Microsoft Announces Win32 Driver Model; Windows Hardware Development
Simplified

Unified Driver Architecture and Interfaces for Windows 95 and Windows NT,
Component of Simply Interactive PC Framework Unveiled at WinHEC 96

SAN JOSE, CALIF. - APRIL 1, 1996 - Microsoft Corp. today announced the
Win32 Driver Model, which provides a common driver architecture for the
Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows NT operating systems. With the Win32
Driver Model, a single device driver can be written for both operating
systems, making it faster and easier for hardware developers to create
higher-quality drivers and innovative hardware at lower cost.

The Win32 Driver Model is a core technology for Microsoft's Simply
Interactive PC (SIPC), unveiled here today to leading PC hardware
engineers and executives attending the WindowsR Hardware Engineering
Conference (WinHEC 96). SIPC is the framework for PCs that are as simple
and convenient to use as consumer appliances and will become the center of
entertainment, communications and productivity in the home and office.
SIPC technologies that will use the Win32 Driver Model include new Plug
and Play device support for the USB and 1394 buses, as well as the OnNow
initiative, which was also announced here today (see related release).

"The Win32 Driver Model is a critical step in our strategy for Windows 95
and Windows NT to share technologies," said Paul Maritz, group vice
president of the platforms group at Microsoft. "With the Win32 Driver
Model, hardware developers can create drivers for Windows as easily as
software developers now create Windows-based applications using Win32
APIs. The result will be a broader range of innovative, high-performance
hardware for the entire Windows family."

"Cirrus Logic is a leader in software-rich silicon solutions for
multimedia, communications and storage applications," said George Alexy,
senior vice president of marketing for Cirrus Logic. "The Win32 Driver
Model will greatly streamline our driver development efforts by allowing
us to concentrate on a single set of drivers that exploit the full feature
set of our chips for Windows 95 and Windows NT. For the industry in
general, we think a unified driver architecture promises a new level of
simplicity."

WIN32 DRIVER MODEL ARCHITECTURE

The Win32 Driver Model's architecture provides a modular class-minidriver
structure. A logical class driver defines generic support for a new bus or
standard device command interface. A simple minidriver is used to extend
class drivers to support a specific physical device interface.

The Win32 Driver Model provides hardware separation between bus and
reusable device class drivers so they can be developed independently. For
USB, Microsoft is developing both a generic Win32 USB class driver and a
generic Win32 device class driver for input devices, such as mice,
keyboards and joysticks. The USB class driver that Microsoft is developing
can be extended by a minidriver to support specific USB host controller
interfaces such as OpenHCI and Universal HCI. The input device class
driver can be used without modification on another bus. Hardware vendors
can use a standard minidriver or easily innovate with the Win32 Driver
Model by writing a minidriver for devices with new capabilities.

The Win32 Driver Model will maximize system responsiveness and throughput
by providing extremely low latency services and fewer ring transitions,
which interactive applications demand. All Win32 Driver Model drivers
execute in Ring 0 and have access to low latency services.

AVAILABILITY

Microsoft plans Win32 Driver Model support for OnNow, USB and 1394 in
upcoming OEM service releases of Windows 95 later this year and in Windows
NT soon thereafter. Device class support will initially include audio,
input and imaging. Other device classes will be added based on market
demand. A beta driver development kit (DDK) will be released at an
industry Win32 Driver Model design review conference to be held at
Microsoft on May 15.

Additional information on the Win32 Driver Model is available on the
Microsoft Web site at
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/thirdparty/hardware/.

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.
 
 =========================================================
 From the 'New Product News' Electronic News Service on...
 AOL (Keyword = New Products) and Delphi (GO COMP PROD)
 =========================================================
 This information was processed from data provided by the
 company/author mentioned. For additional details, please
 contact them directly at the address/phone# indicated.
 Trademarks are the property of their respective owners!
 =========================================================
 All submissions for this service should be addressed to:
 BAKER ENTERPRISES,  20 Ferro Dr,  Sewell, NJ  08080  USA
 Email:   rbakerpc@aol.com   --or--   rbakerpc@delphi.com
 =========================================================
