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ActiveX is a Microsoft framework allowing modules, scripts, and programs to exist within other applications. It was developed in 1996 to simplify web programming and create interactive web tools. However, it has been criticized for being exclusive to Internet Explorer and lacking security.
ActiveX programming is a framework developed by the American computer software company Microsoft. This framework allows for ActiveX modules, scripts, and programs to exist within other applications. The languages these other applications are written in are not affected, because the ActiveX part changes very little. While the framework is widely used in the Microsoft Windows computer operating system, it will run in other environments. Throughout its history, the technology has been targeted as a tool for Internet monopolization and a risk to computer security.
The technology that eventually became Active X was present in early versions of Windows. The technology was born from the combination of various Microsoft programming methods such as component object modeling, object linking and embedding, and Microsoft base classes. These various technologies and programming specifications are central to the creation of Windows.
In an effort to make it easier for all these different programming ideas to interact, Microsoft developed ActiveX in 1996. In addition to the basic framework, the company has also released several programming wizards, classes, and language extensions. This release coincided with the release of the Internet Explorer 3.0 web browser, which had native support for ActiveX embedded in web pages. The idea behind the release was to simplify web programming, create a richer web environment, and develop interactive web tools .
ActiveX can be used for almost any web activity. Typical applications involve sorting and displaying information, collecting user data, and creating interactive web buttons and windows. These applications are downloaded to the user’s computer when they access the page for the first time. The form is then executed as a normal program from the web browser’s temporary memory.
There have been controversies surrounding ActiveX since its introduction. Many of the problems stem from its perceived exclusiveness to Internet Explorer and the Windows platform. Another major complaint comes from its initial lack of security.
ActiveX has been a major issue in many unfair competition debates involving Microsoft because the programming is based on Windows technology and is native to that operating system and its internal Web browser, Internet Explorer. Some argue that this amounts to suppressing competition. The technology is now only native to Internet Explorer, but many other major web browsers have plug-ins that provide the functionality.
The other point of contention concerned the security of ActiveX. Early forms of ActiveX allowed programs to download and run without any user interaction. These programs have become a starting point for a wide variety of malicious software, known as malware. Over the years, Microsoft has tried to prevent malicious programs from running via ActiveX with great success. While the safety issues haven’t been eliminated, many in the field say they’re significantly better than they originally were.
