Microsoft(R) WinNews Electronic Newsletter Vol. 2, #11, July 17, 1995 *********************************************************** The past week certainly had a lot of exciting news, and our official announcements about shipping code, ordering the product in advance and availability of Office for Windows 95 are included in this issue. For many people at Microsoft this is the culmination of years of hard work, and when you use the final product we know you will find the effort well worth it. As additional important Windows 95 and related Microsoft announcements are made in the coming months, you can look to WinNews to provide them for you. Articles included in this issue are: 1. "HINTS AND TIPS" - Our regular feature of the new abilities that Windows 95 offers. 2. MICROSOFT RELEASES WINDOWS 95 TO MANUFACTURING - The announcement confirming the availability of Windows 95 on August 24. 3. MICROSOFT ANNOUNCES WINDOWS 95 "COMING SOON" PROGRAM If you are interested in ordering a copy of Windows 95 in advance, here are some details on how to do so. 4. MICROSOFT AND PROGINET TEAM UP TO PROVIDE HIGH PERFORMANCE HOST CONNECTIVITY FOR WINDOWS 95 Microsoft has licensed the Windows 95 client for BackOffice SNA Server 2.11 to Proginet. Proginet will bundle the client with its File Transfer Management System - Fusion FTMS. 5. MICROSOFT OFFICE 95 AND WINDOWS 95 SCHEDULED TO BE AVAILABLE SIMULTANEOUSLY With this announcement Microsoft confirmed that Office 95 will also be available on August 24. 6. MICROSOFT FORTRAN POWERSTATION FOR WINDOWS 95 BETA PROGRAM Many readers ask how they can become beta testers. Here is an opportunity to become a beta site for Microsoft Fortran. 7. "NEW POSTINGS TO WINDOWS 95 WINNEWS SERVERS" - Our regular information of new postings to various on-line servers - and how to access the servers. QUICK-NOTES * Windows 95 will be featured on CNN's "Computer Connection" on Saturday, July 22, at 3:00 pm (ET). This will include a demo of the software and an interview with Suzi Davidson at the Windows 95 World Tour event in Atlanta. Many of you may have seen Suzi present the World Tour at various cities around North America. Jay Goldstein WinNews Editor *********************************************************** SUBSCRIPTIONS If you know someone who might be interested in WinNews, please instruct them to: 1. Send Internet e-mail to: ENEWS99@MICROSOFT.NWNET.COM 2. Send the message from the account that you wish to subscribe (some people use more than one e-mail account). 3. Subject line should be blank. 4. Body of message should ONLY have in the text: SUBSCRIBE WINNEWS You may also feel free to forward this document, provided you forward it in its entirety, as per the copyright notice below. If you wish to stop receiving WinNews, send mail to enews@microsoft.nwnet.com with a blank subject line and the body of the message should only have in the text: UNSUBSCRIBE WINNEWS. WinNews is published twice a month, on the first and third Monday of each month. Special editions of WinNews may also be sent out occasionally. *********************************************************** 1. HINTS AND TIPS The following are a few useful hints and tips that will result in a more productive work environment. These are some of the most powerful features in Windows 95. * Emptying the Most Recently Used Documents folder Click Start, then select Taskbar from the Settings folder. Select "Start Menu Programs" tab, and click Clear. * System Configuration Editor From the Start button, choose the Run command. In the command line type: Sysedit. This will launch the System Configuration Editor which will allow you to edit the following files: protocol.ini, system.ini, win.ini, config.sys, and autoexec.bat. * Copy/Paste Between Windows and the DOS Command Prompt To move information between a Command Prompt/ MS-DOS-based application, activate the toolbar in the MS-DOS–based application window. This will enable point/click access to copy, cut and paste operations from a Windows–based app to an MS-DOS–based app. *********************************************************** 2. MICROSOFT RELEASES WINDOWS 95 TO MANUFACTURING Software on Schedule for Aug. 24 Availability; Industry Prepares for Aug. 24 Launch REDMOND, Wash. - July 14, 1995 - Microsoft Corp. today announced it has released the Windows(R) 95 operating system to manufacturing. Consequently, Windows 95 is scheduled to be available in stores in North America on August 24. Today's announcement