There is a programming language called REBOL, invented by the bloke who did major work on the old Commodore Amiga operating system. It is designed to do a lot of things without all the bloat and crud that Windows needs to use.
Like JAVA it runs on all main computing platforms, but reckons to be easier to programme.
It was designed from scratch to be extremely small to install and run. It has built into it stuff for using internet and also to make it easy to produce powerful graphic displays. Programmes are written using plain text and can be easily edited to customise somebody else's stuff for your own purposes.
Mostly it is a hobby/geek thing, but might do just what you need.

REBOL Home Site
Rebol Geek Site

REBOL
Have a look!
Quack!
GtD.