Third party software component
Third party software component
Virginia Peninsula
<catset>Category="Components"</catset><catset>Category="Programming"</catset>In <a href="Computer programming">Computer programming</a>, and particularly in <a href="Microsoft Windows">Microsoft Windows</a> programming, <b>third party software component</b> refers to a reusable <a href="Software componentry">software component</a> developed to be either freely distributed or sold by an entity other than the original vendor of the development platform.<p><a href="Microsoft">Microsoft</a> <a href="Visual Basic">Visual Basic</a> spawned the first commercially viable market for reusable software components.  Visual Basic's first extensibility mechanism was the specification for <a href="VBX">VBX</a> custom controls.<p>In version 4.0 of Visual Basic, the <b>OCX</b> custom control was introduced to replace VBX. OCX was later renamed <b>ActiveX</b> and then <a href="Component Object Model">COM</a>. In version 7.0 of Visual Basic, also known as <a href="Visual Basic .NET">VB.NET</a>, Microsoft introduced the <a href="Microsoft .NET">.NET</a> Component to replace both VBX and ActiveX. It was still possible to use many ActiveX components in VB.NET by wrapping them in a .NET layer.<h2 style="margin: 0; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom: 1px solid #aaaaaa; font-size: 150%;">See also</h2><ul><li> <a href="Enterprise JavaBeans">Enterprise Java Beans</a> <li> <a href="Visual Component Library">VCL</a> / <a href="Component Library for Cross Platform">CLX</a> <li> <a href="KPart">KParts</a> (<a href="KDE">KDE</a>) </ul><h2 style="margin: 0; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom: 1px solid #aaaaaa; font-size: 150%;">External links</h2>Leading third party component vendors (in alphabetical order):<ul><li> <font color=#700070> ComponentOne</font> (Full range of components) <li> <font color=#700070> Data Dynamics</font> (Data analysis and reporting components) <li> <font color=#700070> Dundas Software</font> (Charting and Diagramming components) <li> <font color=#700070> FarPoint</font> (Spreadsheet/datagrid components)  <li> <font color=#700070> Infragistics</font> (User Interface components) <li> <font color=#700070> LEADTOOLS</font> (Imaging components) <li> <font color=#700070> Nevron LLC</font> (Charting, Diagramming and UI components) <li> <font color=#700070> /n software</font> (Internet/e-Business components) <li> <font color=#700070> Software/FX</font> (Charting components) <li> <font color=#700070> Syncfusion</font> (.NET component libraries with source code) <li> <font color=#700070> The Ultimate Toolbox</font> (MFC components) <li> <font color=#700070> Xceed</font> (Full range of components) </ul><p>Other third party component vendors:<ul><li> <font color=#700070> Ingenuware</font> (General purpose components) </ul><p>Leading Resellers of third party components are:<ul><li> <font color=#700070> Xtras.Net</font> (Microsoft-centric Components and Tools Store: .NET & ActiveX) <li> <font color=#700070> ComponentSource</font> (Java, .NET and ActiveX Components Store) </ul><p>Leading Information website about third party components:<ul><li> <font color=#700070> DevDirect</font> (List of third party components) <li> <font color=#700070> SharpToolbox</font> (List of third party tools) <li> <font color=#700070> How-To-Select Guides</font> (Guides for helping developers select .NET components and tools) </ul><p>Associations and Groups representing the Component Industry<ul><li> The <font color=#700070> Component Vendor Consortium (CVC)</font> is a not for profit industry association dedicated to supporting organizations and developers building components and tools for the professional Windows developer. </ul><p>Online Forums for discussing third party components:<ul><li> <font color=#700070> Forums.Xtras.Net</font> (Microsoft-centric: focuses on helping developers find and use .NET & ActiveX components and tools) <li> <font color=#700070> How-To-Select Guide Forums</font> (.NET-centric: Focuses on helping developers select .NET components and tools) </ul>