Re: WinNews Vol. 2 No. 10, July 5, 1995
Microsoft(R) WinNews Electronic Newsletter
Vol. 2, #10, July 5, 1995
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The excitement is starting to build here, and you
should be hearing lots of Windows 95 announcements in the
coming weeks. An important announcement included in this
issue is that Windows 95 will be available on August 24.
Rather than add any comments here, the article speaks
for itself.
Included in this issue:
1. "HINTS AND TIPS" - Our regular feature offering some
helpful ways to use Windows 95.
2. "MICROSOFT RECONFIRMS AUGUST 24 AVAILABILITY OF
WINDOWS 95" - A reaffirmation by Personal Systems
Division Senior VP Brad Silverberg on the date
Windows 95 will be available.
3. "MICROSOFT SHIPS FINAL VERSION OF RESOURCE KIT FOR
ORGANIZATIONS MIGRATING TO WINDOWS 95" - Details
are provided on the Migration Kit that will help
IS professionals implement and support Windows 95
to their organizations.
4. "MICROSOFT CO., LTD. AND SOFTBANK CORP. FORM
WINDOWS 95 GAME ALLIANCE" - This is the
announcement and plans of Microsoft's new
joint-venture with Softbank Corp. of Japan.
With this deal we continue to show our commitment
to making Windows 95 a key multimedia platform.
5. "MICROSOFT HOLDS DESIGN PREVIEW FOR CONFERENCING API
FOR WINDOWS" - A review of the session. This
Windows API that will allow development of programs
which will let users simultaneously "share"
applications and annotate documents.
6. "MICROSOFT SETS INTERACTIVE MEDIA CONFERENCE
JULY 18-20" - Information is given on attending
this conference which will have sessions for
technical, design, and business people involved in
interactive software development. Speakers include
Bill Gates and Russell Siegelman, General Manager
of Microsoft On-Line Services The Microsoft Network.
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
1. As a result of the Fourth of July holiday this
past weekend, this issue is being sent out a
couple of days later than usual. We will be back
on schedule with the next issue on July 17.
2. Mail from our readers had been held up the past
couple of weeks. Everything is working properly
now, so if you have recently sent us mail we will
be getting back to you as quickly as possible.
Thanks for your patience in waiting for replies.
Jay Goldstein
WinNews Editor
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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.
* Right click on any drive to view or change
it's properties.
Right click on any drive and choose Properties. The
properties box will appear allowing you to label the
disk, view it's properties or run system optimization
tools such as compression, scandisk, or defrag.
* Type an application name in the run command line to
launch that application.
Click on the Start button and choose the Run command.
Any application or applet in the computer's path
statement will be launched by typing in it's name.
Here's a special note provided by the software engineers
in our Developer Group:
* Full-text searching in Windows 95 and Windows NT 3.51
Within Windows 95 and Windows NT 3.51 the new WinHelp
system provides full-text indexing and searching.
Whenever you go to the "Find" tab, you invoke that
engine. If the HLP file(s) which you're using
haven't been indexed, a "Find Wizard" will
create indexes for you.
If you'd like to index other text files, you can call
the full-text APIs directly. You'll find an overview
description of how to use the full-text engine
(FTSrch.dll) in the file FTSAPI.rtf. Then you can use
the header file FTSIFace.h to write code to drive FTSrch.
You can use LoadLibrary and GetProcAddress to connect to
the FTSrch APIs, or you can use the FTSRCH.def file to
construct a LIB file and staticly bind to FTSRCH APIs.
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2. MICROSOFT RECONFIRMS AUGUST 24 AVAILABILITY OF WINDOWS 95
REDMOND, Washington - June 28, 1995 - Contrary to reports,
Microsoft Corporation confirmed today the August 24
availability date for Microsoft (R) Windows (R) 95. "We
are absolutely on schedule for August 24 availability of
Windows 95. The Windows 95 upgrade will be available on
August 24. PC Manufacturers will receive Windows 95 code
in sufficient time to have their products available by
August 24 as well," said Brad Silverberg, Senior Vice
President, Personal Systems Division.
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3. MICROSOFT SHIPS FINAL VERSION OF RESOURCE KIT FOR
ORGANIZATIONS MIGRATING TO WINDOWS 95
Preview Program Participants Anticipate Rapid Adoption
of Windows 95; Resource Kit Is Component of Windows 95
Migration Planning Kit
REDMOND, Wash. - June 21, 1995 - Microsoft Corp. today
released the final version of its Microsoft (R)
Windows (R) 95 Resource Kit, which gives IS professionals
comprehensive information about implementing, supporting
and understanding Windows 95, the next major upgrade to
the Windows operating system.
The Windows 95 Resource Kit released today is a key
component of the Windows 95 Migration Planning Kit, which
was shipped to all Windows 95 Preview Program participants.
