Microsoft (R) WinNews Electronic Newsletter Vol 2, # 3, March 21, 1995 *********************************** FINAL BETA OF WINDOWS 95 RELEASED TO 50,000 BETA SITES Final Beta (M8) was shipped last week to our beta testers. This is great news because it confirms that we're on track for delivering the Windows 95 Preview Program later this month, and final product in August, 1995. Once we're confident this code is ready for distribu- tion to 400,000 Preview customers, you will receive a special issue of WinNews advising you how to sign up. In this issue of WinNews: 1. More on Final Beta Release 2. Microsoft announces Windows 95 client support for NetWare 4.1 3. Networking expert's review of Windows 95 is now available 4. Microsoft Acquires RenderMorphics, LTD. - RenderMorphics is a leader in 3-D programming tools, and will help us deliver on our goal of being a great multimedia platform. 5. WorkGroup Technologies performs Helpdesk Study on Windows 95. The full report will be available in the Migration Planning Kit CD that's included in the Windows Preview Program evaluation kit. 6. Fax-on-demand for Windows 95 - Ibex Technologies is working with Microsoft Corporation to support new document retrieval features that will be included in Windows 95 and supported in Ibex fax-on-demand products. 7. Brief update on Logo Program We are going through some transitions here with this newsletter. Starting next month, will be publishing bi-weekly, and would like to begin getting some more formal feedback from you. As the previous editor, Alec Saunders, mentioned, what started out as an experiment has grown into a newsletter to over 100,000 of you! Cynthia C. Krass Interim Editor ************************************************************ Microsoft Ships Final Windows 95 Beta On Track for August 1995 Shipment REDMOND, Wash. - March 16, 1995 - Microsoft Corp. today shipped on schedule its final test copy for the Microsof(R) Windows(R) 95 operating system to 50,000 beta testers worldwide, confirming that Windows 95 is on track for delivery in August 1995. This latest release, known as beta three, marks the final testing release of Windows 95. Microsoft also confirmed that it is on schedule to begin shipping the Windows 95 Preview Program release to 400,000 corporate evaluators at the end of the month. "Beta three is a solid release and an important step in meeting our time line for shipping Windows 95 in August," said Brad Silverberg, senior vice president of the personal systems division at Microsoft. "Our goal continues to be to deliver a high-quality product that will unlock the potential of personal computing for everyone. Feedback from beta testers is critical to us as we focus on this goal." The Windows 95 beta test program, the most extensive ever conducted by Microsoft, has involved numerous software developers, corporate customers, VARs, system integrators and consultants in a rigorous 18-month test cycle. According to Silverberg, this unprecedented level of quality testing is critical to help ensure that Windows 95 is compatible with existing hardware and software, stable and as easy-to-use as possible. Beta Reviews Positive Selected early recipients of beta three, who received the build last week, report that the code is stable and broadly compatible with legacy hardware and applications they have tested. "This is the most solid build of Windows 95 Microsoft has released," said beta tester Hank Coleman, chief financial officer for Southern Hospitality Systems. "The product is living up to its promise of offering a new version of Windows that is powerful, easy to use and fully compatible with legacy hardware and software." "The beta three release exceeded our expectations in quality and performance," said J. Paul Grayson, chairman and CEO of Micrografx Inc. "Micrografx is fully committed to offering Windows 95-based versions of our leading graphics applications, such as ABC FlowCharter, Micrografx Designer" and Picture Publishe(R). Our customers will enjoy increased performance and productivity with Micrographx's new 32-bit applications for Windows 95, which will include OLE 2.0, multithreading and the Windows 95-based interface." "Compaq is excited about the final beta release of Windows 95," said John Rose, senior vice president and general manager of the desktop PC division at Compaq Computer Corp. "Through the joint testing efforts of Compaq and Microsoft, we see increased high-quality with each new release, which is in line with Microsoft's commitment to provide a high-quality Windows 95 product this August." "This beta release of Windows 95 provides our customers with a great tool to help them start their migration to Windows 95," continued Rose. "Compaq also will use the final beta release to plan our internal corporate migration. We will continue to jointly test Windows 95 on Compaq(R) PCs to ensure that our customers receive a high-quality solution. Because all Compaq products now shipping are Windows 95-ready, we look forward to delivering the final Windows 95 release to our customers." Windows 95 Preview Program Beta three will become the foundation of the Windows Preview Program, a preshipping copy of Windows 95 that will be distributed to more than 400,000 individuals and organizations to facilitate their migration to Windows 95. A nominal charge of $32 for the Preview copy of Windows 95 covers the cost of materials and technical support. The Preview Program release is scheduled to begin shipping at the end of this month. Individuals interested in participating in the Windows 95 Preview Program should subscribe to the WINNEWS newsletter by sending an electronic mail message to Enews@Microsoft.nwnet.com with the words SUBSCRIBE WINNEWS as the only text in the subject of the message. The retail version of Windows 95 is scheduled to be available in quantity in August 1995. Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Pan-European and Swedish versions of Windows 95 are scheduled to be available 30 days after the English version of Windows 95 ships. Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day. ######### Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. Micrografx Designer is a trademark and Picture Publisher is a registered trademark of Micrografx Inc. Compaq is a registered trademark of Compaq Computer Corp. ************************************************************ Microsoft unveils Windows 95 client support for NetWare 4.1 Fully Integrated 32-Bit Client Designed for Windows 95 Microsoft Corporation unveiled plans for enhancing Windows 95 connectivity to Novell NetWare 4.1 servers. This enhanced client includes full support for NetWare Directory Services (NDS), enabling Windows 95 users to login and browse NDS from within Windows 95. Microsoft will demonstrate the enhanced client at Microsoft's Hospitality suite at Novell's Brainshare conference in Provo, Utah the week of March 20, 1995. Microsoft will also demonstrate the enhanced client at Networld+Interop the week of March 27, 1995 in Las Vegas, Nevada in the Microsoft booth. The enhanced Microsoft Client for NetWare includes support for Windows 95 full 32-bit network architecture and key technologies including; integration with the GUI, Plug and Play support, remote backup agent, dial up networking support and remote system management and monitoring capabilities. Additonally, the new client provides compatibility with existing 16-bit MS-DOS and Windows applications as well as NetWare login scripts. Microsoft will make the enhanced Windows 95 Client for NetWare networks available soon after Windows 95 is released. Windows 95: A Networking Insight Charles Rose reviews Windows 95 from a NetWare perspective Microsoft Corporation and RoseWare announced the availability of Windows 95 and NetWare: A Networking Insight, it provides a compelling technical review of Windows 95 networking for the IS/Networking Executive and IS/Networking Professional. Written by Charles Rose, RoseWare President, author and consulting software developer, and NetWire sysop. Rose provides an in-depth look at Windows 95 from the perspective of a Novell NetWare expert. Rose concludes that Windows 95 is a compelling upgrade for customers who connect Windows to NetWare. Windows 95 and NetWare: A Networking Insight will be available at no cost at Novell's Brainshare in the Microsoft hospitality suite, at Networld+Interop in the Microsoft booth, and at Microsoft's Tech-Ed at the Windows 95 conference sessions. Additionally, copies will be available electronically on Microsoft's WinNews online libraries in April. ************************************************************ Microsoft Announces Acquisition of RenderMorphics, Ltd. Industry-Leading 3-D API to Become a Key Component of Microsoft's Multimedia Strategy REDMOND, Wash. - Feb. 23, 1995 - Microsoft Corp. announced it has acquired RenderMorphics, Ltd., (London, United Kingdom) the industry leader in 3-D programming tools and technology for personal computers. RenderMorphics' flagship product, Reality Lab(TM), provides high-performance 3-D graphics technology for a variety of personal computer-based games and multimedia applications. Reality Lab has been acclaimed by a wide range of developers, including Autodesk, Creative Labs, Kaleida Labs and Virgin Entertainment. Games incorporating 3-D graphics effects have proven to be immensely popular with consumers and are sales leaders in the rapidly growing games market. "This acquisition adds a key multimedia technology to the Windows (R) portfolio - real-time 3-D graphics on the standard PC platform," said Brad Silverberg, senior vice president of the personal systems division at Microsoft. "Real-time 3-D graphics will enable the development of exciting new games and other applications that previously were only possible to run on high-priced, specialized systems." Reality Lab, a real-time software-rendering library, has received accolades for its functionality, performance, easy-to-use features, and its high-quality application programming interface (API). Software that uses Reality Lab, such as games, multi- media, and virtual-reality applications, delivers new levels of performance, responsiveness and 3-D realism. "We