Re: Is Active X safe?

[Scott Klement <pctech@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Isn't there a setting to allow ActiveX with yes or no for an answer?   I
> don't see it as being a site-by site choice?

When I browse to a site that requires an ActiveX control, it puts a little 
bar at the top of the browser window, and I can click a button on that bar 
to install the control, or do nothing if I don't want to install it.

Once it has been installed the first time, the bar doesn't come back.

This has been the behavior for me with both Internet Explorer 6 and 7. Not 
sure about earlier releases.  Is it different for you?

If you're running Firefox and you come to a page that requires ActiveX, 
it'll (usually) tell you that you have to run Internet Explorer and that 
the page doesn't work with Firefox.  A few really nice web sites will 
substitute a Java applet for an ActiveX control, but most sites aren't 
that nice.

There are some cases where it actually makes sense to use ActiveX. 
Microsoft's Office Update page, for example.  You couldn't really use 
Java, since applets aren't usually allowed to update programs on your 
system.  Plus, since it's for a Windows product, it's not so painful that 
you have to run Windows to use it.

But, for many of the sites out there, it's just narrow-minded to use 
ActiveX.  Why limit someone so that they MUST run Windows, and MUST use 
Internet Explorer?  That's narrow-minded and obnoxious.  If you use Java 
instead of ActiveX, they can use any browser on any platform.