Microsoft and Alibre Demonstrate .NET Technology

SAN FRANCISCO, June 21, 2001 — During a keynote address today at the InfoWorld CTO Forum, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer and Alibre Inc. CEO J. Paul Grayson together demonstrated Alibre Design
™ , a real-time interactive design service for manufacturers and their supply chain partners that will utilize Microsoft® Passport authentication and
“HailStorm”
notifications. These
“HailStorm” based technologies provide critical functions, allowing Alibre to focus on development efforts that deliver improved productivity and reduced costs to manufacturers.

Ballmer and Grayson are highlighting Alibre Design because it illustrates several key concepts of the next generation of software: It builds on a smart client, is delivered as a service over the Internet, features integrated communications, and harnesses Passport authentication and notification building-block services.

With Passport authentication, users need only sign in to their Windows® account to be authenticated for access to Alibre Design and other Passport-enabled application services. Alibre will use Windows Messenger and the
“HailStorm” -enabled services to provide integrated communication capabilities. By incorporating communications capabilities via Windows Messenger, Alibre Design users will be able to, for instance, contact their team members with questions or organize a Team Modeling™
session to review, discuss and modify 3-D product designs in real time. Users can also be automatically notified of design changes made by their team members, even when they are not active in the Alibre Design environment.

“Alibre Design is a great example of the type of next-generation software we believe can be delivered with XML-based Web services and .NET,”
Ballmer said.
“We look forward to continuing our work with Alibre to deliver rich solutions built on the Microsoft .NET platform.”

“Microsoft .NET is critical to our vision that the Internet enables real-time interactive design and manufacturing,”
Grayson said.
“By taking advantage of .NET, Alibre can concentrate on developing our core capabilities for the design process and delivering them more rapidly.”

About Alibre

Alibre Inc. offers a real-time interactive design platform that enables global manufacturers to drive quality through the supply chain, improving productivity, shortening manufacturing cycles and reducing costs. The Alibre Design service helps manufacturers and their suppliers work together to design and manufacture products using precise design data in an online, vendor-neutral environment, enabling them to go from model to metal faster. The simple, Web-based delivery allows manufacturers to easily deploy Alibre Design among any number of suppliers. Founded in 1997, Alibre is privately funded and based in Richardson, Texas. More information is available at http://www.alibre.com/ or by calling (972) 671-8492.

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 and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

Alibre, Alibre Design and Team Modeling are trademarks of Alibre Inc.

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.

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