Along with the Windows 95 Resource Kit, the Migration
Planning Kit also includes a broad range of business
tools, technical tools and product information to help
organizations justify and plan for their migration to
Windows 95.
"The Resource Kit contains the most extensive information
ever provided to help computer professionals migrate to a
new version of Windows," said Brad Silverberg, senior
vice president of the personal systems division at Microsoft.
"IS professionals have responded with great enthusiasm to
the beta version of this kit, and we're delighted to make
the final version available ahead of the release of
Windows 95."
Preview Program Participants Plan Early Deployment
In a national survey of Preview Program participants
conducted for Microsoft by Telecommunications Research
Group of Culver City, Calif., a majority of IS
professionals said they would start deploying Windows 95
within one month of its scheduled release in August.
These professionals said that 70 percent of the desktop PCs
in their organizations would be running Windows 95 within
six months of its release. The survey was conducted in May
with more than 500 randomly selected Preview Program sites.
IS managers in the survey predicted their organizations
would adopt Windows 95 because of the benefits it provides
to computer professionals and end users. More than
two-thirds agreed that Windows 95 would increase MIS
control over the desktop and reduce the IS support burden.
Seventy-five percent said that it would increase the
productivity of their end users.
Seventy percent of Preview Program participants expect an
easy and smooth migration from Windows (R) version 3.11,
due to the compatibility of Windows 95 with their existing
hardware and software, the easy user interface and ease
of training on it, and the early availability of migration
planning tools.
Resource Kit Part of Broad Range of Migration Tools
The Windows 95 Resource Kit provides more than 1,400 pages
of technical information that can save organizations hours
of time in determining how to implement Windows 95. It
includes a guided tour, a planning guide, technical
information on installing, configuring and networking,
plus helpful software utilities. It is available at
bookstores and software stores as well as through
Microsoft Press for $49.95. Call (800) MS-PRESS
[(800) 677-7377] or contact CompuServe (R) (GO MSP).
Other migration tools and support available to IS
professionals planning their organizations' moves to
Windows 95 include the following:
- Windows 95 Migration Planning Kit. This collection
of tools contains the Resource Kit help file,
demonstration kit, deployment guide, Microsoft
project deployment plan template and business
analysis tool. The business analysis tool is a
model that enables organizations to calculate
the benefits and costs of moving to Windows 95.
The tools are available online at Microsoft's Web
page (http://www.microsoft.com), on The Microsoft
Network (open the Computers and Software icon and
choose Software/Microsoft/Windows 95), on CompuServe
(type GO WINNEWS) and on GEnie, Prodigy, America Online
and CRS Online.
- Microsoft TrainCast. Microsoft TrainCast is a series
of four-hour programs on MSTV that demonstrates how to
plan, support and implement the migration to Windows 95.
For information on ordering tapes and local broadcast
availability, call MSTV at (800) 597-3200.
- Support Engineer Training Courses. Microsoft Authorized
Technical Education Centers (ATECs) offer Supporting
Windows 95, a course that covers installation
techniques, configuration, networking, system management
and troubleshooting. It is available in two-day and
five-day options. Call (800) SOL-PROV [(800) 765-7768]
for information.
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4. MICROSOFT CO., LTD. AND SOFTBANK CORP. FORM WINDOWS 95
GAME ALLIANCE
Tokyo - June 22, 1995 - Microsoft Co., Ltd. and SOFTBANK
Corporation today announced an alliance to publish and
promote personal computer game software for the
Microsoft (R) Windows (R) 95 operating system. The two
companies plan to establish a joint venture, GAMEBANK
Corporation, to port game software to the Windows 95
platform in Japan.
Headed by Masayoshi Son, president of SOFTBANK, GAMEBANK
will secure publishing rights from game software
manufacturers and handle marketing, sales, and
distribution of games software in Japan. Porting of game
software to the Windows 95 platform will be handled by
GAMEBANK, Kinesoft, an Illinois-based software porting
tool developer that was acquired by SOFTBANK in late
May 1995, and others.
Worldwide, the home video game category is enjoying steady
growth based on the popularity of games with increasingly
realistic sound and graphics. Until now, the PC Microsoft
Japan and SOFTBANK Form Windows 95 Games Alliance has
remained a small player in this market compared to TV
consoles because of the PC's inferior hardware and
software performance for games. The advent of Windows 95
will change that by including functionality to make PCs
a superior gaming platform. These improvements will likely
expand the overall gaming demand, and benefit the industry,
by adding a whole new medium in which to play games.
Windows 95 Support for Games
Windows 95 will feature important advantages as a gaming
platform including better graphics, easy connectivity,
and high-fidelity and low-latency sound. The new operating
system is expected to greatly improve PC game response
speed, graphics performance, and multimedia functionality,
bringing PC game performance up to par with TV console
games.
