http://www.microsoft.com/TechNet/desk/office/xlwdntpr.htm (PC Press Internet CD, 03/1996)

9/19 - Microsoftr Word 6.0 and Microsoftr Excel 5.0 for Windows NT Workstation

Microsoft Announces Word 6.0 And Microsoft Excel 5.0 For Windows NT Workstation - Bringing the Power of Windows 32-Bit Applications to Microsoft Office

DALLAS, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- This week Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq: MSFT) will announce Microsoftr Word 6.0 and Microsoft Excel 5.0 for the Microsoft Windows NT Workstation operating system version 3.5. Also available as part of Microsoft Office for Microsoft Windows NT Workstation, the 32-bit versions of Word 6.0 and Microsoft Excel 5.0 combine the same award-winning features available in the Windows operating system 3.1 versions of the products with the powerful 32-bit capabilities offered by the Windows NT Workstation operating system.

Full-Featured, 32-Bit Applications Offer Increased Productivity and Cross-Platform Advantages

The Windows NT Workstation versions of Microsoft Excel and Word are full-featured, true 32-bit applications offering the same ease of use, IntelliSense technology and integration found in the Windows and Macintosh versions of the products. In addition, a common user-interface design and seamless file conversion across the Windows, Windows NT Workstation, Macintosh and Power Macintosh platforms helps allow cross-platform customers to substantially minimize training and support costs.

"It's important for us to have our employees up and running quickly when we invest in new software, which is often a challenge because our offices use a combination of machines running Windows, Windows NT and Macintosh operating systems," said Scott Piper, network analyst at Public Service Co. of Colorado. "We need software that makes the best use of our training and support efforts while allowing our employees to share files between platforms. Microsoft gives us the cross-platform solution we need."

Microsoft Windows NT Workstation Offers Added Functionality to Applications

Because Word 6.0 and Microsoft Excel 5.0 for Windows NT Workstation are 32-bit applications, they bring users enhanced benefits beyond those found in the 16-bit Windows versions of the products. By running on Windows NT Workstation, these applications can take advantage of the advanced security, improved performance, and robust feature set offered by Windows NT Workstation, making possible an even wider range of business solutions. Among the advantages offered by the Windows NT Workstation versions of Word 6.0 and Microsoft Excel 5.0 are the following:

Improved resource management. The exceptional resource- management capabilities offered by Windows NT Workstation make it easier for Word 6.0 and Microsoft Excel 5.0 for Windows NT to work with large amounts of data. ú Word. Improved Master Document capabilities in Word 6.0 for Windows NT Workstation make it easier for users to create and manage long, complex documents.
Microsoft Excel. In Microsoft Excel 5.0 for Windows NT Workstation, users are no longer restricted by the 64K memory cache available with Windows. Users can now create larger spreadsheets and import larger amounts of data for pivot table analysis.
Support for long file names. With Word 6.0 and Microsoft Excel 5.0 for Windows NT Workstation, users will be able save their documents with descriptive file names of up to 255 characters, making it easier to manage and identify documents.
Increased security. All Word 6.0 and Microsoft Excel 5.0 for Windows NT toolbars, user settings and user preferences are stored in the Configuration Registry in Windows NT Workstation, allowing systems administrators whose users are sharing workstations to create customized word processing and spreadsheet environments for each user.
Multithreaded printing. In Word 6.0 for Windows NT Workstation, background printing is implemented as a separate thread. Thus, users can continue working on their documents while other documents are printing.

"Many of our word processing documents and spreadsheets are extremely large, so document management has been a big issue for us," said Gunter Guckel, MIS director for the Essex Group. "We have noticed considerable improvement in both speed and performance while running the 32-bit versions of Microsoft Excel 5.0 and Microsoft Word 6.0 on Windows NT Workstation."

Integration Across Applications With Microsoft Office for Windows NT Workstation

Now users of Windows NT Workstation can also take advantage of the consistency and integration enjoyed by the 5.5 million current users of Office 4.2 for Windows. "We've seen strong customer demand for Microsoft Office in corporate accounts," said Pete Higgins, senior vice president of the desktop applications division at Microsoft. "For those customers who are moving to the Windows NT Workstation platform and for those who are working in cross-platform environments that include Windows NT Workstation, Microsoft Office for Windows NT Workstation is the best way to get these applications."

Microsoft Office 4.2 for Windows NT Workstation features 32-bit versions of Microsoft Word 6.0 and Microsoft Excel 5.0, a 16-bit version of the Microsoft PowerPoint presentation graphics program, and Microsoft Office Manager. Because all the programs in Microsoft Office 4.2 for Windows NT Workstation are designed to work with each other, customers can use their 16- and 32-bit applications together seamlessly, taking full advantage of OLE functionality between the 16- and 32-bit applications. With Office for Windows NT Workstation, users can use the same features found in the Windows, Macintosh and Power Macintosh versions, including the following:

