Java and ActiveX

July 16, 1996

ActiveX is a set of technologies that enables developers to combine the output of many different programming languages into a single, integrated Web site. Microsoft has recently enabled JavaÖ, the new Internet programming language that runs on many platforms, to work with ActiveX, bringing a richer set of programming options to Java. Java developers can now extend their Java applets to work with software components created in other languages, and can make calls to the operating system to improve performance or take advantage of standard interface conventions such as sound control. For Web developers, this means a broader range of options for creating active content for the Web.

Microsoft Supports Java

Microsoft has included support for Java applets in its Internet Explorer 3.0 Web browser, which incorporates Microsoft's implementation of the Java Virtual Machine. In licensing Java to Microsoft, Sun Microsystems designated the Microsoft implementation of the Java Virtual Machine as the reference implementation for Windows«. This reference implementation will be returned to Sun for widespread distribution and inclusion in other Web browsers. MicrosoftÆs Java reference implementation, supported by tools vendors such as Borland, Symantec, and the Powersoft division of Sybase, does more than simply run Java applets, however. It extends Java by allowing applets to work with other software using ActiveX.

Microsoft has also introduced its Java developer tool, known as Visual J++, to enable developers to create the fastest and best-performing Java applets on the Web. This tool is designed to give developers, both novices and experts, everything they need to quickly and productively create applications that take full advantage of JavaÆs capabilities.

Extending Java with ActiveX

ActiveX makes it possible for Java developers to take advantage of the full range of available Internet tools. Because of the ActiveX entensions to Java, developers can now enhance their Java applets with multimedia effects, highly tuned performance, and an extensive collection of software objects, including ActiveX controls, ActiveX documents, and Active scripting. Over one thousand ActiveX controls are available today, offering high-performance interactive applets, many with multimedia effects, that developers can use as ready-to-go building blocks for their Web sites. ActiveX documents allow Web developers to access the full power of PC desktop applications such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Visio Corporation's Visio from their Web site. And Active scripting provides the ability to automate the interactions between multiple objects, including Java applets, ActiveX controls, and ActiveX documents, enabling them all to work together as part of an integrated, active Web site. In addition, extending Java with ActiveX enables Java applets to take advantage of audio and video controls, enhanced performance, printing, and other operating-system-level features. By giving Java developers the option to work with ActiveX, Microsoft has brought together the most powerful Web technologies in an open, integrated platform and enabled Web developers to exploit the full range of technology building blocks for the Internet.

Figure 1	Figure 2
The Java Virtual Machine enables Java applets to run on many platforms	Microsoft extends Java to integrate with ActiveX technologies, delivering a rich assortment of additional capabilities

Across a Choice of Platforms

ActiveX will be supported by the most popular operating systems, giving users their choice of desktop platform to experience the rich integration of Java with ActiveX. ActiveX is currently supported on Windows by both Internet Explorer 3.0 and Netscape« Navigator« via a plug-in from NCompass Labs. Microsoft is working with Metrowerks to support ActiveX on the Macintosh and with Bristol and Mainsoft to support ActiveX on UNIX systems. Each of these platforms will support the integration of Java with ActiveX, delivering the widest range of Internet capabilities to the widest audience of users.

Using a Choice of Tools

By extending Java to work with ActiveX, Microsoft has given developers a wide range of tool choices to develop for the Web. ActiveX controls can be created using Visual Basic«, Visual C++«, Borland Delphi, Borland C++, and other popular PC development tools, including those that use the Java language. ActiveX documents are created using a wide range of desktop applications such as Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint« and others. Active scripts can be written using Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript), a natural subset of Visual Basic, or JavaScriptÖ. And Java applets are created using an assortment of Java development tools from leading PC tools vendors. Whatever tool is used, the result can be integrated with any other object through ActiveX. ActiveX allows the output of many different tools and the work of many developers of different backgrounds to be combined in a single active Web site.

Figure 3: A Choice of tools for creating active Web content

⌐ 1996 Microsoft Corporation