COM and ActiveX scripting

The Component Object Model (COM) is an object-based programming model defined by Microsoft. It specifies how software components can be provided in a way that allows them to locate and communicate with each other irrespective of the computer language in which they are written or their location.

ActiveX is a set of technologies, based on COM, that integrates application development, reusable components, and Internet technologies on the Microsoft Windows platforms. ActiveX components provide interfaces that can be accessed dynamically by applications. An ActiveX scripting client is an application, for example a compiler, that can build or execute a program or script that uses the interfaces provided by ActiveX (or COM) components.