3 ms·

MS wanted the web tied to IE and Windows, but I don’t recall them trying to kill the web or positioning themselves to take a percentage of all web commerce.

• hughrr 5y ago
  There were a few attempts to kick out ActiveX based crap early on. This lead to crashing browsers and poor user experience so didn’t go far. Ultimately I think they saw it as a delivery mechanism for their technology which is a reasonable bet.
  • ChrisLTD 5y ago
    Right, but I’d argue that ActiveX was a hedge against the threat of cross-platform Java, not the web.
    • coldacid 5y ago
      ActiveX was more a counterpart to Java applets in particular, rather than "cross-platform Java" in general.
      • babypuncher 5y ago
        In the end, both technologies were awful and the web is a better place without them today.
        • coldacid 5y ago
          Agreed!