Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus that allows information to be shared between applications, while lowering the security risk. With this image forming apparatus, a service acquisition portion references the class information of applications at the time of installation of them to acquire services from a server, or the like. A service registration unit associates the services acquired by the service acquisition portion with the respective applications to store them in a service registry. Upon one of the application being executed, an information sharing control portion uses the shared data to cause the information to be shared with the other services on the basis of the management information of the services associated with the applications by the service registration portion.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus that allows information to be shared between applications, while lowering the security risk. With this image forming apparatus, a service acquisition portion references the class information of applications at the time of installation of them to acquire services from a server, or the like. A service registration unit associates the services acquired by the service acquisition portion with the respective applications to store them in a service registry. Upon one of the application being executed, an information sharing control portion uses the shared data to cause the information to be shared with the other services on the basis of the management information of the services associated with the applications by the service registration portion.

Abstract: In a multifunction peripheral (MFP), a web browser displays a user interface screen on a display of an operation panel and transmits a first command by a predetermined protocol. A web server in the MFP receives the first command using the predetermined protocol. A request processing unit executes a first process corresponding to the first command received from the web server. Meanwhile, in a server device, a server application executes a second process corresponding to the second command transmitted to a web server in the server device from the web browser in the MFP. When using a function or data of the MFP, the server application transmits a third command corresponding to the function or the data to the web server in the MFP from a web client using the predetermined protocol.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a peripheral device interface, an interface driver configured to control the peripheral device interface, a platform configured to provide a runtime environment for a program written in a predetermined language on an operating system, and a device driver configured to operate on the platform and to cause the interface driver to control a peripheral device while performing communications with the peripheral device through the peripheral device interface.