In a method for accessing resources provided by an operating system, a request for a resource is received by an application program executing inside a first environment. A first identifier associated with the resource is acquired. A second identifier referring to the requested resource and to a launch environment on which to launch the resource is determined. The request for the resource is redirected to the identified instance of the resource, responsive to the second identifier. The request for the resource is responded to using the instance of the resource located inside an environment on which the resource resides.