Abstract: Persistence of information and programming from one web page to another is gained by loading an applet or an Active X object repeatedly by addition of applet or Active X object code to the HTML code of a plurality of web pages. The persistence is also spread, beyond the web pages that repeatedly load the said applet or Active X object, by forming a pseudo-constructor with which an object, such as a graphical user interface, is generated by the initial loading and execution of the applet or Active X object, and persists even after the web page which loaded the applet or Active X object has been closed. In an exemplary application of the techniques, a shopping cart is generated that keeps track of the quantity and prices of items selected from a plurality of web pages. The cart operates without any interaction with the host server or other source of the web pages, apart from initial downloading of the applet or Active X object and final presentation of purchased items.