COM 
Component Object Model 
The Microsoft architecture for creating applications composed of linked, reusable program objects. COM objects can be used to build either server-side or desktop applications (Microsoft Office applications contain COM objects, for example). COM objects are generally written in Visual Basic or C++. COM's successor, COM+, made writing COM objects simpler; DCOM (the D is for distributed) enabled COM objects to call on each other across the network. Microsoft's .Net initiative refers to COM objects enabled for Web services as "managed components."