Component based infrastructure for sharing files

1. A system to componentize file sharing by an operating system, the system comprising:

a first computing device having a processor that executes a first operating system, the first operating system configured to receive a designation of a file for sharing from a user without the execution of any other application, and to transmit the file by executing a file transport send object that is a component of the first operating system, and to provide a notification, to a second operating system executing on a second computing device, that the file is available for sharing by executing a notification send object that is a component of the first operating system;

a data storage device that is configured to receive the file from the first computing device and to store the file in a computer memory; and

the second computing device having a processor that executes the second operating system, the second operating system executing a notification receive object that is a component of the second operating system, and receiving the notification from the notification send object of the first operating system, and receiving the file for sharing from the data storage device by executing a file transport receive object that is a component of the second operating system,

wherein the file transport send object, the notification send object, the notification receive object, and the file transport receive object are executable by the first and second operating systems without the execution of any other applications.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the file transport send object is executed by the first operating system to send an event.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the notification send object is executed by the first operating system to send an event.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the file transport send object transmits the file to the data storage device via a network connection.

5. The system claim 4 , wherein the file transport send object transmits an additional item to the data storage device.

6. A computer-implemented method for an operating system to componentize file sharing, the method comprising:

receiving, by a notification receive object that is a component of a first operating system executing on a first computing device having a processor, a notification from a notification send object of a second operating system, the notification indicating that a file is designated for sharing by a user of the second computing device and that the file is available for sharing, the file being designated for sharing without the execution of any other application, and the notification send object being a component of the second operating system; and

executing a file transport receive object that is a component of the first operating system to receive the file from a file transport send object that is a component of the second operating system,

wherein the notification receive object, the notification send object, the file transport receive object, and the file transport send object are executable by the first and second operating systems without the execution of any other applications.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the notification receive object is executed by the first operating system to poll for the shared file.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the file transport receive object is executed by the first operating system to retrieve the shared file from storage.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the file transport receive object is executed by the first operating system to retrieve an additional item from the storage.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the file transport receive object handshakes with file transport send object executed by the second operating system to send the shared file to the first operating system.

11. The method of claim 6 , wherein, after being interrupted, the receiving may resume or may begin anew.

12. A method of file sharing, the method comprising:

initiating by a computing device having a processor and a memory, an operating system having a file transport send object that is a component of the operating system;

receiving a request at a first software application executed by the computing device to designate at least one file to be shared;

receiving a request at the first software application to designate at least one recipient computing device with which to share the at least one file to be shared;

receiving, by the operating system, a call request from the first software application calling the file transport send object of the operating system;

transmitting by the computing device, the at least one shared file to the at least one recipient computing device, wherein the file transport send object of the operating system transmits the at least one shared file to the at least one recipient computing device

receiving by a file transport receive object executing as a component of a second operating system on the recipient computing device, the at least one shared file,

using the at least one shared file at the recipient computing device by a second application comprised of different code than the first application, the second application being compatible with the file transport receive object of the second operating system, and

wherein the file transport send object and the file transport receive object are object program modules programmed in object-oriented programming code, are components of operating systems, and are each called by any software application compatible with object program modules programmed in object-oriented programming code.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first application and the second application are provided by different vendors.