Microsoft Corporation announced Microsoft® Internet Assistant for Word for the Windows™ operating system. During a press luncheon at COMDEX/Fall '94, Microsoft Chairman and CEO Bill Gates demonstrated the Internet Assistant, a free add-on that makes Word for Windows the easiest, most powerful tool for creating, exploring and sharing information on the fast-growing Internet. Internet Assistant allows users, whether novice or sophisticated, to access the world of Internet information directly from Word, the world's all-time best-selling word processor.
"The Internet is growing by leaps and bounds, and our customers have told us they want the same ease and power of Word when writing documents and exploring the Net," said Peter Pathe, general manager of the Word business unit at Microsoft. "With Internet Assistant, we've embraced the open standards of the World Wide Web for creating and sharing documents. Now, Microsoft Office and the Internet work together as one."
With Internet Assistant, anyone who knows Word automatically knows how to write documents for the Internet. Internet Assistant automatically generates hypertext markup language (HTML), the standard Internet file format, eliminating the need for users to learn the HTML format or spend time manually inputting the HTML tags needed to create Internet documents.
For users who want to easily create richly formatted compound documents, Internet Assistant makes the limitations of the HTML file format a thing of the past. Internet Assistant brings the ease of use and powerful features of Office applications to users by enabling them to create Internet documents in Word's own file format. With drag-and-drop ease, users can create hyperlinks between Word documents. Through the power of OLE, users can assemble compound documents using Office applications. Internet Assistant also makes it easy for organizations to create "internal Webs" by linking Word documents shared on internal network servers.
Each week, hundreds of individuals and businesses ranging from small special-interest groups to multinational corporations use the Internet--and in particular the World Wide Web, a global network service--to make their ideas and information available to millions worldwide. With built-in support for the most popular Internet protocols, Internet Assistant brings users access to the vast and rapidly expanding world of information available on the Internet, in the easy and familiar Word interface. Now, users can switch between editing and browsing with one click in Word, freeing them from having to learn and use different editing and browsing tools and from the cumbersome process of switching between applications.
With more than 19 million users, Word is now the all-time best-selling word processor worldwide. Word makes everyday tasks easier and faster, simplifies complex tasks, and offers consistency and integration with Microsoft Office applications. Microsoft Word first shipped for the MS-DOS® operating system in 1983, the Macintosh® platform in 1984, and the Microsoft Windows operating system in 1989. The current version of Word, Microsoft Word version 6.0 for Windows, began shipping in November 1993. More than 1.3 million users have switched from WordPerfect® to Microsoft Word for Windows.
The Internet Assistant requires a personal computer with an 80386 or higher microprocessor, Microsoft Word 6.0a for Windows or later, the MS-DOS operating system version 3.0 or later, 6 MB of memory (8 MB recommended), 4 MB of hard disk space, and a Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device. Also required is one of the following components: Microsoft Windows version 3.1 or later, Microsoft Windows™ for Workgroups version 3.1 or higher, or Microsoft Windows™ for Pen Computing. Most importantly, the Internet Assistant for Word requires an existing Internet connection . Internet connectivity can be obtained separately from an Internet service provider.
The Internet Assistant is posted under "What's New" on the Microsoft World Wide Web home page. Microsoft's home page can be accessed at the URL http.//www.microsoft.com/
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, MS-DOS, and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation.
Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.
WordPerfect is a registered trademark of WordPerfect Corporation.
For More Information, Press Only:
Waggener Edstrom, (503) 245-0905