Ah well, Kenjo, to each her or his own!
It's a matter of choice.
Let's not have WW3 or even a competition. That's not what it's about - and to those of us who prefer not to use Internet Exploder, the decision is obvious anyway i.e. use
Direct Access.
I've not used Active-X (I keep well away from Internet Exploder!) however - in the light of what you have posted and the interests of scientific research ...
I have just opened IE, gone into SP, changed my option to Active-X, downloaded Active-X which I didn't have (it came up as an option when I chose to view a previously paid-for image - and the download was almost instantaneous), then I viewed the previously paid-for image using Active-X (it was quick).
Incidentally (and this is rather pertinent) the Direct Access mechanism is - in any case - the mechanism which enables you or anyone else to save images to your computer (as tif/tiff images) regardless of how you may previously have chosen to view them while online. Many of us prefer to save the images straightaway using
Direct Access rather than going through any intermediate steps viewing images via Java, Active-X or Direct Access and only then
saving the images using
Direct Access - but, again, that is a matter of personal preference.
Anyway, I already had the image - which I was now viewing using Active-X - open in a window from where I had previously downloaded it to my computer using Direct Access. The results of my research? Image is exactly the same whichever process is used. Neither is more (nor less) "wriggly" than the other.
Ah, do I hear you ask what about
viewing the image (i.e. opening it rather than saving it) using
Direct Access. OK - we have to do this scientifically so I'll go back, change my option again, and try this. Exactly the same result - no difference in the three versions.
Well, we have to complete the experiment so now I have to go back, change my option, and try the Java viewing method (oh, I do so hate to do this as it opens my computer to attack!). Go out, make a cup of coffee, come back ...
The image viewed using the horrible Daeja viewer is no different at all from that viewed using Active-X or from that viewed (opened) using
Direct Access or from that saved using
Direct Access.
Yes, I love ScotlandsPeople and wouldn't be without it - but I can't deny that, for me as it is for so very many others, it is a love-hate relationship.
And let's not forget that the start of this thread was a specific problem which was quickly resolved by use of the
Direct Access method

JAP
PS: Lovely photo of Mt Beerwah!