Learn More About ActiveX Controls

What are ActiveX controls and why would you need them? ActiveX allows you to do more and see more on the Internet. Many Facebook applications and features, such as video, games and slideshows, require ActiveX controls to view them. More specifically, ActiveX controls are bits of code that you acquire and install via your web browser. They do what more simple HTML code cannot do.

One of the characteristics of ActiveX controls is a basic model for download and implementation. An HTML tag tells the web browser where to find the ActiveX controls and the browser downloads them. The user is then asked to verify their authorization before the download commenced. Once the controls are installed the user is allowed to use them when they need to. This allows software developers to share information and features with Internet users quite easily. However, there is a serious flaw with this method. Most Internet users do not have the proper authorization to install the ActiveX controls. This leaves a gap between the program developers and the average Internet user.

With an increase in Internet users there has also been an increase in Internet viruses. Some more cruelly minded Internet users dispense executable code across the web and these can be dangerous. Windows set up defenses against this. For example, you have to have the appropriate authorization to install ActiveX controls. Once the computer's administrator has installed the correct codes they can be used by any one else who uses the computer. This can be frustrating for the average Internet user, if you don't have administrative rights over the computer that you're using. However, it's a very safe way to avoid malicious code from finding its way onto your computer.

Window's defenses against viruses only operate at the level of the single computer user. Its defenses fall short of large organizations. IT departments typically struggle with the issue of permissions when it comes to using ActiveX controls. There is a fine balance between allowing users access to ActiveX controls and avoiding harmful viruses. The end user is still left with a significant amount of power when they use ActiveX controls. Some companies limit the ability to install ActiveX controls altogether while others lend users a significant amount of control but make them deal with the ensuing malware and spyware.

Of course, it is possible for the IT department to install the ActiveX controls on an organization's computers ahead of time. This will work well if the controls are fixed, adjusted or amended in accordance with an operating system's desktop updates.

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