Microsoft to Package Shockwave With Windows 95 and Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0; Macromedia to Integrate Shockwave With ActiveX and Microsoft Internet Explorer
CHICAGO, June 3, 1996 — Microsoft Corp. and Macromedia Inc. today announced an agreement integrating Macromedia® Shockwave with Microsoft®
ActiveX
™technologies and Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0, delivering a rich multimedia experience to millions of customers browsing the World Wide Web. Under the agreement, Shockwave will be the first ActiveX control that Microsoft packages with Microsoft Internet Explorer, the Windows®
95 operating system, and the Windows 95 original equipment manufacturers kit, providing easier delivery of Shockwave. Macromedia will support ActiveX as well as Microsoft Internet Explorer within Shockwave and the Backstage Designer Web authoring tool.
“With 2 million downloads, Macromedia Shockwave is rapidly becoming the standard for multimedia on the Internet,”
said John Ludwig, vice president of the platforms group at Microsoft.
“Now, by supporting the ActiveX platform, Shockwave is available to a host of new developers and to millions of customers browsing the World Wide Web with Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0.”
“This agreement will instantly bring Shockwave to millions of Microsoft Internet Explorer customers and will further stimulate an increase in the number of publishers adding compelling interactivity and multimedia to their World Wide Web pages,”
said Bud Colligan, chairman and CEO of Macromedia.
“We look forward to our ongoing relationship with Microsoft and to continuing to bring our award-winning tools to the Windows platform.”
Shockwave: Setting the Standard
Macromedia’s Shockwave has become the standard for multimedia and graphics on the Internet, with exponential growth in the number of
“shocked”
sites and 2 million Shockwave viewers downloaded from http://www.macromedia.com/. High-profile sites such as Paramount’s Mission Impossible, the Discovery Channel Online, Sportsline USA, Disney’s James and the Giant Peach, Virgin Interactive and General Motors are among the thousands of leading Web sites using Shockwave technology to
“shock”
the Internet with interactive multimedia and graphics.
Momentum Builds for ActiveX
Microsoft introduced ActiveX technologies in March to thousands of developers attending the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference – Building Internet Applications. ActiveX technologies make it easy for the broadest range of software developers and Web designers to build dynamic content for the Internet and the PC. More than 100 ISVs already ship products that support ActiveX today, and many more are developing such products.
Pricing and Availability
Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 and the ActiveX control of Macromedia Shockwave is scheduled to be available for download this summer at no charge from http://microsoft.com/ and http://www.macromedia.com/. Macromedia Shockwave is intended to be included with Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0, the next versions of Windows 95, the Windows 95 original equipment manufacturers kit and the Microsoft Internet Starter Kit.
About Macromedia
Macromedia Inc. (NASDAQ: MACR) is the leading provider of cross-platform software tools for graphics, multimedia and Web publishing. Headquartered in San Francisco, only Macromedia delivers a complete, affordable set of software tools for digital media creation and delivery anywhere. Macromedia’s award-winning products for Windows, Macintosh®
and the Internet are available to business, education and government customers in more than 50 countries. Additional information on Macromedia is available on the Internet at http://www.macromedia.com/.
About Microsoft
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 and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Macromedia is a registered trademark of Macromedia Inc.
Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer Inc.
