Abstract: A licensing system and method for deploying digital content is provided. A client system can download the digital content from the server and, if a valid license for the content is also found on the server, software may be permitted to run digital content. The license is stored in a location that is separate from the content. The license can be located using the URL address of the content. The system can locate the license on the server and determine whether the license covers the content. Content that is covered by the license can be processed and rendered. The content can be any form of digital media, such as a computer application.

Abstract: Mobile code, such as an applet, is permitted to create a network connection with a content server on a network, without restricting the applet only to connections from the computer from which it was downloaded. This is achieved in accordance with the principles of the present invention by using network restriction software in the execution engine or runtime system under which the applet executes. When the applet attempts to create a network connection to a content server, the network restriction software checks a name file on the content server for the presence of an entry whose name corresponds to the name of the computer from which the applet was downloaded. If such an entry is present, then the network restriction software permits the network connection between the applet and the content server to be created. If not, the applet may not create a network connection with the content server.

Abstract: A class includes fields to support values of properties in preallocated memory space and an option data structure which supports, in instances of the class, references to option values without preallocation of memory space. The field and option values are accessed in an instance object of the class using expressions of the same syntactic form. During compilation, the compiler checks the type of an option value against a type description within the option data structure. During compilation, a method call to an object is encoded without regard to the form of the option data structure. When an option value is changed, a change handler identified by an option binding of the data structure is processed. That option binding may be located by first searching a mapping data structure for a previously computed mapping to the option binding or by computing the mapping to the option binding.

Abstract: To support values of properties, a class includes fields to support values in preallocated memory space and with an option data structure which supports, in instances of the class, references to option values without preallocation of memory space. The field and option values are accessed in an instance object of the class using expressions of the same syntactic form. During compilation, the compiler checks the type of an option value against a type description within the option data structure. Different classes may support different forms of data structures such as a linked list or a hash table. During compilation, a method call to an object is encoded without regard to the form of the option data structure. An option value may be set in an option data structure from an initialization expression which includes the name of the option value and, as an argument, the option value.

Abstract: To support values of properties, a class includes fields to support values in preallocated memory space and with an option data structure which supports, in instances of the class, references to option values without preallocation of memory space. If a value has not been set for an instance object, a get operation results in getting of the default value for the class. Different classes may support different forms of data structures such as a linked list or a hash table. When an option value is changed, a change handler identified by an option binding of the data structure is processed. That option binding may be located by first searching a mapping data structure for a previously computed mapping to the option binding or by computing the mapping to the option binding. Nonlocal option values may be applied to plural objects in a nonlocal option hierarchy such as a graphical hierarchy.

Abstract: Views for software atomization provide runtime transformations of existing atoms in atom databases to create new or virtual atom databases. Views provide for sharing of code and data atoms that are stored in an atom database, as well as providing sharing of code and data atoms that are loaded into memory. A view is a set of transformation operations, including insert a new atom, modify an existing atom, or delete an existing atom, which can be applied to an atom database. The transformation operations can be applied, either literally, to create a new atom database on disk, or virtually, to create, at runtime, a virtual atom database, without actually having to create an actual atom database on disk. Modifying an existing atom can be done in a variety of ways, including changing the atom bytes, or the atom references, or an attribute of the atom.

Abstract: Template-generated classes in program code are compiled efficiently through a process of lazy compilation resulting in improved compilation times. Lazy compilation includes the generation of objects representing a class template and a template-generated class as well as the selective compilation of class methods that are invoked in the program code. Code sharing is a further enhancement for increasing compilation speed by providing a system and method for sharing executable object code for compatible methods among different classes generated from the same class template.

Abstract: Software atomization provides a method of loading atomized computer program code and data on demand by loading, from an atom database, into a memory, an atom defining code or data in a fine-grained, individually addressable manner. Atoms comprise an atom identifier, computer program code or data information and computer program code or data reference information. The computer program code or data information is modified by transforming the reference information into memory addresses. The present invention provides for the lazy loading of data both implicitly and explicitly. Data is lazily loaded implicitly when it is referenced from code that is lazily loaded. Data is lazily loaded explicitly by encoding a referencing atom identifier such that the referenced data atom is not loaded until actually accessed at runtime.

Abstract: A system and methods are disclosed that permit mobile code, such as an applet, to create a network connection with a content server on a network, without exposing the client computer that is running the applet, or other computers with which the client computer may communicate, to a DNS spoofing attack. This is achieved in accordance with the principles of the present invention by using network restriction software in the execution engine or runtime system under which the applet executes. When the applet attempts to create a network connection to a content server, the network restriction software checks a “name directory” on the content server for the presence of an entry whose name corresponds to the name of the computer from which the applet was downloaded. If such an entry is present, then the network restriction software permits the network connection between the applet and the content server to be created. If not, the applet may not create a network connection with the content server.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for generating an interactive coding example for an online computer language tutorial are shown. The interactive coding example is displayed in an electronic document as part of an online computer language tutorial. An interactive example window is displayed in the electronic document by web browser software to enable the user to easily view, modify, execute, and debug the example instructions. The example source code is processed by an example execution engine in the user's computer.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for associating meta-data with digital components and for updating the meta-data with meta-data supplements. Security provisions are included to ensure unauthorized updates are not permitted.