| ActiveX is OLE renamed. Anything that can be done by using a Windows application can be done by an ActiveX control. As ActiveX proliferates throughout the Web, many people are going to be downloading controls from "who knows where" with no guarantee that the control they're installing on their machine is not harmful or destructive in some way. Exploder is a non-violent demonstration of what can be done using ActiveX. If you are using Microsoft Windows95 and Microsoft's Internet Explorer version 3.0 the Exploder will perform a clean shutdown of your machine. If you have certain "energy efficient" hardware features the Exploder will even turn off your machine! This non-violent demonstration will only work if your security level is set to "medium" or below, and will only work if you click "yes" or "yes to all" when you see the alert box. One thing that we are trying to make obvious here is that when ActiveX becomes a more widespread technology people are going to want to see demonstrations of new controls and will become negligent in protecting themselves from those who would create computer viruses. Part of the point is that it is just as easy to create an ActiveX control that reformats your hard disk as it is to create one that shuts down your computer. The other part of the point is that once people become used to seeing the & quot;alert box" announcing that they are about to download yet another signed or unsigned ActiveX control, people will forget to think about the dangers of just downloading anything... More information can be obtained concerning the Exploder control can be found at the web site of its creator, Fred McLain. We hope you enjoy this demonstration of Exploder.
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