ActiveX

ActiveX is a technology developed by Microsoft. It is most commonly used as ActiveX Controls, these controls are automatically downloaded by the browser and executed. ActiveX controls can be made with C, C++, or Visual Basic. ActiveX controls are similar to Java Applets, but different in the aspect that ActiveX has free reign over your computer. This is why ActiveX can be a security hazard, and the reason many people disable ActiveX in their browser.