Are all DLLs created equal?

[anti_you]

Can someone explain how a dll works? What I'm wondering is if you can access the functions in any dll ie. those NOT created in VB6. Am I correct in thinking that not all dlls are the same?
If I look in the Project, References window I see a long list of files -some of which are dlls. I know these dlls have been registered with the system but you can't register any dll -correct?
And if not, what differentiates a registered from a non-registerable dll?
For the ones that can't be registered, is it possible from VB6 to access any of it's 'functions'? Are there utilities that can list dll functions?

Sorry for so many questions in a row but just had a bit of a brainstorm happen.

[bpd]

It's true that not all DLLs are created equal. The ones that VB can reference are ActiveX DLLs. One of the things that distinguish an ActiveX DLL from other DLLs is that an ActiveX DLL must support a COM interface.

Lookup the terms "DLL", "ActiveX" and "COM" at Webopedia

[Hack]

Dynamic Link Libraries

More On Dynamic Link Libraries

VB6 And Dynamic Link Libraries

[anti_you]

Wow! That's a lot of reading! Thanks for the info and links -especially the 2nd one.