ch27.htm

CGI programming is the hottest stuff to look out for in this book

Besides gaining the obvious Internet benefits, developers shouldn't
be shy about pursuing ActiveX functionality for the desktop. After
all, OLE containers and controls started there, and OCXs are already
there. If things move the way Microsoft envisions, software could
end up being much more component based, where you tailor one or
two basic applications to do all your basic needs just by adding
a component here or there. Because Visual Basic developers can
treat ActiveX components like any other control or container,
there's even more for them to build on as well.
<H3><A NAME="OpeningtheStandard">Opening the Standard?</A></H3>
<P>
At the end of July 1996, Microsoft announced that it was putting
plans in motion for moving control and appropriate trademark rights
to an external industry-standards organization. Microsoft would
be a participant and probably an extremely vocal one, but it would
not be in direct control of decisions and directions chosen by
the organization to facilitate ActiveX as an open and cross-platform
standard.
<P>
Just a few days later, Microsoft postponed that meeting indefinitely,
sending a number of concerns shooting through the development
world. Had they completely reconsidered? Did they decide that
they wanted to keep more control over ActiveX, rather than become
just a collaborator? Ostensibly, it was because Microsoft felt
more time was needed to better define the process and the roles
of those involved, but critics felt more on the skeptical side
and said that the original announcement was rushed to beat Netscape's
Open Network Environment (ONE) announcement that had arrived the
beginning of the following week.
<P>
Finally, after swaying to both sides, Microsoft announced that
it would form its own standards group and would be positioning
ActiveX as an open standard to challenge what it considered the
closed nature of CORBA. Was this the best decision? The ActiveX
technology is very persuasive, but whether it will be enough to
persuade the early adopters of CORBA and OpenDoc to change over
is something that only time will tell.
<H3><A NAME="GoingCrossPlatform">Going Cross Platform</A></H3>
<P>
Cross platform? That might startle a few anti-Microsoft-establishment
folks out there, but it's true. Microsoft wants ActiveX to make
it onto the major platforms, starting with the 32-bit Windows
platforms (of course) but without a doubt including Macintosh
and key UNIX operating systems. If there is one thing that developers,
as a general group, have been less than thrilled about, it's all
these neat and nifty ideas from Redmond that have always failed
to take into account the significance of other major markets.
Now that oversight is being rectified with a vengeance; Microsoft
quickly announced partners for porting ActiveX to the Macintosh
and to UNIX. They are intent on not wasting any time, and there
are plenty of reasons why.
<P>
The first, and most basic, reason is that they want the largest
target audience possible. They realize that Mac and UNIX users
constitute a significant portion of possible revenue, and leaving
them out would be a fatal chink in the corporate armor. Very few
&quot;open standards&quot; can hope to survive if their idea of
open is &quot;runs on the stuff we make.&quot;
<P>
Another compelling reason is competition. If ActiveX was the only
thing out there that could perform these kinds of functions (and,
indeed, there are some functions that are currently unique because
of its add-on nature), there wouldn't be too much danger of letting
things progress as people saw fit. The biggest dangers of all,
though, are competitive standards that do much of the same thing
but do it differently. Everyone can coexist, but an industry full
of multiple standards for the same type of thing would be very
silly.
<H3><A NAME="CompetitiveStandards">Competitive Standards</A></H3>
<P>
Depending on who you talk to, ActiveX and Java are seen as either
complements to one another, threats, or in completely separate
ball parks. There's also OpenDoc, Netscape's Open Network Environment
(ONE), CORBA, NEO, and other theories and implementations of independent
objects and components that get reused based on requests, varying
from platform to platform. How do they all fit together to cooperate
or compete?
