What is "Active X" technology?  I was on the web and tried to open a
page but could not because it used "Active X".  I have Microsolft
Internet Explorer Version 5.00.2014.0216  Can I get this "X" free? 
Are there any significant disadvantages of "X"?  Is it a good idea for
me to obtain the "X" technology?  Do you have any other comments are
observations about this area?

Hello from Google!

Active X (or ActiveX) technology is a set of rules on how information
should be shared. It is somewhat similar to Java, a programming
language which allows programs to be written which can be run on any
operating system; Active X, however, is not a language but only a set
of guidelines on how to use languages - an ActiveX Control (the actual
program run under ActiveX) can be written "in a variety of languages,
including C, C++, Visual Basic, and Java." (from the definition of
ActiveX Control at www.webopedia.com).
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/ActiveX_control.html

ActiveX is actually a feature of Windows and not specifically of
Internet Explorer; it should already be present on your system, which
means that the problem in your case is probably that ActiveX is not
enabled. From the Start menu, you need to click Settings/Control
Panel/Internet Options (this is for Windows 2000 - I believe the path
is similar for other versions of Windows). Click the Security tab,
select the Internet icon, and click the Custom button. This will give
you a list of options for accepting or rejecting ActiveX controls.
These should all be set to "Enable" or "Prompt", apart from "Download
unsigned ActiveX controls" and "Initialize and script ActiveX controls
not marked as safe", which should both be set to "Disable". If you
select "Prompt" then your browser will ask you before downloading and
running ActiveX controls; otherwise it will just run them.

The main problem with ActiveX is that it has much more power over your
machine than Java:
"ActiveX controls have full access to the Windows operating system.
This gives them much more power than Java applets, but with this power
comes a certain risk that the applet may damage software or data on
your machine." (Again from the Webopedia definition). However, a
registration system has been developed in order to ensure the
reliability of ActiveX controls:

"Accountability is the idea behind ActiveX security, so ActiveX
controls and plug-ins have a facility for signing by the developer by
checking the developer certificate.  If you select to download a
signed control or plug-in and it is hostile, the developer can be
traced, unless the developer has elected not to sign it.  This gives
you the choice with signed or unsigned ActiveX, they can each be set
independently of one another."

From the Browser Security Tutorial at
http://www.theguardianangel.com/tutorials/browser_security_tutorials_ie5_custom.htm

Overall, I would say that you should go ahead and enable ActiveX, but
use common sense when judging whether or not to allow ActiveX controls
to run.

Search terms used:
"internet explorer" activex OR "active x"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22internet+explorer%22+activex+OR+%22active+x%22

registration security activex OR "active x"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=registration+security+activex+OR+%22active+x%22+

Hope this helps! If you're using a different OS or this hasn't cleared
up the problem, *please* don't hesitate to request a clarification.

jeeagle