Web and XML Glossary

ActiveX is the name Microsoft has given to a set of object-oriented concepts, technologies, and tools. It is important to notice that ActiveX is not a specific technology, but a brand name, what it's applied to can vary over time. However, the main technology is COM. Used in a network with a directory and additional support, COM becomes the DCOM. The main object that is created when writing a program to run in the ActiveX environment is a component, a self-sufficient program that can be run anywhere in the ActiveX network. This component is known as an "ActiveX control". An ActiveX control is roughly equivalent to a applet. One important difference is that an ActiveX control must be compiled for a specific platform, while an applet is platform-independent.