Application installation system, method and computer program product for allowing a package to be installed by a third party

A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising:

• computer code for providing a platform shared by developers and end users;
• computer code for enabling creation and distribution of applications by the developers for the end users using the platform;
• wherein the developers use the platform to create and distribute the applications for the end users by:
• defining, by a first developer, first metadata for at least one first application using the platform, wherein the first metadata includes setup data of the at least one first application,
• saving the first metadata in a first package using the platform,
• storing the first package in a storage location available to at least one first end user,
• enabling the at least one first end user to save the first package including the first metadata in storage specific to the first end user, and
• deploying the saved first package including the first metadata using a processor-implemented process specific to the first end user;
• wherein one or more metadata objects included in the first metadata are conditionally modifiable by the first end user, based on a specification in the first package by:
• identifying in the specification of the first package any of the saved metadata objects that are flagged by the first developer, wherein the first developer flags in the specification of the first package which of the metadata objects are modifiable by the first end user,
• providing a deployment tool for allowing modifications only to the saved metadata objects that are identified as being flagged by the first developer,
• wherein the first developer flags metadata objects for which modifications are required by the first end user,
• wherein the developer flags metadata objects for which modifications are optional by the first end user.

A system, comprising:

• a processor configured for:
• providing a platform shared by developers and end users;
• enabling creation and distribution of applications by the developers for the end users using the platform;
• wherein the developers use the platform to create and distribute the applications for the end users by:
• defining, by a first developer, first metadata for at least one first application using the platform, wherein the first metadata includes setup data of the at least one first application,
• saving the first metadata in a first package using the platform,
• storing the first package in a storage location available to at least one first end user,
• enabling the at least one first end user to save the first package including the first metadata in storage specific to the first end user, and
• deploying the saved first package including the first metadata using a processor-implemented process specific to the first end user;
• wherein one or more metadata objects included in the first metadata are conditionally modifiable by the first end user, based on a specification in the first package by:
• identifying in the specification of the first package any of the saved metadata objects that are flagged by the first developer, wherein the first developer flags in the specification of the first package which of the metadata objects are modifiable by the first end user,
• providing a deployment tool for allowing modifications only to the saved metadata objects that are identified as being flagged by the first developer,
• wherein the first developer flags metadata objects for which modifications are required by the first end user,
• wherein the developer flags metadata objects for which modifications are optional by the first end user.