IntelliSense. Microsoft IntelliSense technology makes everyday tasks automatic and complex tasks easier. IntelliSense technology senses what users want to do and intelligently produces the desired result. The 100 most common tasks users perform with Microsoft Office can each be accomplished now in just one step. Examples of IntelliSense technology include AutoCorrect and AutoFormat in Word 6.0 and the TipWizard(TM) and AutoFilter in Microsoft Excel 5.0.
OfficeLinks. OfficeLinks allows users to focus on their work rather than the tools they're using by making it easier for them to seamlessly share information among applications. The core component of OfficeLinks is rich support for OLE. With OLE, users can edit software components such as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet right within a Word document. OLE also allows users to drag and drop charts, tables and data across applications.
Microsoft Visual Basic Technology. Because Microsoft Visual Basic(R) programming system technology is integrated in Microsoft Office, developers can now use Microsoft Office as a development platform for creating Windows NT-based custom solutions across applications and across platforms.
Microsoft Office Manager. Microsoft Office Manager (MOM) is a set of tools that makes it easy to use Office products together. MOM comes with a customizable toolbar that makes it easy to launch and switch between Office applications. It also includes Cue Cards that step users through the most common cross-application tasks.
Shared Components. In addition to sharing a common interface, Microsoft Office 4.2 applications also share a number of components, including the spelling checker, custom user dictionary, Microsoft Query Tool, equation editor, Microsoft Graph, ClipArt Gallery, font effects, setup, graphics filters and text conversion filters. The same code is also shared among specific features within Office, such as Find File and routing capabilities. Office was designed to share these common components across all Office applications so that users can make the best use of disk space and leverage the time spent learning new features.

Award-Winning Product Support Services

All users of Microsoft desktop applications have access to unlimited, no-charge support by a toll line, available Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific time. Customers can also choose additional, fee-based support options, including Priority Support, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Pricing and Availability

Microsoft Word 6.0 and Microsoft Excel 5.0 for Windows NT Workstation are available individually or as part of Microsoft Office 4.2 for Windows NT Workstation. Microsoft Office 4.2 for Windows NT Workstation is expected to be available for approximately $499 (U.S.) and approximately $675 (Canadian). Users of previous versions of Microsoft Office, Word, Microsoft Excel, or PowerPoint and users of competitive products can upgrade for approximately $299 (U.S.) and approximately $399 (Canadian).

The individual applications are each expected to be available for approximately $339 (U.S.) and approximately $460 (Canadian). Users of previous versions of Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel and users of competitive products can upgrade to their respective Windows NT Workstation versions for approximately $129 (U.S.) and $175 (Canadian).

Licenses for these Microsoft desktop applications are now platform independent. Therefore, current users of Word 6.0, Microsoft Excel 5.0, or Office 4.2 for Windows will not be required to reacquire a license if they move to Windows NT. Current users can call Microsoft to exchange their licenses for Windows-based applications to Windows NT Workstation- based applications. They pay only the cost of goods, shipping and handling. These customers must then "retire" their Windows-based versions of the products.

Microsoft Word 6.0 and Microsoft Excel 5.0 for Microsoft Windows NT Workstation will be available for Intelr, Alpha AXPTM, MIPSr and PowerPCTM platforms. All versions will ship in the same box on CD-ROM; an Intel-only version will also be included on disk. They will ship according to the following schedule:

Microsoft Word 6.0 for Windows NT Workstation:

For Intel, Alpha AXP and MIPS: 30 days after shipment of Windows NT Workstation
For Power PC: Fourth quarter 1994. Can be preordered with coupon included in retail box of product containing the versions for Intel, Alpha AXP and MIPS until product release date.

Microsoft Excel 5.0 for Windows NT Workstation:

For Intel and Alpha AXP: 30 days after shipment of Windows NT Workstation
For MIPS and Power PC: Fourth quarter 1994. Can be preordered with coupon included in retail box of product containing the versions for Intel and Alpha AXP until product release date.

System Requirements

For Word 6.0 or Microsoft Excel 5.0 for Windows NT Workstation:

-- Microsoft Windows NT operating system version 3.5 or later

-- Personal computer using a 486 or higher, or Alpha AXP, MIPS or PowerPC microprocessor

-- 12 MB of memory for Intel systems (16 MB recommended) or 16 MB (20 MB recommended) for RISC systems (Alpha AXP, MIPS and PowerPC)

-- Hard disk space required for typical installation of Microsoft Excel 5.0: 17 MB for Intel systems or 23 MB for RISC systems (Alpha AXP, MIPS and PowerPC)

-- Hard disk space required for typical installation of Word 6.0: 20 MB for Intel systems or 25 MB for RISC systems (Alpha AXP, MIPS and PowerPC)

-- One 3.5-inch high-density (1.44 MB) disk drive or a CD-ROM drive

-- VGA or higher resolution monitor compatible with Microsoft Windows NT 3.5 or later

-- Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

For Microsoft Office 4.2 for Windows NT Workstation: --Microsoft Windows NT operating system version 3.5 or later

--Personal computer using a 486 or higher, or Alpha AXP, MIPS or PowerPC microprocessor

--16 MB of memory required for Intel systems or 16 MB of memory (20 MB recommended) for RISC systems (Alpha AXP, MIPS and PowerPC)

--Typical installation requires 59 MB of hard disk space for Intel Systems or 71 MB of hard disk space for RISC systems (Alpha AXP, MIPS and PowerPC)

--One 3.5-inch high-density disk drive or a CD-ROM drive

--VGA or higher resolution monitor compatible with Windows NT 3.5 or later

--Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

Microsoft, PowerPoint and Visual Basic are registered trademarks and Windows NT, Windows, IntelliSense and TipWizard are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Macintosh is a registered trademark and PowerMacintosh is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. Alpha AXP is a trademark of Digital Equipment Corporation. MIPS is a registered trademark of MIPS Computer Systems, Inc. PowerPC is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.

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