<P>
The Component Object Request Brokerage Architecture (CORBA) is
a well-respected, although in some cases little-known, standard
that defines standards for Object Oriented Programming. Its primary
home is UNIX, and it has quite the little empire there. Hard-core
Java programmers who are looking at the long-term use and reuse
of their code usually swear by it. Those just getting involved,
of course, just swear at it. CORBA is administered by the Object
Management Group (OMG) in Framingham, Massachusetts, an independent
organization comprised of industry experts and corporate heavy
hitters, including Microsoft.
<P>
Even though they're part of the OMG, Microsoft didn't make ActiveX
CORBA compliant. Both OpenDoc and Netscape's ONE embody the principles
of CORBA, as do variations on Java's Object Model such as Joe
and Sun's NEO. This could weigh heavily against Microsoft because
they're essentially telling some very experienced developers (and
the companies they work for) that ActiveX is better than what
they're using, and their old investments in CORBA are now defunct.
That wouldn't be a pleasant thing to hear, and it wouldn't be
true. The problem is, that's almost the way it's presented.
<H3><A NAME="NetscapeandActiveX">Netscape and ActiveX</A></H3>
<P>
Speaking of competitive standards, let's not forget Netscape's
place in this whole affair. With the initial hoopla of ActiveX
coming about full force, Netscape actively dodged being part of
it and announced that they had no plans to support the ActiveX
model. Small wonder, considering their ONE (Open Network Environment)
developments are aimed at CORBA compliance and would be undercut
by such support. Where does that leave the countless number of
Netscape Navigator users out there who want to make ActiveX part
of their experience, no matter what Netscape thinks of the whole
idea?
<P>
It leaves them looking for developers who are more than up to
the challenge of filling the void. ncompass Labs of Vancouver,
British Columbia, grabbed the reins early with their ControlActive
plug-in for Netscape, providing a one-stop solution to developers
who couldn't afford to split their efforts in the direction of
plug-ins or ActiveX. The difficulty, of course, is that this brings
people back to the whole mandatory plug-in theory-it's not built
into the software. Clever bundling by Netscape or Microsoft could
easily shatter that problem and distribute it to a large audience.
Should Netscape decide to move into the ActiveX arena, at least
by embracing the ncompass initiative, they wouldn't lose much
time.
<H3><A NAME="Market">Market</A></H3>
<P>
If you make it, will they buy? Some people sure seem to think
so. As mentioned earlier, a lot of developers out there are already
actively switching over to the ActiveX standard because it's so
close to what they already had. As for end users, the increased
seamless functionality is all the selling point they need, althou*gh
if software manufacturers can cheaply transition controls and
elements to ActiveX and pass those savings on, that would be even
more compelling.
<P>
At the end of July 1996, Microsoft announced estimates from the
Giga Information Group stating that they expect the ActiveX component
market will generate $240 million in revenues this year. As if
that wasn't enough to entice people, the estimate swells to an
enormous $2 billion by the year 2000. That's a significant pool
of income, and most people will want to dive right in. The big
hope, though, is that ActiveX won't stumble on cross-platform
issues, leaving &quot;whole Internet&quot; developers hanging
dry with promises they've made for future delivery and putting
a big leak in that pool of interest and capital.
<H2><A NAME="Resources"><FONT SIZE=5 COLOR=#FF0000>Resources</FONT></A>
</H2>
<P>
There are endless piles of information on ActiveX available to
everyone, and more sources pop up each day. With such a new and
expanding technology, everyone's jumping on the bandwagon, and
it's almost overwhelming. Where can you turn for more information
on what's going on with ActiveX? Oh, where to begin...
<H3><A NAME="ActiveXSDK">ActiveX SDK</A></H3>
<P>
The authoritative guide to the world of ActiveX is Microsoft's
ActiveX Software Development Kit (SDK). By programmers, for programmers,
and not for the faint of heart, it's an extensive CD library of
notes, specifications, examples, and errata. For quite some time,
Microsoft has been making the general version of the SDK available
to developers on its Web site to promote its use, and if ActiveX
becomes a public open standard, the number of places you can get
the most current SDK will increase exponentially. Right now, you
can get hold of specs and samples at <TT><FONT FACE="Courier"><A HREF="http://www.microsoft.com/activex/">http://www.microsoft.com/activex/</A></FONT></TT>.
