ORLANDO, Fla., May 5, 1997 — Today at the annual Microsoft® TechEd conference, Microsoft Corp. outlined capabilities for a new generation of component-based distributed applications based on the Windows® operating system. These new capabilities will let organizations compete more effectively by allowing them to respond quickly to changing business conditions and more easily integrate new technologies into their applications.
“Just as businesses need to respond quickly, business software needs to be more flexible,”
said Bill Gates, chairman and CEO of Microsoft.
“The Windows platform offers a range of capabilities to let businesses easily create, manage and update applications built from modular reusable components.”
To strengthen Windows as a platform for distributed applications, Gates announced that Microsoft will include Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS, formerly code-named
“Viper”
) and Microsoft Message Queue Server (MSMQ, formerly code-named
“Falcon” ) with the basic network services of the Windows NT® Server network operating system, and the peer services of Windows NT Workstation and Windows 95. This brings the benefits of the MTS object-based programming model, shipping in MTS 1.0 since January, to a much wider audience. Microsoft Transaction Server is available now; Microsoft Message Queue Server and peer services are scheduled to ship later this year.
In other announcements, Hewlett-Packard Co. and Digital Equipment Corp. announced their intent to provide component object model (COM) technology, including its distributed features (DCOM), across a range of operating systems within the year, including HP/UX, Digital UNIX, Windows NT and Digital Open VMS. This move allows COM to be more easily used as the backbone for object interoperability in heterogeneous computing environments.
“Merrill Lynch is deploying Windows NT as its strategic platform for LAN, WAN, Internet and intranet applications,”
said Howie Sorgen, senior vice president and chief technology officer, private client services at Merrill Lynch Inc.
“Transaction Server provides Windows NT with a reliable, robust infrastructure to support mission-critical, object-based systems. The CICS and IMS integration features of Transaction Server will allow us to easily integrate our newer distributed systems with the host-based systems that drive our business today. The integration of Transaction Server features into the core operating system, combined with the emerging technologies including MSMQ, Active Directory and DFS, will enable us to develop full-function, distributed application systems, utilizing our WAN resources in the most effective manner. These applications will drive the business of Merrill Lynch.”
Microsoft Transaction Server enables businesses to quickly build and manage solutions from software components in the enterprise and on the Internet. The integration of MTS with Windows allows businesses to develop and deploy solutions that scale from notebook computers to clusters of enterprise servers. Microsoft Message Queue Server makes it easy to develop robust distributed systems tolerant of application and network failures. Microsoft Transaction Server, previously available for approximately $1,995, will be included with Windows NT Server 4.0. Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 is currently available for approximately $1,129 for the 10-user version.
The Windows operating system is the most comprehensive distributed computing platform available, spanning transaction processing, security, databases, development tools, Java
™
, HTML and electronic mail, making it easy for developers to focus on adding value rather than on re-creating infrastructure.
Microsoft TechEd is the definitive technical conference for building complete solutions with Microsoft technologies.
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. P>Microsoft, Windows and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems Inc.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
For more information, press only:
Ryan James, Waggener Edstrom, (503) 443-7000, [email protected]
Joscelyn Zell, Waggener Edstrom, (503) 443-7000, [email protected]
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