# Component Object Overview

This section gives you some basic information on objects supported in ColdFusion and provides resources for further inquiry.

## About COM

COM (Component Object Model) is a specification and a set of services defined by Microsoft to enable component portability, reusability, and versioning. DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model) is an implementation of COM for distributed services, allowing access to components residing on a network.

COM objects can reside locally or on any network node. Currently, COM is supported on Windows NT 3.51/4.0 and Windows 95/98.

### Resources

To find out more about COM/DCOM, go to Microsoft's COM site.

## About CORBA

CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) is a specification for a distributed component object system defined by the Object Management Group (OMG). In this model, an object is an encapsulated entity whose services are accessed only through well-defined interfaces. The location and implementation of each object is hidden from the client requesting the services. ColdFusion supports CORBA 2.0 on both Windows and Unix.

### Resources

The OMG site is the main Web repository for CORBA information.

The following are CORBA vendors:

- Inprise VisiBroker
- Iona Orbix
- ORBacus

## About Java Objects

Java objects include any Java class available in the Class Path specified in the ColdFusion Administrator.