Re: WinNews Vol. 2 No. 16, September 18, 1995
Microsoft(R) WinNews Electronic Newsletter
Vol. 2, #16, September 18, 1995
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It has been nearly a month since Windows 95 was launched,
and many countries have had launches since August 24 as
well. As a result millions of people all over the world
are now running Windows 95, and have taken their computing
to a new level.
Many people have written to let us know what they would
like to see in future WinNews issues, and we will be
looking to provide that information in the coming weeks
and months. This issue has some important developer news
as well as information on 3-D graphics. You will start
to hear more about the games capabilities of Windows 95
in the coming weeks.
This issue of WinNews contains:
1. "HINTS AND TIPS" - Our regular feature offering some
helpful ways to use Windows 95.
2. "MICROSOFT DEMONSTRATES NEW LEVELS OF 3-D GRAPHICS
PERFORMANCE ON WINDOWS 95" - Here is a further
development towards the commitment of making Windows 95
a key game platform.
3. "MICROSOFT RELEASES MICROSOFT SPEECH API
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT KIT BETA FOR WIN32"
Details on the SDK which will enable developers
to provide applications for speech-recognition and
text-to-speech capabilities for Windows(R) 95- and
Windows NT(TM) operating system-compatible software.
4. "MICROSOFT SHIPS WINDOWS 95 CLIENT FOR SNA SERVER"
Details on the new Windows 95-based client new
32-bit 3270/5250 emulators and other SNA applications
running on Windows 95 that connect to a wide variety
of LAN protocols and host link types.
5. NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR MICROSOFT DEVELOPER PRODUCTS
FOR WINDOWS 95 - This past week Microsoft announced several
new product introductions for Developer products. Here
are some details, plus information on how to receive
e-mail on Developer products.
6. "NEW POSTINGS TO WINDOWS 95 WEB SITE AND FORUMS"
Our regular information of new postings to various
on-line servers locations - and how to access these files.
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.
As Windows 95 has begun to be rolled-out to end-users,
this issue's Hints and Tips are simple ideas that you can
suggest to the people you support.
A. Create shortcuts on the desktop
Right click on the desktop, choose "New" from the drop
down list, and select "Shortcut". After providing the
path and shortcut name, the new shortcut will be
created on the desktop.
B. Copying and Moving Files
Select the files you want to copy or move, right-click and
select "Copy" or "Cut". Open the destination location,
right-click and select "Paste".
C. Moving the Taskbar
If you don't like where the Taskbar is located
(it is at the bottom of the screen by default), you can
drag it to one of the other 3 edges of the desktop.
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2. MICROSOFT DEMONSTRATES NEW LEVELS OF 3-D GRAPHICS
PERFORMANCE ON WINDOWS 95
Reality Lab and Direct3D APIs Unleash Power of Creative
Labs 3D Blaster Hardware
LONDON, Sept. 12 - Microsoft today unveiled accelerated
3-D game performance on the Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 95
operating system using the Microsoft Reality Lab real-time
3-D rendering engine and the recently announced Creative
Labs 3D Blaster graphics accelerator card. At the ECTS
trade show in London, Microsoft demonstrated for the first
time games running under Windows 95 that were accelerated
by next-generation consumer-oriented 3-D game hardware,
marking an important milestone toward the goal of
delivering arcade-quality realism and playability for PC
game software.
Developers of Windows 95-based applications and games using
Microsoft Reality Lab and Direct3D (TM) APIs will see
their products accelerated automatically by the advanced
features of the Creative Labs 3D Blaster hardware, such as
high-speed polygon rasterization, perspective texture
mapping, and 640 x 480 pixel resolution by 16-bit color or
greater. As a result, game users will benefit from
arcade-like realism, fast-action game play, and a variety
of special effects enabled by this advanced technology.
"Creative's 3D Blaster is the first affordable accelerated
graphics platform to bring true 2-D and 3-D gaming
capabilities to the PC," said W.H. Sim, chairman and CEO
of Creative Technology Ltd. "The ability of Reality Lab
for Windows 95 and Direct 3D APIs to exploit all the
capabilities of 3D Blaster will enable developers to bring
stunning games to market very quickly."
