Microsoft Announces Windows NT Workstation 5.0 Logo Program

DENVER, Oct. 12, 1998 — At Microsoft Corp.’s Professional Developers Conference, the company today unveiled a preliminary draft of the Microsoft® Windows NT® Workstation operating system 5.0 logo requirements for application developers to solicit industry feedback. In addition, the company highlighted leading application vendors like FileNET Corp., InstallShield Software Corp. and Mission Critical Software Inc. who are already developing new products and tools optimized to run on the next version of the operating system.

“Microsoft is significantly reinvesting in the Windows® logo to help developers build better solutions for their customers and to make it easy for customers to know which products to obtain,”
said Yusuf Mehdi, director of Windows marketing at Microsoft.
“This new logo has been redefined to identify applications that are more manageable and reliable because they are optimized for Windows NT Workstation 5.0.”

“We’ve been very involved with Microsoft’s logo programs in the past, and they are clearly moving in the right direction with the new Windows NT Workstation 5.0 logo program,”
said Enrique Salem, CTO at Symantec Corp.
“Symantec has always been committed to our customers having a great experience with our products, and now new Symantec customers will be able to easily recognize the quality and purchase with confidence. We welcome Microsoft’s progress with the logo program and are committed to working with Microsoft to further evolve the program.”

Today, Microsoft is posting a draft of the Windows NT Workstation 5.0 logo specification on its Web site. The current draft is available for review at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/winlogo/developer/software/nt5page.asp . Application developers for Windows are strongly encouraged to provide feedback on this specification by Nov. 15 via e-mail to [email protected].

Windows NT Workstation 5.0 Logo Program

The Windows logo program was developed by Microsoft to help customers easily identify desktop hardware and software products that were designed specifically for the Microsoft Windows family of operating systems. This new logo targets both applications that are optimized to deliver the new benefits of Windows NT Workstation 5.0 as well as those that meet compatible standards on additional 32-bit Windows operating systems.

The logo program is divided into two levels of commitment and requirements for the software developer: the basic level and the gold level. The gold logo identifies products that are optimized to deliver customers the benefits of Windows NT Workstation 5.0. A product that carries the gold logo indicates to customers that the product meets certain standards, including these:

  • Provides a consistent, accessible user experience to reduce training and support costs

  • Uses Windows installer services to ensure a robust, self-repairing installation

  • Allows
    “roaming user”
    scenarios by properly separating user vs. computer data and settings, and by complying with system policies set by administrators

  • Supports OnNow and ACPI capabilities to deliver the best mobile computing experience possible

  • Meets requirements of the basic logo

Products that earn the basic logo have been tested to meet Microsoft standards for compatibility on 32-bit versions of Windows including Windows NT Workstation 5.0. A product that caries the basic logo indicates to customers that the product does the following:

  • Installs cleanly and does not interfere with system components

  • Uninstalls properly

  • Interoperates well with other applications on the system

  • Functions normally after the operating system is upgraded to Windows NT Workstation 5.0

The Windows logo is widely recognized in the software industry. By licensing the logo developers will benefit from the worldwide awareness of the Windows brand. Only by passing the test and licensing the logo can customers differentiate their products from the thousands of other Windows-based software products on the market.

Leading Developers Are Already Optimizing for Windows NT Workstation 5.0

Leading application vendors such as InstallShield, FileNET and Mission Critical have already accomplished a significant amount of work toward obtaining the new logo by designing their next-generation applications for Windows NT Workstation 5.0 technologies, specifically the Windows installer services. Windows installer services is a new technology introduced in Windows NT Workstation 5.0 that provides end users with a simple way to install and remove applications, or even install components of their software as needed. System administrators in corporate environments also benefit from supporting applications that are easier to manage, support roaming users, and are simple to deploy to a large number of users.

InstallShield is developing solutions with Windows NT Workstation 5.0 in mind. InstallShield can be licensed by other application developers to automatically make their applications support the Windows installer services and thus ensure the applications provide a robust, self-repairing installation.


InstallShield has been working very closely with Microsoft ever since the

introduction of Windows NT Workstation 5.0 technologies such as Windows installer services,
“said Eric Kaplan, emerging technologies manager for InstallShield.”
By adopting the Windows installer services, application developers will be able to provide their customers with solutions that are easy to install, manage and deploy. InstallShield for Windows installer allows developers to create reliable Windows NT logo-compliant installation packages.

FileNET is also planning to support the Windows installer.
“We see Windows NT Workstation 5.0 as a compelling opportunity to build a different class of integrated document management products,”
said Bruce Waddington, senior vice president, engineering, FileNET Corp.
“The Windows installer services technology allows us to build powerful yet manageable solutions for our customers.”

Mission Critical, a market leader in the systems administration of Windows NT, is preparing the next version of its product to be optimized for Windows NT Workstation 5.0.
“Mission Critical Software is already building the next versions of its products to take advantage of technology advances in Windows NT 5.0, including Microsoft’s Windows installer,”
said Kent Erickson, director of product management at Mission Critical.
“We are developing with Windows NT 5.0 in mind, so our customers can look forward to greater manageability and compatibility. We look forward to receiving the gold logo, which gives customers the confidence of knowing that our products run best on Windows NT 5.0.”

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, Windows NT and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Related Posts