1. A method executing within a computer system having at least one processor for building a run-time image of a software program, comprising: providing a plurality of software program components, each software program component having description data defining properties and resources thereof and providing information defining associated script associated with said each software program component for building said each software program component into the run-time image, the resources of said each software program component including binary code files for providing functionality of said each software program component; selecting a software program component from the plurality of software program components, the selected software program component comprising properties P 1 and P 2 and a first script block; generating an instance of the selected software program component, wherein creating the instance comprises: identifying an inheritance chain for the selected software program component, the inheritance chain containing an additional software program component, the additional software program component comprising properties P 2 and P 3 and a second script block; collapsing properties and resources of the software program components in the inheritance chain to form properties and resources of the instance such that the instance comprises properties P 1 and P 2 from the selected software program component and property P 3 from the additional software program component; and coalescing scripts of the software program components in the inheritance chain to form the script of the instance for building said selected software program component into the run-time image such that the instance comprises the first and second script block; creating the run-time image by invoking the script included in the instance in a configuration to build the selected software program component into the run-time image, including copying the binary code files of the selected software program component into the run-time image.