also means that OEMs will be able to offer Windows 95 preinstalled on personal computers starting Aug. 24. "The release of Windows 95 to manufacturing is the culmination of many months of incredible effort by the development and test teams at Microsoft," said Brad Silverberg, senior vice president of personal operating systems at Microsoft. "Hundreds of thousands of customers, and the broadest spectrum of the personal computer industry have participated in this effort. We're excited!" Manufacturing Plan Planning for the manufacture of Windows 95 began more than a year ago. Full-scale production of manuals, product packaging and other materials began in June 1995. Microsoft has signed duplication and assembly agreements with five production companies throughout the country. The agreements give Microsoft the ability to complete more than 1 million units of Windows 95 each week, more than seven times Microsoft's internal capacity. The production sites include 12 facilities in Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah and Washington state, in addition to Microsoft's two facilities in Bothel, Wash., and Puerto Rico. Redmond Kickoff, 40 Events, Internet Site to Celebrate Product Launch Microsoft will celebrate the retail availability of Windows 95 with a limited-attendance customer event at the company's Redmond, Wash., campus on Aug. 24. Other software and hardware companies will participate and demonstrate new hardware and software that takes advantage of Windows 95 innovations. Guests will have the opportunity to visit product pavilions on the campus featuring exhibits of more than 150 products designed specifically for Windows 95. The Redmond event will be downlinked via satellite to more than 40 cities across the United States. Customers wishing to participate can attend local events or an Internet online launch event. Details about these activities will be available in early August on the Microsoft World Wide Web page at: http://www.windows.microsoft.com. *********************************************************** 3. MICROSOFT ANNOUNCES WINDOWS 95 "COMING SOON" PROGRAM Retailers Kick Off Windows 95 Promotions and Begin Accepting Customer Orders REDMOND, Wash. - July 12, 1995 - Microsoft Corp. today announced the kick off of its "Coming Soon..." cooperative marketing program for resellers of the Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 95 operating system, the highly anticipated new version of its best-selling Windows(R) operating system. As part of the "Coming Soon..." program, promotional materials as well as automated demonstrations of Windows 95, are scheduled to appear in retail stores beginning July 15. In addition, many retailers will begin accepting customer orders for Windows 95 on July 15. Customers should contact their local computer software retailer for detailed information. Many top resellers, including Best Buy, CompUSA, Computer City, Egghead Software, Office Depot, Sam's, Staples and Walmart are participating in the "Coming Soon..." program. Windows 95, which will be available for approximately $109, is expected to spark increased sales of complementary products. More than 100 computer software and hardware vendors are expected to ship products designed to run with Windows 95. Many of these products are scheduled to be available simultaneously or within 60 to 90 days of the release of Windows 95. "We expect demand for Windows 95 to be strong and we're pleased to be able to offer our customers the opportunity to reserve their copy early," said Pete Janssen, vice president of merchandising and advertising for Egghead. "We're also providing upgrade options for our customers who obtain Windows 3.1 between now and the scheduled release of Windows 95 in August." "We're very excited about the arrival of Windows 95," said Larry Mondry, executive vice president of merchandising for CompUSA. "Our retail salespeople are knowledgeable and well-trained and are prepared to assist our customers in evaluating Windows 95 for their computing needs." For more information about the Coming Soon Program and participating resellers, please call 800-426-9400. *********************************************************** 4. MICROSOFT AND PROGINET TEAM UP TO PROVIDE HIGH PERFORMANCE HOST CONNECTIVITY FOR WINDOWS 95 Proginet to bundle the Microsoft SNA Server 2.11 client software with its 32-bit high speed data transfer applications for Windows 95 and Windows NT REDMOND, Wash., and