NEW ORLEANS, June 1, 1998 — Microsoft Corp. today kicked off Microsoft TechEd 98, the company’s definitive technical conference for building complete solutions on the Microsoft® Windows® operating system. For five days, a sell-out crowd of more than 8,800 developers will be immersed in information on the latest Microsoft and third-party tools and technologies for building applications and complete solutions for the Windows platform. Microsoft TechEd attendees will choose from more than 250 sessions ranging from strategic overviews to highly technical, in-depth sessions. Attendees also will have the opportunity to participate in peer networking events and to attend demonstrations from more than 275 leading industry vendors.
“Microsoft is excited by the developer response to Microsoft TechEd 98,”
said Tod Nielsen, general manager of the developer relations group at Microsoft.
“We’re pleased to see so much enthusiasm behind the Windows platform, and we are thrilled to be providing a level of training and information that will enable developers to put what they learn to work immediately when they return to the office.”
“This will be my third year of participation at the Microsoft TechEd conference,”
said Ioannis Apostolakis, senior development engineer at Iconics.
“The conference gives me a head start with new software technologies, enabling me to make the right design decisions for Iconics next-generation 32-bit software. I look forward to this year’s Microsoft TechEd conference to get a preview of the future trends in software, as well as to exchange ideas with fellow developers.”
Microsoft Executive Keynotes
Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer, executive vice president of sales and support, opened Microsoft TechEd 98 this morning with a keynote address. Ballmer provided a comprehensive overview of how the Microsoft Windows operating system is the most complete platform for building integrated business applications. Ballmer also made several announcements in his presentation, including several new interoperability initiatives related to Component Object Model (COM) and Microsoft Transaction Server, the interoperability of Microsoft SQL Server
™
7.0 with the next version of Office, and the SQL Server $20 million database administrators (DBAs) training initiative.
Ballmer reiterated Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to the developer community and asked attendees to share their feedback about working with Microsoft via an online survey. The results will become the Developer Punchlist, a list of high-priority issues developers want Microsoft to address with regard to its products, programs and other ways that it works with developers. Balmer will make a commitment to the Developer Punchlist as a long-term activity between Microsoft and the developer community.
Developers will also have the opportunity to attend a keynote address from Microsoft chairman and CEO Bill Gates. Gates will give the closing keynote presentation on Thursday, June 11 at 4 p.m. via live satellite broadcast. Gates will provide a visionary look at the
“digital nervous system”
and will discuss how it affects developers, their businesses and their lifestyles. Gates also will describe Microsoft’s vision of the future of PCs and will demonstrate some of the latest state-of-the art technologies that will transform the digital nervous system concept into a reality.
New Additions to Microsoft
TechEd 98
Microsoft TechEd 98 attendees can attend not only the regular sessions and keynotes, but also the following new key elements:
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Daily general sessions. In response to attendees’ requests, each day will begin with a general session, Tuesday through Thursday. Each session will feature one of the most popular topics, based on developers’ past favorite picks.
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Hands-on sessions on the Windows NT
®
operating system 5.0. The Windows NT team will lead in-depth hands-on sessions that demonstrate the client/server view of the Directory Services and the Zero Administration initiative for Windows.
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Web technology sessions. Sessions are categorized into business scenarios and can be cross-referenced by product. This year, new Web technology sessions for Internet administration and Internet development will be offered. These new sessions are designed to help Web developers, administrators and designers take advantage of all the cutting-edge technology now available to unleash the full power of the Web.
Microsoft
TechEd Featured at Microsoft at the Movies
Microsoft’s commitment to developers does not stop at Microsoft TechEd 98. Developers unable to attend the conference will not miss out on the technical sessions and keynotes offered at the event. To reach even more developers, Microsoft at the Movies will rebroadcast some of the most popular sessions from Microsoft TechEd 98 in movie theaters across the United States and Canada on June 30, 1998. For $79, Microsoft at the Movies attendees will see a variety of sessions and receive a CD filled with valuable tools, technologies and resources. The CDs will also include slides and speaker notes from Microsoft at the Movies and Microsoft TechEd 98.
Additional Information
The Microsoft TechEd conference is one of many resources Microsoft provides to developers to help them benefit from the business opportunities enabled by innovations on the Windows platform.
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 and Windows NT 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.
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.
