WRT OpenDoc stuff, you are actually describing COM and ActiveX. COM basically defines an ABI and memory layout for different languages to use to access objects and ActiveX (aka OCX/OLE control) uses it to provide reusable components (mostly visual) that are self-describing so you can access their properties and call their methods without having prior knowledge to them. It was mainly used with classic Visual Basic, but also other environments supported it, like Delphi and today Lazarus also has support for it.
Its use on the open Internet was a nobrainer from an implementation perspective, although it killed the reputation of the entire thing (make a Google search for ActiveX and 99% of the content you'll find is about its use on Internet Explorer) and .NET cemented its demise.
But yeah, the idea is solid and actually other platforms had similar tech, like BeOS's replicants, AmigaOS's... something (i don't remember the name :-P) and i think KDE's KParts was originally supposed to be something like ActiveX.
Its use on the open Internet was a nobrainer from an implementation perspective, although it killed the reputation of the entire thing (make a Google search for ActiveX and 99% of the content you'll find is about its use on Internet Explorer) and .NET cemented its demise.
But yeah, the idea is solid and actually other platforms had similar tech, like BeOS's replicants, AmigaOS's... something (i don't remember the name :-P) and i think KDE's KParts was originally supposed to be something like ActiveX.