ORLANDO, Fla., July 12, 2000 — Today at the Professional Developers Conference (PDC) 2000, Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft Corp., announced important steps toward the .NET Platform: the availability of the Microsoft® Internet Explorer 5.5 technologies and the technology preview of the 64-bit Windows® operating system and software driver development kit for the Intel Itanium chip. Gates addressed enthusiastic crowds of developers to further explain the Microsoft .NET Platform, Microsoft’s vision for the next generation of the Internet.
“The transition to .NET is as dramatic a transition as the move from MS-DOS® to Windows,”
Gates said.
“Developers are crucial to this effort because they will build the solutions that usher in a new era of truly distributed computing on the Internet.”
Gates announced the availability of the Internet Explorer 5.5 technologies and highlighted specific enhancements designed to provide developers with a more powerful Web development environment. Internet Explorer 5.5 builds on the strengths of the Internet Explorer 5 technologies and further raises the bar for enabling developers to create rich Web-based applications easier and faster. The Internet Explorer 5.5 development platform is the best path forward for Web developers preparing for .NET as it offers the ability to develop reusable components for use across the Internet, providing the first steps toward creating rich services on the Web.
Gates also announced the availability of the technology preview of the 64-bit Windows operating system and updated development kits for the Intel Itanium processor. This technology preview is a key milestone that provides developers and hardware manufacturers with a version of the operating system that can be used in the final development of next-generation 64-bit hardware and software. A key element of .NET is providing high-end scalable solutions to customers building and running next-generation Web services.
About Microsoft .NET
The Microsoft .NET Platform, announced June 22 at Forum 2000, is Microsoft’s initiative for creating the next generation of software, which melds computing and communications in a revolutionary way. This vision offers developers, businesses and consumers the ability to harness technology on their terms and the tools they need to create truly distributed Web Services making information available any time, any place and on any device.
About Microsoft
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, Windows and MS-DOS 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.
