ActiveX control

Brand name referring to a set of Microsoft's technologies and services based on COM (Component Object Model) widely released in 1997. On the Internet, ActiveX can be used with IE versions 3 and above and with Netscape Navigator through plug-ins.

ActiveX can be inserted in a page to provide functionality not directly available in HTML, such as animation sequences, credit-card transactions, or spreadsheet calculations. ActiveX control is a COM object, written as a DLL in a programming language like Visual Basic, that follows ActiveX standards. ActiveX controls can be implemented in a variety of programming languages from Microsoft and third parties.

Once downloaded, ActiveX controls have a large degree of freedom, presenting a security risk. ActiveX controls have to be digitally signed by their creator.

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