It's been 1 week since the Microsoft IE ActiveX Update, KB912945, that forces users to have to "click to activate and use" ActiveX objects (including Flash) in Internet Explorer, and it seems that some developers are still just realizing this for the first time. Here are a few quick resources on why this "feature" was added and how to deal with it:

• - Wikipedia entry on Eolas, the company that sued Microsoft for violating their patent on using plugins in a web browser, which resulted in Microsoft releasing this update so they would no longer be in violation.
• - If you're using FlashObject to embed your Flash movies, then you already have the "fix" working on your sites and you'll never see the "Click to activate and use this control" message. Geoff also wrote a blog post covering all the details about the IE update that affect you as a web developer.
• - Microsoft's webpage detailing the update, including Known Issues that still need to be fixed. The most notable issue is that if a user has the "Disable Script Debugging (Internet Explorer)" check box unchecked in their Advanced Internet Options, the JavaScript "fix" supposedly does not work as it should. However, the FlashObject fix still works on my computer with that option unchecked, and the only people that would have that option unchecked are web developers, so it should not be a major issue.

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