"Windows 95 Reality Lab and Direct3D were designed from
the beginning to take advantage of next-generation
consumer-oriented 3-D game hardware," said Brad
Silverberg, vice president of the personal systems
division at Microsoft. "The combination of Windows 95
and the Creative Labs 3D Blaster card will take computer
gaming to a new level of realism and performance."
Developers may take advantage of two integrated Microsoft
3-D programmatic interfaces to harness the power of 3-D
game hardware: the high-level, comprehensive Reality Lab
API or the underlying, lower-level Direct3D API.
Reality Lab
Reality Lab is Microsoft's high-level, cross-platform 3-D
API designed for performance. It brings developers a
comprehensive, high- speed, real-time 3-D software
rendering library targeting volume consumer platforms, and
it has a small memory footprint. Reality Lab is the API
of choice for new high-performance, real-time, interactive
multimedia applications such as games and entertainment.
It is object- and scene-based and offers a short learning
curve that enables developers to write 3-D applications
quickly and easily.
In February of this year Microsoft acquired Reality Lab
with its purchase of RenderMorphics Ltd., the industry
leader in real-time 3-D programming tools for the personal
computer. The integration of Reality Lab with the
Microsoft family of graphics APIs is now almost complete,
and Reality Lab version 2.1 beta one is scheduled to ship
to developers in October. A second beta release is
planned for December, with the final release of Reality
Lab version 2.1 planned for availability during the first
quarter of 1996. Reality Lab will be integrated into a
future version of Windows and is built on top of a
low-level API called Direct3D.
Direct3D
Direct3D is Microsoft's new low-level, hard-core,
cross-platform 3-D API. First introduced to the developer
community at a 3-D design review in Redmond, Wash., in
August 1995, Direct3D is the API of choice for advanced
developers requiring the highest degree of control,
flexibility and performance while ensuring compatibility
with Windows and device independence. Direct3D is a thin
layer above real-time 3-D accelerator hardware that gives
developers easy access to the features of that hardware
and also offers optimal software rendering for hardware
features not present. In contrast to Reality Lab, Direct3D
is polygon and vertex based, requires object and scene
management to be handled by the application, and demands
thorough knowledge of low-level 3-D graphics
programming principles.
Direct3D allows developers to port existing high-
performance multimedia applications such as games to
Windows quickly and easily, enabling existing games to
take advantage of the Microsoft Windows game platform.
It also gives developers the flexibility to exploit their
own rendering and scene management technologies while
automatically enabling them to use the new generation of
3-D hardware accelerators. Direct3D will be delivered as
part of the Reality Lab beta program and will be
integrated with a future version of the Windows
operating system.
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3. MICROSOFT RELEASES MICROSOFT SPEECH API
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT KIT BETA FOR WIN32
Allows Windows 95- and Windows NT-Based Applications to
Be Speech-Enabled
REDMOND, Wash. - Sept. 5, 1995 - Microsoft Corp. announced
today that the Microsoft(R) Speech Software Development
Kit (SDK) is in beta testing. The Microsoft Speech SDK
enables software developers to provide native speech-
recognition and text-to-speech capabilities in their
Windows(R) 95- and Windows NT(TM) operating system-
compatible software.
The Microsoft Speech Software Development Kit includes all
the necessary tools for independent software vendors (ISVs)
to develop speech-enabled applications: a Microsoft speech
recognition engine, Centigram's TruVoice(TM) text-to-
speech-engine, sample source code, Microsoft Speech API
and necessary documentation. The Microsoft Speech API
will enable speech-engine and application vendors to
develop Win32(R) API-based software.
By enabling voice input and text-to-speech, Windows(R)-
based applications can enhance existing computing and
communications environments, such as remote telephone
access of PCs or hands-free communication from the PC.
In addition, it will enhance applications for people with
disabilities, when a hands-free interface is required.
"The Microsoft Speech SDK will enable the PC industry to
incorporate speech technology into a wide array of
Windows-based applications," said John Ludwig, general
manager, the personal systems division at Microsoft. "We
are committed to working with our affiliates to provide
customers and ISVs with the necessary building blocks for
developing speech-enabled applications."
Industry Support
The Microsoft Speech API has been developed in close
collaboration with the computer industry; first public
comment for speech was incorporated in 1993. The
Microsoft Speech API allows application developers to take
advantage of a number of state-of-the-art text-to-speech
and speech-recognition technologies, including discrete
and continuous speech recognition for uses ranging from
command and control to full dictation. Among those
supporting the Speech API are AT&T; Berkeley Speech
Technologies; Bolt, Beranek & Newman; Cambridge Group;
Centigram Communications Corp.; Digital Equipment Corp.;
Dragon Systems; First Byte; Kolvox Communications;
Kurzweil Applied Intelligence; Lernout & Hauspie;
SoftVoice; Speech Systems Inc.; Telia; Voice Control
Systems; and Voice Processing Corp.
"Centigram is excited about supporting the Microsoft Speech
API and growing the market for text-to-speech-aware
applications," said Dr. Bathsheba Malsheen, general manager
of the technology business unit at Centigram. "As a result
of our support for the Microsoft Speech API, Centigram has
made developing applications using text-to-speech with
Windows easier."
Making Software More Accessible
The Microsoft Speech SDK can make Windows-based
applications accessible to the growing number of end users
worldwide with visual or mobility impairments. Microsoft,
in collaboration with the industry, government and end
users, has created guidelines for improving Windows-based
applications for users with disabilities.
Additional Information
The final Microsoft Speech SDK is scheduled to be
available in early 1996.
Centigram and TruVoice are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of Centigram Communications Corp. in the United
States and/or other countries.
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4. MICROSOFT SHIPS WINDOWS 95 CLIENT FOR SNA SERVER
Provides a Reliable Platform for IBM Host Access from
Windows 95 Desktops
REDMOND, Wash. - September 12, 1995 - Microsoft Corp.
today announced the immediate availability of Microsoft(R)
Windows(R) 95 client software for Microsoft SNA Server.
The Windows 95-based client is a native 32-bit software
supplement to SNA Server version 2.11, an industry-leading
SNA gateway product that runs on the Microsoft
Windows NT(TM) Server operating system and connects PC
desktops to IBM(R) mainframes and AS/400(R) systems.
The Windows 95-based client for SNA Server provides a
robust platform for new 32-bit 3270/5250 emulators and
other SNA applications running on Windows 95 that connect
to IBM hosts over a wide variety of LAN protocols and host
link types. More than 20 independent software vendors
(ISVs) are planning to support SNA Server in upcoming
versions of their products for Windows 95.
"We are determined to make easy and reliable access to IBM
hosts from Windows 95- and Windows NT Workstation-based
desktops a key advantage of the Microsoft BackOffice(TM)
platform," said Vesa Suomalainen, general manager of the
SNA Server product unit at Microsoft. "Together with the
ISV products, the Windows 95 client for SNA Server provides
for complete access to IBM mainframe and AS/400
applications and data, making Windows 95 a great desktop
for customers with investments in mission-critical IBM host
systems."
The Windows 95 client for SNA Server includes the
following features:
- 3270 and 5250 applets. The Windows 95 client
for SNA Server includes single-session 3270 and 5250
emulation applets, which are intended for evaluation and
support purposes only (the applets are licensed for one
user per SNA Server-full-function emulators are available
from ISVs). The applets are native 32-bit emulators; they
can be used to evaluate the full functionality of SNA
Server version 2.11, which includes support for native
TCP/IP, IPX, and dial-up connections between Windows 95
and SNA Server, integrated security with Windows NT Server,
as well as load balancing and hot backup.
- ODBC/DRDA driver. The Windows 95 client
for SNA Server includes an ODBC driver for access to
IBM DB2(R) databases, such as DB2 for MVS and DB2/400,
by using the Distributed Relational Database Architecture
(DRDA) protocol. The ODBC driver is compatible with
Microsoft(R) Office for Windows 95 and allows applications
such as Microsoft(R) Excel to access data on the host
databases without additional host software. This ODBC
driver, developed for Microsoft by StarWare Inc., is
licensed for one user per SNA Server. Additional licenses
are available from StarWare.
- AFTP file transfer utility. APPC File Transfer
Protocol (AFTP) is an IBM-developed protocol that
duplicates for the SNA environment the function of the
popular FTP utility in the TCP/IP environment. IBM is
offering the host component of AFTP at a nominal cost for
most of the IBM host operating systems. With the AFTP
utility, customers can perform multi-megabyte file
transfers between the host and the Windows 95-based system
quickly by using native SNA protocols, eliminating the
need to install an expensive and CPU-intensive TCP/IP
stack on the host in order to perform FTP file transfers.