<H3><A NAME="OLEandOCXControlsBooks">OLE and OCX Controls Books</A>
</H3>
<P>
Because ActiveX is really just some fancy additions to OLE controls,
any and all resources out there on creating OLE or OCX controls
will give you a great background into the more technical workings
of the ActiveX world and how you can take advantage of it. Previous
articles from technical journals, Web sites, and folks all over
still hold valid information for the underlying mechanisms that
make it all tick, and there's just a slight path to take you the
rest of the way.
<H3><A NAME="WebSites">Web Sites</A></H3>
<P>
When you design something for the Internet, it makes sense that
the best sources of information are found there as well. Although
a general search on ActiveX will turn up anywhere from one hundred
to one million hits, the following sections describe a couple
of top-notch spots to see what's going on, for either developers
or people who are curious.
<H4>ActiveXtra.com</H4>
<P>
Two words sum up this site: Visit often. With news and views from
the real world of developers and trade magazines, it offers a
non-biased view of everything good and bad, as well as the technical
information you need to survive. In addition, they plan to keep
up a core list of ActiveX controls, tools, and vendors, which
will give you everything you need in one well-organized package.
The address is <TT><FONT FACE="Courier"><A HREF="http://www.activextra.com">http://www.activextra.com</A></FONT></TT>.
<H4>Microsoft</H4>
<P>
Okay, so you'd expect to find Microsoft's Web site on this list,
and I wouldn't want to disappoint you. Whether it's press releases,
examples, conferences, bug lists, or technical help, Microsoft
wouldn't dream of letting their brain child suffer for lack of
stuff you can get hold of. Remember, though, that everything you
find here will of course be from the viewpoint of the people who
want it to succeed, and not all the help you might be looking
for will be available. Advertising pitfalls is never a strong
point in any company's strategy. That's what independent developers
are there for. Find Microsoft at <TT><FONT FACE="Courier"><A HREF="http://www.microsoft.com/activex">http://www.microsoft.com/activex</A></FONT></TT>.
<H4>Individuals</H4>
<P>
A number of individuals out there sprang up to take advantage
of ActiveX technology and information very quickly. Although they
don't have the time and effort to keep things up-to-the-minute,
they're important because they're individuals who just want to
see what the new stuff can do, like the rest of us. It would impossible
to do justice to all of them in this short a span of space, so
rather than single out any effort above the rest, I recommend
that when you do your searches, you pick out a couple sites that
don't look too commercial or biased, and you'll be pleasantly
surprised at what you find.
<H3><A NAME="ExistingDevelopersVisualBasicandC">Existing Developers
(Visual Basic and C++)</A></H3>
<P>
Last, but not least, don't forget the general community of active
C++ and Visual Basic developers out there. Even if all of them
aren't up to speed on ActiveX yet, a good number are, and even
more have the background knowledge necessary to give you the advice
you're looking for.
<P>
ActiveX is coming. Don't be afraid. With a huge market to target
and countless developers already drooling over what they could
do with it, enthusiasm is high, as are expectations. Although
failure of ActiveX is always a possibility, Microsoft stands in
an excellent position to bring ActiveX to its full potential,
if they can just clear the hurdles that they usually end up setting
for themselves.
<H2><A NAME="Summary"><FONT SIZE=5 COLOR=#FF0000>Summary</FONT></A>
</H2>
<P>
ActiveX Controls push back the boundaries of what can and can't
be done on the Internet. Instead of building new applications
from the ground up, new controls can be added into existing programs
to enhance their functionality, and even add Internet-awareness
to otherwise locally-based programs. Dynamic download of these
controls means that users can get what they want without pain
and suffering, and developers can begin to aim their projects
at users who will have increased functionality available.
<P>
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