MICROSOFT PUBLISHES ACTIVEX PROTOCOL ON THE WEB

DCOM Binary Protocol Available for the Internet Community to Review; First
Step in Evolution to an Internet Standard for Distributed Components

REDMOND, WASH. - MAY 2, 1996 - Microsoft Corp. today announced publication
on the Internet of a document that describes the binary network protocol
for DCOM - the Distributed Component Object Model - a key ActiveX
technology for building powerful Internet and intranet applications. (DCOM
was previously referred to as Network OLE.)

"Component applications on the Internet today are tiny little islands in a
huge sea of Web pages," said James Utzschneider, group product manager for
server development at Microsoft. "As the Internet evolves into an
environment for distributed applications, these islands will need a fast
and safe way to talk to each other. We are presenting DCOM as a solution
for open consideration by the Internet community."

This initial step will enable Internet developers and ISVs to participate
in an open discussion of how to apply DCOM - a protocol that enables
software components to communicate directly with each other across a
network in a reliable, secure and efficient manner - to meet the evolving
requirements for distributed applications on the Internet. DCOM is based
on the Open Software Foundation's DCE-RPC specification, and utilizes both
its concepts and implementation. DCOM's design enables it to be used
across multiple network transports, including popular Internet protocols
such as HTTP.

Because DCOM is an ActiveX technology, its design enables it to work with
both Java applets and ActiveX components through use of the Component
Object Model (COM). For example, a developer could use Java to build a Web
browser applet that calculates the value of a portfolio of securities,
using DCOM to communicate stock values to the applet in real time over the
Internet.

DCOM FAST FACTS

 DCOM was developed by Microsoft and is currently in beta testing
 with the MicrosoftR Windows NTR 4.0 operating system.

 Microsoft plans to ship versions of DCOM later this year for
 Windows NT and the Windows 95 operating system.

 Microsoft will begin a beta test of a MacintoshR version of
 DCOM later this year.

 Software AG and Digital Equipment Corp. are porting DCOM to other
 operating systems, including multiple implementations of UNIX.

 The Object Management Group is working on a specification for DCOM
 applications to communicate directly with CORBA-compliant object
 request brokers.

The DCOM protocol description was submitted as an Internet Draft according
to the rules outlined in
http://ds1.internic.net/internet-drafts/1id-abstracts.txt and in
conformance with the format specified in RFC 1543,
http://ds.internic.net/rfc/rfc1543.txt.

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.
 
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