Microsoft and EarthWeb Team Up to Provide Online Advertising And Distribution Discounts for J/Advantage Members

Microsoft and EarthWeb Team Up to Provide Online Advertising And Distribution Discounts for J/Advantage Members

REDMOND, Wash. – June 9, 1997 – Microsoft Corp. and EarthWeb Inc. today announced new marketing programs that give Microsoft® J/Advantage members significant discounts for online advertising and distribution through EarthWeb’s popular Gamelan Web site. J/Advantage members will receive advertising discounts of 30 percent and distribution discounts of up to 50 percent. This marketing program is available now to all current J/Advantage members.

Microsoft and EarthWeb are jointly sponsoring the 30 percent advertising discount, which reduces the price of advertising on Gamelan for J/Advantage members from $8,000 per 100,000 impressions to $5,600. To accommodate the anticipated interest, EarthWeb has reserved 1 million monthly advertising impressions.

In addition, EarthWeb is offering discounts to J/Advantage members who want to offer their Java
™
applications, JavaBeans and tools through Gamelan’s marketplace, Developer Direct, at http://www.developerdirect.com/. EarthWeb is reducing the vendor relationship setup fee by 50 percent to $500. For products distributed via automatic online download, EarthWeb is reducing the standard commission from 35 percent of the retail price to 20 percent. For transactions fulfilled by the vendor, EarthWeb is reducing the standard commission from 25 percent to 15 percent.

J/Advantage is the industry’s most comprehensive support program for commercial Java developers. J/Advantage provides technical information and marketing assistance to independent developers creating Java applications with Microsoft Application Foundation Classes (AFC) for Java, creating components in Java using ActiveX
™technologies or JavaBeans, supporting the Microsoft Virtual Machine for Windows® or creating add-ons for the Microsoft Visual J++
™
Web development system.

“Gamelan was created to serve the unique needs of the development community,” said Murray Hidary, co-founder and executive vice president at EarthWeb. “Working with Microsoft to provide J/Advantage members an affordable way of promoting and selling their products is an ideal complement to this mission. We look forward to the program’s successful launch and to continuing initiatives that support developers.”

“Our strategy for Java is to offer both the technologies and business tools that independent Java developers need to be successful,” said Tod Nielsen, general manager of developer relations and platform marketing at Microsoft. “This major new advertising and distribution deal with EarthWeb will make it easier and more cost-effective for our ISVs to reach the broadest possible audience. These business development activities benefit developers as well as our members because they bring the products to the consumers.”

“Microsoft is really hardcore about helping commercial developers succeed, and this new marketing opportunity is the latest proof of that,” said Scot Wingo, co-founder of Stingray Software Inc. “This new Microsoft promotion with EarthWeb will make it easier for us to market and sell our Java AFC products to more people than ever before.”

Founded in 1994, EarthWeb provides essential products and services for Internet developers. Created in October 1995, Gamelan is the primary Java source for Internet and intranet software and site developers. It features the world’s largest directory of reviewed Java resources, product descriptions and reviews, technology news features, live events coverage and tutorials.

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, ActiveX, Windows and Visual J++ 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.

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.

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