Self-contained mini-applications system and method for digital television

A computerized system for creating and implementing television widgets in a television widgets framework, the system comprising:

• a source code library;
• and
• one or more computer processors collectively programmed to:
• define television widgets as source code, television widgets comprising independent self-contained mini-applications including a graphical user interface, wherein the self-contained mini-applications each perform a single well defined task;
• store the television widgets in the source code library;
• translate the source code into a byte code format suitable for execution on a target virtual machine;
• map a set of internal application programming interfaces used by applications into the application programming interfaces an operating system, resident application, or a middleware;
• and
• provide the television widgets to a remote customer premise equipment, wherein:
• the television widgets are capable of being executed for display on a digital television associated with the remote customer premises equipment, and
• each television widget can be used independently by a viewer without switching the viewer's context from a current television program display on the digital television.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for creating and implementing television widgets in a television widgets framework, the computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions configured to cause logic to:

• define television widgets as source code, the television widgets comprising independent self-contained mini-applications including a graphical user interface, wherein the self-contained mini-applications each perform a single well defined task;
• store the television widgets in a source code library;
• translate the source code into a byte code format suitable for execution on a target virtual machine;
• map a set of internal application programming interfaces used by applications into the application programming interfaces an operating system, resident application, or a middleware;
• and
• provide the television widgets to a remote customer premise equipment, wherein:
• the television widgets are capable of being executed for display on a digital television associated with the remote customer premises equipment, and
• each television widget can be used independently by a viewer without switching the viewer's context from a current television program display on the digital television.