Mathias Dahl <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > Basically, what I need is "only" to instantiate different > ActiveX/COM-objects and use the methods and properties they provide, > not the VBScript programming language itself. > > I remember reading about someone trying to make Emacs an > ActiveX-object, and although that sounds interesting, this is not > what I think is needed here. I also remember seeing that Python has > some module that is capable of doing ActiveX-work. > > OK, enough blabbing, here is my question: what would be needed to > make it possible doing this more "natively" from Emacs? Is it > possible without rewriting major parts of Emacs?
Quite likely. It does not sound like much would be required here. > Would it be possible to do using some "plug-in" dll? Is anyone else > besides be interested in it? In my opinion, it would be quite useful > for accessing Windows-specific things like Registry data, automating > "ActiveX-enabled" software (both proprietary and Free). Obviously the definite person to provide an answer to this question would be Richard Stallman. To save him some effort, since all the material for the answer has been discussed several times, I'll outline the answer to this as I understand it will be, and he can just correct what I have got wrong. First, the priority of Emacs as part of the GNU project is to promote freedom and the GNU project. That means that it will not gain any significant features that promote the use of Windows over GNU/Linux as a platform for running Emacs. The only passing chance to get an ActiveX interface at all would be if there was equivalent functionality already available with the Gtk+ and possibly other platforms. I would not bet on it. For another, it has already been decided that Emacs will not get a generic interface to call binary modules, in order not to make it legally feasible to employ it as a tightly coupled component in basically unfree systems. This argument would seem to apply also to ActiveX components. Note that this just concerns the core Emacs distribution: such facilities will not get added there. Anybody that wants to implement and employ such interfaces for his own private use is still free to do so. And such an extension to Emacs can easily be distributed under the GPL. Note that this is just my own understanding of the matter, and I am not the person to convince here, anyway. Hope this helps, -- David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum _______________________________________________ Emacs-devel mailing list Emacs-devel@gnu.org http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-devel
