http://www.microsoft.com/devnews/mendlen.htm (PC Press Internet CD, 03/1996)
by David Mendlen
March 12, 1996
David Mendlen is president of the Chicago Corporate Visual Basic User Group and branch manager of Moss Micro in Chicago, Illinois.
ActiveX is a buzzword you'll be hearing a lot more of in the next few weeks. Today at the Microsoft Internet Professional Developer's Conference (PDC), Microsoft launched this new initiative, which looks to "evolutionize" the Web. ActiveX includes technologies that will allow developers to create a much richer experience for users, an experience that will be very interactive.
We'll be able to program web-based solutions that leverage Visual Basic in the form of a scaled-down version of VB called VB Script. ActiveX also includes a new OLE control standard that will allow Visual Tools developers to plug in pre-packaged functionality as an OCX, right into the page.
As a VB guy, I'm excited by several pieces of news announced today: the next version of Visual Basic will have the ability to create ActiveX controls (Read OCX), create "Active" documents, and implement ISAPI servers, which will allow VB programmers to leverage the Internet Information Server. Cool.
What's compelling about the Microsoft story I've heard today is this: "Everything still works!"
Who thought when they bought Microsoft PowerPoint that they would be able to use it to publish HTML documents? Who knew that, just because I program with the world's most popular language (Visual Basic), I'd be able to leverage my skills in the new Internet environment. And even my server software and administration tools (Windows NT) can be tied together with the Internet Information Server (for FREE!!) to build my own website (http://www.mossmicro.com/ccvbug). (This link points to a server not under the control of Microsoft Corporation. Please read our disclaimer before continuing.)
My key take-away is that Microsoft really believes in the concept of "Embrace and Extend." They took what worked and extended it to the Internet, for the end user (with Internet Assistants for Word, Excel and PowerPoint), for the developer (with VB and Active Controls and Active documents), and for the system administrator (with NT Server and the Internet Information Server).
Microsoft's strategy will make the developer community VERY happy.