1. A method for the mass customization of a software artifact to create one or more software products in a software product family comprising: creating software artifacts with common data files and common directories, said software artifacts also having one or more file automatons, wherein each of said file automatons serves as a proxy for a real data file that varies between software products within a software product family, said software artifacts also having one or more directory automatons, wherein each of said directory automatons serves as a proxy for a real directory that varies between said software products within said software product family; defining one or more feature variations for said software product family, wherein each of said feature variations includes two or more selectable values; creating one or more feature profiles, each feature profile consisting of selected values for each feature variation for a desired software product within said software product family; and using a fully automated product actuator to provide one of said feature profiles to each of said file automatons and said directory automatons, thereby automatically instantiating a real data file in place of said file automaton and a real directory in place of said directory automaton to create said desired software product.