At DLItools, we began building feature rich browser based applications a long time ago, before Java was available.  Because our user interface uses Active X,  occasionally I will get the comment in the subject line of this post when talking to a potential customer.  Usually this comes from the IT group.  I find that many technical people do not really understand what Active X is, and how prolific it has become.

When the internet first arrived, the pages you could access were static.  Microsoft released Active X in 1996.  It was a tool that allowed developers to package up code developed in other languages, such as VB and C++, and run it from a web page.  Active X  are small controls that contain rules on how applications can share information.  VB, C++ and similar tools are very powerful, and Active X means that if you can do it in a Windows application, you can do it on the web.  This is why the Docova interface looks so much like the Windows applications we are all familiar with.

Since ActiveX works closely with the local machine's Windows operating system, there are security implications, and this is where the bad rep comes from.  To control security, Active X controls are signed with a certificate, and it is up to the end user to determine if the program should be allowed to run.

Regardless on the pros and cons of Active X, what many people do not understand is that when they say "We do not run Active X in our organization", they are probably wrong.  If you run the Windows desktop, you are running Active X.  If you install Flash, you are running Active X.  Maybe what they mean to say is "We do not allow unsigned Active X controls to run in our organization".  Now that I could understand.  I would not allow that either.  I want to know who the provider of the program is before it runs on my computer.

The big bad internet is not the issue. Even if it came on a disk if there is no information on who created it, in this day and age you would be a fool to load it up to see what it does. We package our Active X controls using install sheild, so they are installed by an administrator or by a program with the appropriate rights.