The Evolution of COM+
COM is a direct outgrowth of OLE, or, more specifically, out of OLE 2. The central idea behind the technology is that applications are built around component objects. These components can and many times do have multiple interfaces. Developers who create COM objects must always be careful to leave old interfaces intact. In a sense, there is a contract between COM interfaces and applications. The implicit understanding is that interfaces, once they are introduced, will not change. New interfaces can be added, whereas the old interfaces are constant. The designers of COM, somewhere along the way, decided to separate the ideas of OLE and COM. Many technologies have arisen to augment COM, including ActiveX, automation, and many ...
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