At the Computer Game Developers Conference in Santa
Clara, Calif. in April, Microsoft announced the beta
release of a Windows 95 Software Development Kit (SDK)
and game subsystem specifically designed to provide game
developers with the tools, technology and system services
they need to create high performance games for Windows 95.
To further reinforce its commitment to Windows 95 as a
gaming platform in Japan, Microsoft will hold a Game
Developers Conference in Tokyo this Fall to help Japanese
developers take advantage of this new game technology.
GAMEBANK will help port games to Windows 95 in conjunction
with game software publishers, home-use TV game software
manufacturers, commercial arcade Microsoft Japan and
SOFTBANK Form Windows 95 Games Alliance game software
manufacturers, and PC game software manufacturers by
helping provide game software manufacturers with new
business opportunities on the Windows 95 platform.
Founded in 1981, SOFTBANK is Japan's largest distributor
of computer software, peripherals, and systems, as well
as Japan's largest publisher of computer-related
magazines and books.
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5. MICROSOFT HOLDS DESIGN PREVIEW FOR CONFERENCING API
FOR WINDOWS
On June 15, 1995, Microsoft Corporation held a design
preview for the industry leading software developers to
provide the industry a first look at Microsoft's
conferencing API for Windows (R).
This conferencing API provides the framework within
Windows to make software "conferencing-aware". The Windows
conferencing API is designed to allow software
developers to quickly and easily add conferencing
capabilities to their applications for Microsoft Windows.
These capabilities will enable their customers to improve
their productivity and effectiveness through real-time
collaboration.
The Windows conferencing API will enhance Windows by
adding the ability to simultaneously "share" applications
among a group of users, annotate documents or share a
white board, or provide easy file transfer to the core set
of Windows application features.
Application developers using the Windows conferencing API
will leverage key ease of use features in Windows 95, a
standardized user interface, Plug and Play support, and
integrated networking and communications support.
Microsoft designed the Windows conferencing API with
assistance from design partner PictureTel Corporation and
from Intel Corporation.
"Adding real-time collaboration features to Microsoft
Windows will make people even more productive with their
applications," said Paul Maritz, senior vice president of
the systems division at Microsoft. "Today's workforce is
increasingly mobile, teams have members in physically
disparate locations, yet have the need to come together
and work on projects as a group. The Windows conferencing
API will help customers get their work done together by
adding real-time data conferencing capabilities to their
Windows-based applications."
Microsoft is an active member of the International
Multimedia Teleconferencing Consortium (IMTC), an
organization formed to foster a market of interoperable
products based on the International Telecommunications
Union (ITU) H.320 and T.120 suite of standards for video
and data conferencing.
Working with key industry partners, Microsoft facilitates
the design and implementation of open, extensible,
industry supported technology for Microsoft Windows.
Other technologies include Windows Sockets, Messaging API
(MAPI), Telephony API (TAPI), OLE and ODBC (Open Database
Connectivity).
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6. MICROSOFT INTERACTIVE MEDIA CONFERENCE JULY 18-20
Microsoft's Interactive Media Conference, scheduled for
July 18-20 at the Convention Center in Long Beach,
California, is designed to provide the information, tools,
and technologies needed to develop and deliver interactive
titles for Windows, The Microsoft Network (MSN), and the
Internet.
This conference will feature detailed sessions for the
technical, design, and business people involved in
interactive software development. In addition to general
Windows-based multimedia and MSN development discussions,
there will be sessions introducing Microsoft's Interactive
Television and Broadcast PC platforms. Speakers will
include Microsoft Chairman and CEO Bill Gates, who will
talk about Microsoft's interactive media strategy, and
Russell Siegelman, General Manager of Microsoft Online
Services, who will give an overview of MSN.
To register by phone, call (800) 206-3000 from the
United States and Canada, or (612) 550-6340 from outside
the US and Canada (Monday-Friday, 6:30 A.M. to
5:30 P.M. Pacific time), and ask for the Microsoft
Interactive Media Conference. The cost is US$895,
covering three days of training, materials, breakfast,
lunch, special evening entertainment, and takeaway
tools and technology.
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7. "NEW POSTINGS TO WINDOWS 95 WINNEWS SERVERS"
The new files are:
MPEGPR.ZIP Microsoft Licenses MPEG Engine
from Mediamatics
CDPLUS.ZIP Music Industry Applauds Microsoft's
Support for Enhanced Music CD Format
V2N9.TXT WinNews Newsletter, Vol. 2, No. 9,
June 19, 1995
To access to these servers:
On the Internet -
ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/PerOpSys/Win_News
(files above in "Docs" folder; past WinNews
issues in "Newsletter" 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
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