REDMOND, Wash., July 31, 1996 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the release of the Microsoft® Windows NT® Workstation operating system version 4.0. Manufacturing of Windows NT Workstation 4.0 began today with general availability scheduled within the next month.
Windows NT Workstation 4.0 combines the ease of use of the Windows® 95 operating system with the reliability and security that have made Windows NT a success in the demanding workstation marketplace. International Data Corp. (IDC) recently reported that in 1995, shipments of Windows NT Workstation exceeded the combined workstation shipments of the two largest competitors, Sun Microsystems Inc. and SGI. IDC expects a 47 percent growth rate in Windows NT Workstation in the workstation market between 1995 and 2000. This momentum is due in part to wide-scale adoption of the open development environment of Windows NT 4.0, leading to support of over 6,000 different types of hardware.
The combination of Windows NT power and the Windows 95 user interface makes this latest version an ideal choice for mainstream business computing. This release also includes built-in networking support, providing secure, easy access to the Internet and corporate intranets. New administrative features now make it easier to manage and control, which helps reduce the total cost of operation.
“Today’s announcement is great news for our corporate customers, many of whom deploy a mix of Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation to get both the broad compatibility of Windows 95 and the power of Windows NT Workstation,”
said Jim Allchin, senior vice president of the desktop and business systems division at Microsoft.
Enhancements in Windows NT Workstation 4.0
The newest version of Windows NT Workstation includes these benefits:
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Greater ease of use with the Windows 95 user interface, including the familiar Start button, Taskbar, Shortcuts, Network Neighborhood, My Computer and more. Windows NT Workstation also includes Windows NT Explorer, providing users a hierarchical view, or tree, of each drive and folder on the computer, including network drives, making information management simple.
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Built-in access to the Internet and corporate intranets. Microsoft Internet Explorer is the easy-to-use browser designed for 32-bit Windows that provides easy and secure Internet access. Peer Web Services enable low-volume personal Web publishing in corporate intranets. PWS is tightly integrated into the Windows NT security model, ensuring safe and secure sharing of information.
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Easy to manage and control. User Profiles and System Policies allow system administrators to manage user desktops easily, including the ability to control access to the network and desktop resources as well as support for users roaming between multiple workstations. Also included is Setup Manager, a new utility that assists system administrators in creating installation scripts which reduce the time and effort required for deployment, as well as an improved version of the Windows NT Diagnostics Program to allow fast, remote desktop troubleshooting. These built-in tools help administrators reduce the total cost of ownership of distributed PCs.
Expanded Programs and Policies Target Smooth Corporate Migration
To make it easier for corporate customers to adopt and use both Windows NT Workstation and Windows 95, Microsoft has introduced the Designed for Windows NT and Windows 95 Logo program. This logo program is an evolution of the Designed for Windows 95 logo and signifies to customers that the products they acquire function on Windows NT Workstation 4.0 and Windows 95, and offer the benefits of 32-bit systems when they are run on either version of Windows.
Users of Windows NT Workstation version 4.0 will also benefit from an expanded support policy that raises the number of no-charge support incidents from one to two.
Pricing and Availability
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0 will be available within the next month for approximately $319. The price for customers upgrading from previous versions of Windows NT Workstation is approximately $149. For customers who have inadvertently used Windows NT Workstation 3.x as a server (with more than 10 inbound connections), a special promotional upgrade to Windows NT Server 4.0 is available for 90 days at $409.
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