Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

ActiveX
     
         A type of {COM} component that can
        self-register, also known as an "ActiveX control".  All COM
        objects implement the "IUnknown" interface but an ActiveX
        control usually also implements some of the standard
        interfaces for embedding, user interface, methods, properties,
        events, and persistence.
     
        ActiveX controls were originally called "{OLE} Controls", and
        were required to provide all of these interfaces but that
        requirement was dropped, and the name changed, to make ActiveX
        controls lean enough to be downloaded as part of a web page.
     
        Because ActiveX components can support the OLE embedding
        interfaces, they can be included in web pages.  Because they
        are COM objects, they can be used from languages such as
        {Visual Basic}, {Visual C++}, {Java}, {VBScript}.
     
        ["Understanding ActiveX and OLE", David Chappell, MS Press,
        1996].
     
        {Home (http://www.microsoft.com/com/tech/activex.asp)}.
     
        (2002-04-19)