Technology based on Windows; it offers standard interfaces and enables communication between software components even when they are made by different manufacturers. This means COM enables programmers to develop objects which can be accessed from all COM-compatible applications.
Practical example: In Windows copy the current window as a graphic to the clipboard by means of [Alt]+[Print] and enter it into a Netscape-, Exchange- or Outlook email form
See also:
ActiveX,
DCOM,
OLE.
The applications can be distributed to one or several computers within one network.
