[ale] Object Model on Linux...and GUI (fwd)

[Omar Loggiodice]

ologgio Writes :
Subject: Re: [ale] Object Model on Linux...and GUI
To: docdtv at ilinks.net (R I Feigenblatt)
Date: Fri, 20 Dec 1996 10:55:07 -0500 (EST)
In-Reply-To: <199612200516.AAA24980 at ns1.ilinks.net> from "R I Feigenblatt" at Dec 20, 96 00:16:55 am
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R I Feigenblatt Writes :
:
:Omar Loggiodice wrote:
:>As far as I know Netscape, hasn't embraced activeX as a core technology. If
:>you can point me to a press release, or other information I'll appreciate
:>it. They do, however, openly support OLE/ActiveX through a thrid-party
:>plugin. The do not support it as part of their core development
:>models/products (such as Netscape One).
:
:        Netscape Reverses Position; Embraces ActiveX
:        By Jeff Sweat, InformationWeek Oct 17, 1996
:"Netscape announced Wednesday that it intends to support Microsoft's
: component technology as part of its broader strategy to support
: Microsoft platforms, reversing its policy toward the ActiveX
: component architecture... Until a few weeks ago, Netscape had
: publicly stated that it would not support ActiveX because it was
: proprietary and intended for a single platform... But Netscape says
: that regardless of openness, it's simply responding to customer
: demand that has built up over the last six to 12 months.... (but)
: ONE is "not going to write to the bleeding edge" of Microsoft's
: ActiveX Internet technology, (Netscape's) Treuhaft said."
:

Hmmm... I wonder if the above is InformationWeek's interpretation of the
following (from Netscape 3.0 review page, updated Oct 17 1996):

(at http://home.netscape.com/comprod/products/navigator/
           version_3.0/review.html#gen6)
	   
------ START QUOTE
                             SECTION 7
                      WHAT ABOUT OLE/ACTIVEX? 

1.Netscape Navigator 3.0 runs OLE/ActiveX controls today via Navigator's
  plug-in architecture and the nCompass plug-in.

2.Netscape believes that OLE/ActiveX controls are fine for integrating
  Windows-only, desktop-only applications. But the focus of the Internet and
  corporate intranets is on new, network-centric applications. Netscape ONE
  is the best platform for these network-centric applications because all
  its technologies span both client and server, it is totally cross-platform
  and cross-database, and it is 100 percent based on standards like HTML,
  HTTP, SMTP, IIOP, Java, and so on.

  Netscape believes that Internet and intranet applets are best developed
  using Java because it is secure and platform independent. In contrast,
  OLE/ActiveX controls are less secure and run only on Windows 95 and NT.
  Even if OLE/ActiveX is some day ported to Windows 3.1, Mac, and Unix, code
  will still need to be separately compiled and maintained for every
  platform.

3.Why doesn't Netscape support ActiveX directly, as opposed to via the
  plug-in architecture? OLE/ActiveX code adds significant size. In fact,
  it's the primary reason Internet Exploere is 50 percent bigger than
  Navigator. Navigator customers far prefer plug-in support and a leaner,
  thinner client over OLE/ActiveX. OLE/ActiveX code adds significant
  overhead, by dint of its OLE heritage. OLE/ActiveX code is complicated to
  program. For example, to add an OLE/ActiveX control to a Web page, you
  must add the following line to HTML:
  CLASSID="CLSID:8BD21D40-EC42-11CE-9E0D- 00AA006002F3"> ActiveX solutions
  only work on two of Netscape's 16 supported platforms. ActiveX technology
  lacks protection, and an OLE/ActiveX control can damage a system or do
  other malicious things. For example, a widely known URL that exists on the
  Internet will shut down a computer running Internet Explorer.

4.ActiveX/OLE is proprietary, and Microsoft is wavering on recent promises
  to make it less so. Information Week reported on August 5, 1996:

  (To view the article live, go to: http://techweb.cmp.com
  /iw/current/hotnew.htm#st1_85)

------ END OF QUOTE



-- 
____________________________________________________________________
            /   __  __  __  - __  __ / - _  __  ologgio at vrainn.com
  Omar R.  /__ /_/ /_/ /_/ / /_/ /_/ / /_  /-_  CIS: 74040,1543
                  __/ __/                         
___C++/6_yrs____Virtual Reality/4_yrs____Vorl_____Linux(free)_______
Linux: A Unix OS for _you_ ...ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux



-- 
____________________________________________________________________
            /   __  __  __  - __  __ / - _  __  ologgio at vrainn.com
  Omar R.  /__ /_/ /_/ /_/ / /_/ /_/ / /_  /-_  CIS: 74040,1543
                  __/ __/                         
___C++/6_yrs____Virtual Reality/4_yrs____Vorl_____Linux(free)_______
Linux: A Unix OS for _you_ ...ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux