ARCHIVED: What are ActiveX controls?

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ActiveX controls are small program building blocks that can be used to create distributed applications that work over the Internet through web browsers. Examples include customized applications for gathering data, viewing certain kinds of files, and displaying animation.

The ActiveX programming specification is an extension of Microsoft Windows and the Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) API. ActiveX applications are used mainly with Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browser.

Like Java applets, programs that use ActiveX controls run on the client computer, not the server.

For more information about ActiveX controls as well as other ActiveX technologies, visit Microsoft's page at:

  http://www.microsoft.com/com/default.mspx