UNIONDALE, N.Y. - July 10, 1995 - Microsoft Corp. and Proginet Corporation today announced a new licensing arrangement which benefits Windows 95 users requiring high performance file transfer management to their MVS hosts. Microsoft will license the Windows 95 client software for its BackOffice SNA Server 2.11 host connectivity gateway to Proginet Corporation. Proginet will bundle the SNA Server Windows 95 client software with its 32-bit File Transfer Management System called Fusion FTMS, which exploits the advanced features of Windows 95 and Windows NT. SNA Server 2.11 for Windows NT is a robust, scaleable, and easy-to-manage SNA gateway, not only for the Windows NT and Windows 95 environments but also for most other operating systems, including Novell's NetWare. Developed and marketed by Proginet Corporation, Fusion FTMS is Proginet's new generation of LAN-to-Mainframe integration software that exploits the advanced capabilities of Microsoft SNA Server 2.11, a BackOffice component. Fusion FTMS is the result of a collaborative effort between Microsoft and Proginet to provide advanced IBM host integration to Windows NT and Windows 95 LANs, using the robust functionality of SNA Server 2.11. The bundling arrangement between Microsoft and Proginet will particularly benefit those organizations which have an investment in large IBM systems and are considering migration to Windows 95 and BackOffice. "SNA Server is a sophisticated host communications gateway which insulates LAN administrators and users from SNA complexities. Fusion FTMS utilizes the rich features of SNA Server 2.11, giving users and administrators an intuitive, high performance data transfer capability to the mainframe and allowing organizations with IBM mainframes to migrate to Windows 95 immediately," said Vesa Suomalainen, general manager of the SNA Server product unit at Microsoft. As large organizations gear up to migrate to Windows 95, host connectivity becomes an increasingly important and complex issue. The combined Fusion FTMS-SNA Server solution provides Windows 95 users with a very fast, reliable and integrated mechanism to move large amounts of data, effortlessly, between their desktops and legacy hosts. "By bundling the Microsoft SNA Server client software with Fusion FTMS, Proginet has eliminated all the complexities of host file transfer for Windows NT and Windows 95 users," said Meyar Sheik, Proginet's vice-president of marketing. Designed Expressly for 32-bit Windows NT and Windows 95 Fusion FTMS incorporates the multi-tasking, multi- threading capabilities of the 32-bit Windows architecture, providing greater reliability and performance for "time-critical" enterprise applications. Some of the unique Fusion FTMS capabilities include support for: OLE 2.0 server on MVS, Windows NT and Windows 95 registry, Remote Access Service (RAS), Universal Naming Convention and Long File Names. Availability Fusion FTMS for Windows 95 bundled with the SNA Server client software will be ready to ship by Proginet immediately after the official release of Windows 95 by Microsoft and will bear the "Designed for Windows 95" logo. Fusion FTMS for Windows NT, available on all Intel, RISC, MIPS and PowerPC platforms, will bear the "Designed for BackOffice" logo. Also available from Proginet are Fusion FTMS for Windows and MVS/ESA. Proginet is offering special introductory pricing on all Fusion FTMS platforms, for a limited time. If you are a corporate Windows 95 users who is interested in Beta testing Fusion FTMS for Windows 95, please send your name, address and phone number to: 76770.2211@compuserve.com. Founded in 1986, Proginet provides its customers with software solutions that integrate the information on mainframe computers with Microsoft and Novell distributed networks. Many of the world's largest corporations and government agencies are currently employing industry-leading software developed or owned by Proginet Corporation. *********************************************************** 5. MICROSOFT OFFICE 95 AND WINDOWS 95 SCHEDULED TO BE AVAILABLE SIMULTANEOUSLY REDMOND, Wash., July 10 - Microsoft(R) Office for the Windows(R) 95 operating system is scheduled to be available in the reseller channel in the United States and Canada at the same time as Windows 95, which is on target to ship Aug. 24. Microsoft Office for Windows 95, Standard Edition, will include Microsoft Excel 95, Word 95, the PowerPoint(R) presentation graphics program for Windows 95, and Schedule+ 