COM and SOAP Pioneer Don Box Joins Microsoft

REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 18, 2002 — Don Box, a leading educator, recognized authority on the Component Object Model (COM), co-author of the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) specification, and coiner of the term “COM is Love,” has joined Microsoft Corp. as an architect in the Microsoft® .NET Developer and Platform Evangelism Group. Box joins a renowned developer organization that includes the talents of distinguished engineers Anders Hejlsberg, inventor of Turbo Pascal and C#; Brad Lovering, a key architect of the Visual Basic® , Visual J++ (TM) and Visual Studio®
.NET development systems; and Stanley Lippman, one of the pioneers of the C++ computer programming language. Box will help develop Microsoft’s XML Web services architecture.

“Don’s reputation in the developer community is astounding, and his expertise with XML and SOAP will ensure that the Microsoft vision for XML Web services continues in the right direction,” said Eric Rudder, senior vice president of the Developer and Platform Evangelism Group at Microsoft.

Box is the best-selling author of “Essential COM,” “Effective COM” and “Essential XML.” He also is writing a series of books examining the .NET strategy titled “Essential .NET.” In 1998, Box co-authored the original SOAP specification with Bob Atkinson, Gopal Kakivaya and David Winer.

“The team here at Microsoft has the right vision about XML Web services,” Box said. “XML is a wide open frontier, which is part of the reason I wanted to come to Microsoft. We’ve only begun to see what can be done with XML.”

Earlier in his career, Box co-founded DevelopMentor Inc., a component software think tank aimed at educating developers on the use of the COM, Java and XML. A popular public speaker, Box is known for engaging audiences around the world, combining deep technical insight with often outrageous stunts — not the least of which was conducting a discussion on SOAP while in a bathtub full of suds at Tech?Ed Barcelona 2001. During his free time, Box enjoys jamming with fellow MSDN®
Magazine contributors in Band on the Runtime, which performs songs on various programming topics. Box is also responsible for the creation of a fashion line, starting with Don Boxers.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.

Microsoft, Visual Basic, Visual J++, Visual Studio and MSDN are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.

Related Posts