filter attachment point 2004 can then filter the XML list exposed by the explode attachment point 2002 in accordance with any suitable parameters (i.e. filter on menu nodes, tool bar nodes, accelerator nodes and the like). The final explode attachment point 2006 then exposes a list of the individual children nodes of the list exposed by the filter attachment point 2004. This list describes all of the specific features (of the particular type that were filtered) that have been added by all of the EDFs. The table below lists a number of different attachment points that can be utilized in accordance with this described embodiment but many more can easily be created. TABLE-US-00009 Attachment Point Purpose URL Loads the URL and exposes the top level XML node as a member of the collection Context For every member, it gets the "expression" attribute and binds to it. If the expression evaluates to true, then the member is exposed. EDF Same as the URL AP, but also exposes a fabricated member with data to create an APP based on the URL and URN (which exists in the XML DOM). Merge Takes zero or more Attachment Points (of any type) and merges them together. The order and continuity of the original collections will be maintained. Filter Monitors a single Attachment Point and only exposes those nodes that match the specified name. The order of the original collection will be maintained. Duplicate Monitors a single Attachment Point and filters out any duplicates. A duplicate is defined to be having the same URN attribute. If no URN attribute is present then the node is exposed. Order of the original collection will be maintained. Explode Monitors a single Attachment Point and for every member exposes the children of that member as its members. The order of the original collection will be maintained as well as the order of the children within the nodes. Link Monitors a single Attachment Point and for every member looks for a URL attribute and creates a URL AP and merges it into itself. If the optional include Content is set to true, it will merge the original collection in as well. Order Monitors a single Attachment Point. For every member, it gets three attributes: id, before and after. Based on this information, it reorders the members as specified. If no ordering information is supplied, the order of the original collection will be maintained. EDFHub This Attachment Point is the central merge point that represents all the EDF points. CONCLUSION The embodiments described above provide a platform solution that provides for customization and extensibility through a consistent and logical extensibility mechanism and object model that can be easily understood by third party developers. Internet-based downloads can be accomplished without a great deal of user intervention and without manipulating any user persisted settings. Extensions can be provided to a software platform or application program dynamically based upon the user's computing context. Although the invention has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological steps, it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or steps described. Rather, the specific features and steps are disclosed as preferred forms of implementing the claimed invention. * * * * *
Pages to are hidden for
"Methods And Systems For Delivering Software Via A Network - Patent 7743063"Please download to view full document