A distributed link or connection processing system delivers application
and multi-media content over the Internet. A client selection of remotely
hosted information or multi-media content routes a request including
option specifying content provided by the web page developer to one of a
plurality of link or connection servers. The link server designated by
the request identifies the server hosting the requested content and,
after optionally verifying the authorization of the request and recording
the request in a customer records database, issues a request for the
server hosting the requested content to initiate information transfer to
the requesting client. Web developers utilize the provided software for
constructing option encoding reference tags for the link servers, thus
eliminating the need to learn formal request requirements of the link
server. By distributing link processing to a plurality of remote link
servers, the web developer is no longer constrained by the support
features of a particular web server.