Third-party software component

In computer programming, a third-party software component is a reusable software component developed to be either freely distributed or sold by an entity other than the original vendor of the development platform. The third-party software component market thrives because many programmers believe that component-oriented development improves the efficiency and the quality of developing custom applications. Common third-party software includes macros, bots, and software/scripts to be run as add-ons for popular developing software. In the case of operating systems such as Windows XP, Vista or Seven, there are applications installed by default, such as Windows Media Player or Internet Explorer.