ActiveX Controls, again

[Dan Lester]

This is a followup to my message of Monday about TIFF viewers, and I
thank those who responded publicly and privately.

Once again, environment is Win98, 2K, XP. Public computers have
WinSelect and DeepFreeze, but staff don't.  Staff virus protection is
current, and stays that way.

We use IView on many computers, but have been unable to get it to link
to IE6 (to view in browser window, or open automatically when viewing
a TIFF).  Most users can't handle downloading and then viewing, and
this isn't actually permitted on public machines anyway.  Alternatiff
works, but needs ActiveX controls.  QuickTime doesn't permit printing,
which is vital, and also wants ActiveX.  We also tried the internal MS
viewer but couldn't make that work without ActiveX either.

My fellow-geeks here are pretty freaky about ActiveX controls and consider
them so full of holes that they don't want them, even on the secure
public computers that have DeepFreeze in case they get trashed.

What experiences, good and bad, can you tell us about ActiveX? Can any
viewers be really installed without ActiveX?  If not, should we just
bite the bullet and make it as secure as possible?  Or, is the hype
about the security holes in the controls more smoke than fire?  Are
there any recommended security measures we should take?

Anyway, as usual, don't bother me with stuff about macs, linux,
et.al., as they're not an option.

cheers

dan


-- 
Dan Lester, Data Wrangler  dan at RiverOfData.com 208-283-7711
3577 East Pecan, Boise, Idaho  83716-7115  USA
www.riverofdata.com  www.gailndan.com  Stop Global Whining!
Be competitive, intense, and accountable.