A method of making adapters for enabling incompatible computer systems to work in cooperation by providing a framework of software rules and resources from which to configure adapters for mediating between incompatible applications. The adapters are each provided with at least one interface for receiving requests and another interface for sending information. The framework resources and rules provide objects which can be reused for making one-way adapters, bi-directional adapters, round-trip adapters, and compound adapters.