REDMOND, Wash., May 29, 1996 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the Microsoft®
Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK), a new tool for the popular Microsoft Internet Explorer Web browser that allows corporate information service managers, Internet service providers (ISPs) and Internet content providers (ICPs) to create customized versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer for distribution to their customers and end users. The Microsoft IEAK is another of the extensive suite of offerings available with Microsoft Internet Explorer. Other components recently announced include Microsoft Internet Mail and News, and Microsoft NetMeeting Internet conferencing software.
The company will distribute the kit without charge to the more than 700 ISPs who licensed Microsoft Internet Explorer 2.0. Microsoft has also made it available at no charge to all other qualified ISPs, ICPs and corporate customers; it can be downloaded at http://microsoft.com/ie/. The cross-platform solution supports the creation of master diskette and CD-ROM versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer for the Windows® 95, Windows NT® Workstation and Windows 3.1 operating systems and is scheduled to be expanded within 60 days to support diskette and CD-ROM distribution for Apple® Macintosh®
platforms. The CD-ROM version also includes the no-charge Internet Assistants for Microsoft Office applications for Windows 95.
“With the Microsoft Internet Explorer Administration Kit, corporate IS managers, ISPs and ICPs can customize Microsoft Internet Explorer to meet the need of their audience,”
said Brad Chase, general manager in the Internet platform and tools division at Microsoft.
“This is a great tool for companies to use to point customers and users to informative sites on the Web or the corporate intranet that they may not have known about.”
By stepping through an easy-to-use software wizard, Microsoft IEAK users can easily customize the Microsoft Internet Explorer start page, home page and favorites folder to reflect the specific needs of their organization and end users. ISPs are given the option of participating in a second level of customization, which allows them to co-brand Microsoft Internet Explorer with their company logo in the animated flag section of the browser and add their company name to the title bar.
“The Microsoft Internet Explorer Administration Kit makes a great product even better for our customers by allowing us to preset Microsoft Internet Explorer so customers have easier access to valuable information,”
said Mark Chestnut, vice president of sales and marketing at Northwest Nexus.
“We will be adding interesting local sites to the favorites menu, which is a feature our customers love.”
The Microsoft IEAK Wizard also walks ISPs through the process of creating customized end-user sign-up programs that they can freely distribute to users in more than 10 languages. Microsoft is the only company that offers Web browser distribution at no charge and with a high level of customization.
“Asia On-Line is the fastest growing online service in Asia, and we need to serve customers in different countries,”
said Tom C.K. Yuen, chairman of Asia Communications Global, the parent company of Asia On-Line.
“The combination of customization features and unparalleled international support makes Microsoft Internet Explorer a perfect browser for our needs.”
This release of the IEAK adds an additional component for distributors and administrators to include as part of their offerings – the beta version of Microsoft Internet Mail and News. Microsoft Internet Mail and News is a small, lightweight e-mail client and news reader targeted toward customers looking for a simple way to communicate using SMTP/POP e-mail and NNTP news. The IEAK allows for the customization and automatic setup of these services by allowing administrators to preconfigure the names of servers before distributing the software.
Corporate IS managers can use the Microsoft IEAK to preset the Microsoft Internet Explorer start page and search page to servers on their corporate intranets. Various departments in the company can have their servers added to the favorites folder. When Microsoft Internet Explorer is then distributed throughout the company, users have easy access to all the corporate resources.
ICPs, software developers, Web publishers, PC manufacturers and consumers are all accelerating their adoption of Microsoft Internet Explorer, making it the world’s fastest-growing Web browser as well as the only Web browser localized and available in 23 major languages and for all major Windows and Macintosh platforms.
More than 8,000 developers have already created Web sites optimized for Microsoft Internet Explorer, and that number continues to climb by 350 sites each week. Many of the leading PC manufacturers – more than 80 – ship Microsoft Internet Explorer preinstalled in their Windows 95-based PCs.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
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) 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, Windows and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Apple and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer Inc.
