Now that ActiveX is making a bid to be the standard of interactivity for the web, c|net presents a new site that claims to offer the most comprehensive library of ActiveX controls on the Internet. In addition to an extensive categorized library of controls, visitors to the site will find news and commentary about this emerging "standard." This week, for example, users can read about the...

This site is a handy portal to intelligent agents, software tools that automatically perform a variety of tasks on the Internet. While the Scout Report has reviewed a number of search agents in the past, this is the first agent portal we have come across. At the site, users can learn about agents and the tasks they perform, browse a comprehensive directory of agents resources, and choose from over...

Big Brother is an easy to use tool for fast and efficient site hyperlink checks. This Macintosh shareware (cost of $10) was developed by Franois Pottier, a theoretical computer science student at Projet Cristal, INRIA (The French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control). All that Big Brother requires is a URL and it takes care of the rest. The output includes a detailed...

As its name implies, the BitMeter application serves as a bandwidth meter that allows users to visually monitor their Internet connection. Visually, the meter is set up as a basic scrolling graph and users of the application can modify it to display historical data and also set up alerts and audio notifications. This version is compatible with computers running Windows 2000 and newer.

Open source bookmarking apps are growing in popularity and Bookie is one that's worth a look. Visitors can use the app to import their existing bookmarks from Google or Delicious.com or parse out page content as well. Users can also check out an FAQ area and create a user profile. This version is mobile friendly and compatible with all operating systems.

The tireless public servants at c|net have served up a new informational area, focusing on the ceaseless march of web browser applications. Reviews and tips are organized by browser version, and cover features, comparisons, and even opinions on the development of HTML. A constantly updated selection of browser-focused headlines from News.com appears on the page. The browser survival guide offers...

If you're looking to create screenshots of web pages for just about any screen size, Browshot will be worth your time. The application allows users the ability to see how their own professional website (or any other site) looks on a variety of devices, such as an iPhone, Android, or Nook. Visitors can use the trial version here at no cost, although it has some limits on its functionality. This...

The Colorific add-on for Mozilla Firefox can be used to turn a webpage into a horse of a different color. Visitors can use the add-on to invert colors, adapt brightness and apply color filters. This version of Colorific is compatible with all computers running Windows and Firefox version 17.0 and newer.

With more and more individuals creating personal home pages, there is an increased interest in installing a chat server online so that interested parties can feel free to correspond with each other. This handy application allows users to do just that, with a maximum of ease and usability. With Conquer Chat, users can customize the appearance of their chat window, along with giving chatters the...

New applications for searching the Web are released daily, but Copernic Agent 6.0 is one of the more user-friendly and powerful ones available. Copernic Agent 6.0 Basic is a free Web-search engine that has the capability to query over 90 search engines grouped into categories. The application is also completely customizable, and users can keep histories for their search queries and sort the...