initially chose to license Reality Lab for probably the same reasons Microsoft chose to acquire RenderMorphics - it has a fast, robust API that offers a number of unique capabilities, allowing us to produce more scalable products in a shorter development cycle," said Christopher Yates, vice president of technology and operations at Virgin Interactive Entertainment. "Virgin has a number of truly outstanding games coming out in late 1995 and 1996 that use Reality Lab for groundbreaking 3-D effects." Reality Lab is modular in structure and transparently takes advantage of hardware acceleration at any stage of the graphics pipeline, further improving performance and responsiveness for the customer. Leading hardware-accelerator companies have worked with RenderMorphics and Microsoft to ensure compatibility. "Microsoft's announcement marks an important step toward establishing an industry-standard 3-D games API," said Osman Kent, president of 3Dlabs, Inc. "In conjunction with Microsoft's 3D-DDI, this announcement will help accelerate market growth for both 3-D games and 3-D accelerators such as our GLINT chip and its derivatives." Microsoft plans to enhance the Reality Lab product line and make it a general-purpose, real-time 3-D API in future versions of its Windows family of operating systems products (beyond the release of Windows(R) 95). The Reality Lab API will complement support for the OpenGL(TM) API, a higher-end API specially suited to professional applications. "Microsoft's evangelism and pace-setting role will help bring 3-D to the mainstream of personal-computer software," said Kate Seekings, formerly vice president of marketing at RenderMorphics and now 3-D product manager at Microsoft. "The entire team at RenderMorphics, our existing customers, and new prospects are very excited by the opportunities that lie ahead." Reality Lab product support, developer relations and sales will be transitioned to Microsoft's respective divisions. Customers will be able to order the existing Reality Lab 3D version 1.1 developer kit directly from Microsoft within the next 45 days. Sales and developer information can be obtained by sending a request by e-mail to Reality3@Microsoft.com. The acquisition of RenderMorphics is the most recent of several important announcements Microsoft has made as part of its strategy to offer easy and powerful multimedia support to users of Windows. Other recent announcements include Multisession Compact Disk support for new audio-CD format; Surround Video, a technology that enables full-screen, interactive multimedia titles with 360-degree photorealistic scenery; AutoPlay, a technology that allows CD-ROM-based titles and games to start automatically; WinG, a technology for fast game animation; DCI, a specification for enhanced video performance; WinToon, a technology for creating interactive cartoons; and support for MPEG technology for compressing digital video. Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day. ######### Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. Reality Lab is a trademark of RenderMorphics, Ltd. OpenGL is a trademark of Silicon Graphics Inc. For developer information or information on current RenderMorphics products: E-mail: Reality3@Microsoft.com ************************************************************ WorkGroup Technologies performs Helpdesk Study on Windows 95 (Whitepaper Summary) After analyzing over 10,000 Helpdesk call reports and conducting twelve in-depth interviews with Fortune 100 Helpdesk managers (representing over 100,000 PCs and 1.5 million calls per year), WorkGroup Technologies has identified numerous areas where Windows 95 will offer significant Helpdesk impact. The research indicates, that in a steady state environment, users should see a reduction of 7 to 15% in the total number of PC Helpdesk calls due to the robustness and ease of use of Windows 95 operating system. Conversely, your existing Helpdesk resources may be able to handle 7-15% more users with virtually no increase in staff. Workgroup Technologies also anticipates a reduction in the number of calls requiring a technician to visit the user's site, as more problems are solved through the network using Windows 95 remote management, remote communications access, hardware and software plug & play support, central registry and improved network and systems security features. From the analysis, WorkGroup Technologies expects Windows 95 will significantly reduce, by a factor of between 30% to 50%, the number of technician site visits, contributing significantly to further resource and cost savings. In addition to these substantial projected cost savings, increased Helpdesk customer satisfaction, less end user downtime, and improved user confidence will certainly yield better productivity. If you would like to review more detailed findings or would like a complete set of instructions and worksheets designed to assist you in a similar audit for your site, please contact Mr. James Garden at 603-929-1166. ************************************************************ Ibex Redefines Fax-on-Demand with