1. A processing system comprising: means for supporting a plurality of application programs and objects thereof, the objects having a first plurality of respective properties, the means for supporting including means for supporting the application programs according to a second plurality of respective properties thereof; and a rule database including a plurality of rules for integrating the application programs and objects thereof, each of the rules including means for identifying the properties of one of the application programs and one of the objects thereof to which the rule applies, and means for invoking a desired operation by the one of the application programs, whose property is identified therein, on the one of the objects whose property is identified therein, the property of the one of the objects being incompatible with the property of the one of the application programs, the rule which applies to the one of the objects facilitating invocation of the desired operation.