- APPC, CPI-C, and LUA APIs. To facilitate
development of new 32-bit Windows-based SNA applications,
the Windows 95 client for SNA Server includes a full set of
32-bit SNA APIs. APPC and CPI-C APIs can be used to
develop applications which use the LU6.2 protocol to access
other APPC or CPI-C applications on the IBM host systems,
or to develop 5250 emulators and other AS/400 access
utilities. The LUA API is available for development of
LU0-based banking applications for access to existing IMS
data; to develop 3270 emulators; or to gain programmatic
access to the LU1, LU2, and LU3 data streams. The APIs
are compatible with the WOSA SNA API standard; they are
also binary compatible with the SNA APIs for Windows NT,
as supported by the current SNA Server version 2.11.
- Dynamic tracing utility. The graphical tracing utility
included with the Windows 95 client for SNA Server
provides for easy diagnosis of connectivity problems.
Tracing can be enabled and disabled dynamically without
stopping running programs. The same utility can be used
by developers to step through the SNA API calls in their
own programs.
Broad Support from Leading ISVs
The following SNA connectivity vendors have been beta
testing the Windows 95 client for SNA Server since
May, 1995: Andrew, Attachmate, CNT/Brixton, Eicon
Technology, FutureSoft, ICOT, IDEA, IBM, ITS, Information
Builders, KnowledgeNet, Sybase/Micro Decisionware, Neon,
NetManage, NetSoft, Proginet, SAS Institute, Showcase,
Siemens Nixdorf, StarWare, Wall Data, and WRQ.
"The Windows 95 client for SNA Server provides us with the
reliable connectivity platform we require so that we can
focus on building our FUSION file transfer application,"
said Joe Mohen, chief technical officer for Proginet Corp.
"Our testing has proven SNA Server 2.11 to be twice as
fast and stable as any other Windows-based CPI-C product
and we are enthusiastically recommending it as the platform
of choice for host access to our customers."
"We view SNA Server as one of the main connection types
for our RUMBA(R) OFFICE 95 product," said York Baur, vice
president of marketing for Wall Data. "More and more of our
customers use SNA gateways to connect their desktops to
IBM mainframes and AS/400s, and rely on RUMBA's integration
on the desktop and SNA Server's integration on the server."
"Reliable host connectivity is the top requirement for our
customers in accessing mission-critical information," said
Carl Peede, vice president of Windows product marketing
for Attachmate Corp. "As we release our EXTRA!(R) Personal
Client for Windows 95, we expect many of our customers to
choose SNA Server as the connectivity platform for this
very reason."
"Reliability and simple network configuration are at the
top of the list of features that our AS/400 customers
require," said Raymond Chan, vice president of marketing
for NetSoft. "NetSoft's NS/Elite for AS/400 Access and
SNA Server provide a brilliant Windows 95 solution to
address these needs."
"We're recommending SNA Server as the connectivity platform
to our StarSQL customers for the simple reason that it is
the only product available with native 32-bit APPC support
for Windows 95," said Jim Mullen, CEO of StarWare Inc.
"We're obviously very pleased with the near-simultaneous
release of the Windows 95 client for SNA Server with the
commercial availability of Windows 95 itself."
Pricing and Availability
The Windows 95 client for SNA Server is available now as a
no-cost software supplement to SNA Server versions 2.1
and 2.11. The Windows 95 client can also be installed on
Windows NT Workstation version 3.51, although a compatible
Windows NT client is already provided with the current SNA
Server version 2.11.
Customers can download the Windows 95 client from the
Microsoft FTP server (ftp.microsoft.com/
bussys/winnt/sna-public), The Microsoft Network
(MSSNA forum), and from Compuserve (go MSSNA).
The same locations contain an in-depth technical white
paper titled "Microsoft SNA Server-the Choice for
Connecting Windows 95 Desktops to IBM Hosts."
Attachmate and EXTRA! are registered trademarks of
Attachmate Corp. IBM, DB2, and AS/400 are registered
trademarks of International Business Machines Corp.
Micro Decisionware is a registered trademark of
Micro Decisionware.
NetSoft is a registered trademark and NS/Elite for AS/400
Access is a trademark of NetSoft Inc.
