What is Active X?

Active X (or ActiveX) is a component object model designed for the Windows family of operating systems by Microsoft. A component object model is a type of interface standard that was developed by Microsoft in 1993 for communication between processes. Active X is easily the most recognizable Microsoft component object model known by consumers.

Active X exists in two primary forms. One type includes plugins designed for Internet Explorer. The other type is used by web sites to launch various web applications. This second type is known as an Active X control.

The underlying technology behind Active X came about wen Microsoft combined two standards they were developing in 1996. OLE, or Object Linking and Embedding, and COM, or the Component Object Model. Because both standards were designed for software interoperability, their strengths fit perfectly into what Microsoft envisioned Active X to be. Active X resources can currently be found in a variety of applications running under the Microsoft Windows operating system. Although they are most commonly associated with Internet Explorer plugins and add-ons, Active X can also take advantage of functions tied to other programs like Microsoft Office.

In order to work as an Active X component, an programming object must implement the IDispach interface. What are Active X Controls? Active X controls share a variety of similarities to standard Active X programs and plugins, but they do not call entire applications. Instead, they are designed to only create the building-blocks for larger programs and web applications.

Much like Active X programs and plugins are only compatible with the Microsoft Windows operating systems, Active X controls can only be used with Windows as well as Microsofts Internet Explorer.

Many similarities have been drawn between technologies which create an abstraction layer between the operating system and the developer, such as Active X controls and Java applets. However, aside from compatibility across multiple operating systems, as is the case with Java, Active X controls are allowed much more control over operating system functions.

Because of this large amount of control given to Active X controls, many of the most well known viruses and malware have been spread through Active X applets embedded in malicious websites. This problem has prompted Microsoft to prevent all Active X controls from being downloaded, installed, and run automatically without a users consent. Active X controls are written in a variety of programming languages, but are most prominently built using C++ or Visual Basic.

About The Author Brenda Jameson writes on topics such as Active-X, ￿Active-X Control and ￿ Install Active X for The Tech FAQ.