95. The Professional Edition of Office 95 includes all of the applications included in the Standard Edition plus the Microsoft Access database. The Professional Edition also is scheduled to be available at the same time as Windows 95 and will include a coupon for a copy of Microsoft Access 95 that can be redeemed for the product when it is available. Microsoft Access 95 is scheduled to be available within approximately 60 days of Windows 95. Microsoft Office Technology Guarantee In addition, Microsoft announced that anyone who obtains Microsoft Office 4.x for the Windows(R) version 3.1 or Windows NT(TM) operating systems between July 15 and Dec. 31, 1995, is covered by the Microsoft Office Technology Guarantee, which entitles licensed users to upgrade to Office 95 at no cost (shipping and handling charges will apply). The Technology Guarantee also applies to customers who obtain Word 6.0 for Windows, Microsoft Excel 5.0 for Windows, PowerPoint 4.0 for Windows and Microsoft Access 2.0 and who want to upgrade to the corresponding versions for Windows 95. To upgrade, customers must send to Microsoft their dated sales receipts (as proof of purchase), Technology Guarantee coupons (available from resellers), plus the cost of shipping and handling ($7.50 U.S.; $10.00 Canada). "We are seeing phenomenal interest in Office for Windows 95," said Rose Hultgren, director of marketing at Software Spectrum. "Our customers are excited about Office's full support for Windows 95, its enhanced ease of use and robust solutions capabilities. The Coming Soon Program is a great way for our customers to be sure that they have a copy of Office 95 waiting for them on day one." "Our customers are eager to obtain Office 95 and the Coming Soon Program is a great way for them to have product on the day it ships," said Peter A. Janssen, vice president of merchandising and advertising at Egghead Software Inc. "Microsoft has worked closely with the reseller channel to develop transition tools and services, such as the Coming Soon and Office Preview Programs, which enable us to provide customers with the information and experience they want for a successful migration to Office 95." *********************************************************** 6. MICROSOFT FORTRAN POWERSTATION FOR WINDOWS 95 BETA PROGRAM The Microsoft Fortran group is looking for people to will evaluate the next release of Fortran PowerStation. This release will host and target Windows 95 and Windows NT, and it will fully support the Fortran 90 standard. It includes a state-of-the-art integrated development environment and will be interoperable with Visual C++ and Visual Basic. Fortran customers currently using mainframes, minicomputers and Unix workstations are welcome to participate. If you are interested please fax your request to Microsoft Fortran at (fax) 503-778-1004. Please put at the top of the fax: "Fortran Beta Program." Remember to include your company name, street address, job title, phone and fax numbers, e-mail address and platforms currently used for Fortran computing. Your fax must be received no later than July 31. If you are unable to participate in the beta but would like to receive information when the product ships, please fax to (fax): 503-778-1004. Please write at the top of the fax: "Interested in information about Fortran." Please include your company name, street address, job title, phone and fax numbers, e-mail address and platforms currently used for Fortran. *********************************************************** 7. " WINDOWS 95 WINNEWS POSTINGS" There are no new postings for this issue, but many people wrote in asking where they could find the file FTSrch.zip mentioned in the last issue. Please find it at: ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/developr/drg/WinHelp/ftsrch.zip For past postings, you can find WinNews servers at: On the Internet - ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/PerOpSys/Win_News (files above in "Docs" folder; past WinNews issues in "Newsltter" folder) On the World Wide Web http://www.microsoft.com On The Microsoft Network: From Main Menu: Categories\Computers and Software\Software\ Microsoft\Windows 95\WinNews On CompuServe: GO WINNEWS. On Prodigy: JUMP WINNEWS. On America OnLine: Use keyword WINNEWS On Genie: MOVE TO PAGE 95 *********************************************************** 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) Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.