Windows 95 New Fax Retrieval Features Introduced for Windows 95 Dallas, TX - March 7, 1995 --- Ibex Technologies is working with Microsoft Corporation to support new document retrieval features that will be included in Windows 95 and supported in Ibex fax-on-demand products. Integrated with the built-in Microsoft Fax capability of Windows 95, these features will allow anyone with Windows 95 and a Class 1 fax modem to retrieve faxes, documents and data files from Ibex fax-on- demand servers. Windows 95 will include Microsoft Fax as a basic system service. Microsoft Fax makes it easy for Windows 95 users to harness the power of their fax modem to send and receive facsimiles and binary files directly from the desktop. In addition, Microsoft Fax includes a 'Request a Fax' Wizard that dramatically simplifies the retrieval of faxes from Ibex fax-on-demand servers, or other systems that support fax 'polled retrieve.' The new poll-retrieve function allows access to fax images, but also allows delivery of data files in their native format direct to the user's computer. "The growth of fax-on-demand has been driven by its ease of use and the proliferation of fax devices", states Ney Grant, President and CEO of Ibex. "By only requiring the Windows 95 user to enter a phone number and thus maintain the simplicity of fax-on-demand, Microsoft is putting a power- ful yet easy to use document retrieval function on everyone's desktop." "The power of 'Request a Fax' is in the simplicity of the feature", states Suzan Fine, Group Product Manager in Microsoft's Personal Systems Division. "The Windows 95 user simply types in a fax-on-demand phone number, clicks OK, and 'Request a Fax' will deliver a fax or binary file directly to the user's inbox. The availability of 'Request a Fax' in Windows 95 will make it easier than ever before to deploy fax-enabled information servers such as Ibex's FactsLine," adds Fine. Ibex is the world leader in corporate fax delivery systems, with installations at many Fortune 1000 companies including Microsoft, Lotus, Adope, Symantec, IBM, 3M and Bank of America. Fax-on-demand users calling these systems typically request fax documents by using their telephone keypad. Currently installed Ibex servers can be upgraded to the new poll-retrieve capability, thus allowing the many thousands of telephone lines already installed and servicing traditional fax-on- demand traffic to also service poll-retrieve traffic. ************************************************************ The Windows 95 Logo licensing program is opening up for developers of software and hardware products for Windows 95! Marketing opportunities are also available for products which get "Logo'd" early. For more details, check out the WinNews forum on CompuServe, America Online, Prodigy, Genie or on the Internet at ftp://ftp.micrrosoft.com/PerOpSys/Win_News. ************************************************************ A few new files on Winnews servers. If you can't read a Word 6 file, download WORDVU.EXE from the WinNewsservers. This is a viewer program that will allow you to read a Word 6 file. New files: REVGD3.ZIP Updated Reviewer's Guide QAMAR.ZIP Updated Q&A Document for March On the Internet use ftp or the World-Wide-Web (ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/PerOpSys/Win_News, http://www.microsoft.com). On The Microsoft Network, open Computers and Software\\Software Companies\\Microsoft\\Windows 95\\WinNews. On CompuServe, type GO WINNEWS. On Prodigy JUMP WINNEWS. On America Online, use keyword WINNEWS. On GEnie, download files from the Windows 95 Roundtable. ************************************************************ If you know someone who might be interested in WinNews, feel free to forward this document, provided you forward it in it's entirety, as per the copyright notice below. Permission to quote excerpts from this issue of WinNews may be obtained by sending mail to winnews-owner@microsoft.nwnet.com. If you wish to stop receiving WinNews, send mail to enews@microsoft.nwnet.com with the text UNSUBSCRIBE WINNEWS in the body of your message. If you have received WinNews from someone who is a subscriber and WISH to subscribe yourself, send mail to enews@microsoft.nwnet.com with the words SUBSCRIBE WINNEWS as the sole text of your message. ************************************************************ This document is provided for informational purposes only. The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to change in market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication. INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND FREEDOM FROM INFRINGEMENT. The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and the use of this document. This document may be copied and distributed subject to the following conditions: 1) All text must be copied without modification and all pages must be included; 2) All copies must contain Microsoft's copyright notice and any other notices provided therein; and 3) This document may not be distributed for profit. Copyright (c) 1995 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.