RUMBA is a registered trademark and Wall Data is a
trademark of Wall Data Inc.
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5. NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR MICROSOFT DEVELOPER PRODUCTS
FOR WINDOWS 95
Last week Microsoft announced the upcoming release of
three new developer products:
Microsoft(R) Visual Test version 4.0
Microsoft(R) Visual C++(TM) 4.0
Microsoft(R) FORTRAN PowerStation
- Microsoft(R) Visual Test version 4.0
Scheduled to be available by early November,
Visual Test is an automated testing tool
that brings new levels of productivity to
developers and testers and makes it easier
for organizations to deploy mission-critical
applications for the Windows(R) 95 or
Windows NT(TM) operating systems.
Visual Test helps developers rapidly create tests
for applications of virtually any size and
created with any development tool.
- Microsoft(R) Visual C++(TM) development
system version 4.0 for the Windows(R) 95
and Windows NT(TM) operating systems.
Visual C++ 4.0 provides new features that
promote code reuse. This gives developers
the ability to write code once and easily
reuse it many times in many projects.
Visual C++ is the first C++ product to
deliver several concrete features that
make code reuse a reality.
- Microsoft(R) FORTRAN PowerStation
development system for Windows(R) 95.
FORTRAN PowerStation makes it easy
for organizations to downsize and migrate
legacy FORTRAN code from mainframes,
minicomputers and UNIX(R)-based
workstations to Intel(R)-based PCs running
Windows 95 or the Windows NT(TM) operating system.
FORTRAN PowerStation 4.0 allows customers to
create and run FORTRAN programs of virtually
any size and degree of complexity on a PC running
Windows 95. FORTRAN PowerStation 4.0
also makes it feasible for independent software
vendors and Solution Providers in various
engineering and scientific categories -- such
as computer-aided design, computer-aided
manufacturing, finite element analysis,
computational fluid dynamics and process
control -- to port their applications
to the Windows 95 platform.
If you are a developer and want more information on these
products, and all Microsoft Developer products, subscribe
to the free DevWire service which regularly sends updates
on Microsoft Developer Products via e-mail.
To subscriber send e-mail to:
DevWire@microsoft.nwnet.com.
In the body of the message text write: Subscribe DEVWIRE
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6. NEW POSTINGS TO WINDOWS 95 WEB SITE AND FORUMS
What's New
------------------------------------
- Using Third Party Internet Applications with Windows 95-
Provides background on Windows 95 support for the Internet,
and information on how to configure Internet applications
to run correctly under Windows 95 -
" News&Events/Clarifications/inetapps.doc"
- Explanation: Disk 2 Error Message During Windows 95
Install - "disktwo.doc"
Windows 95 General Information
------------------------------------------------
Updated "Questions and Answers" document:
"Augustqa.doc"
Technical Information and Support
---------------------------------------------------
- Updated Software Compatibility -
"MigraionPlanningKit/win95app.exe"
- Updated Support Assistant -
"Support/assist.txt" - "Support/assist.exe"
- Updated "Windows 95 Guide to Support" -
"Support/suppguid.doc"
- Windows NT Server Management Tools -
"ISTools/Nexus.txt" - "ISTools/Nexus.exe"
- Updated "Windows 95 System Check"
"MigrationPlanningKit/w95check"
Free Software
--------------------
- Updated Resource Kit Utilities
"Rkutil.txt" - "Rktools.exe"
Windows 95 Compatible Products
-------------------------------------------------
- Updated "Designed for Windows 95 Products"
"Windows95CompatibleProducts/logo_w31.txt" -
"Windows95CompatibleProducts/logo_w31.exe"
News & Events
----------------------
- Updated Windows 95 Availability Dates - "Dates.doc"
YOU CAN FIND THE ARTICLES LISTED ABOVE,
AND OTHER WINDOWS 95 INFORMATION:
On the World Wide Web at:
http://www.windows.microsoft.com
On the Internet:
ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/PerOpSys/Win_News
On The Microsoft Network:
Categories\Computers and Software\Software\
Microsoft\Windows 95\WinNews
On America OnLine: Use keyword WINNEWS
On CompuServe: GO WINNEWS.
On GEnie: MOVE TO PAGE 95
On Prodigy: JUMP WINNEWS.
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represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation
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