Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method for manipulating a plurality of discrete units of information ("Items") in a hardware/software interface system for a computer system, said method comprising interconnecting said Items with a plurality of Relationships and managing said Relationships at the hardware/software interface system level. Each Relationship constitutes, at the hardware/software interface system level, a mapping between a pair of Items that said Relationship interconnects. Moreover, each Relationship may have properties of its own distinct and separate from the properties of the Items it interconnects.