Windows NT

Microsoft Office adotpts HTML standard as compaion file format

Take HTML edititng further. full story

Symantec ships Visual Cafe 2.1 for Java

A necessity for professional Java Internet developers. full story

Lexmark offers MarkVision in Win NT 5.0

Delivers advanced Internet printer managaemnt. full story

Microsoft Office adotpts HTML standard as compaion file format

Microsoft Corp. has announced a commitment to use HTML, an open Internet standard, as the companion file format to its own proprietary format in the next version of Microsoft Office. This landmark design decision will let anyone on any platform read business documents created by Microsoft Office, including documents with rich formatting elements like Microsoft Excel charts and OfficeArt drawings. In addition to viewing, Office customers will be able to edit HTML files with all the rich document creation tools already found in Office. Taking HTML editing further, Office documents stored in HTML will enable "round-tripping" by implementing Extensible Markup Language (XML) technology to preserve all the Office-specific formatting in a document.

In its next version, Microsoft Office will be re-engineered to support both HTML and the current binary file formats. HTML support in Office will enable seamless round-tripping, which means that a customer can save an Office document in HTML and open it back up in Office without losing any important Office data such as PivotTable dynamic views or complex charts. Implementation of XML within the HTML document makes it possible to preserve Office-specific functionality, enabling Office and Web-browser users to exchange richly formatted documents with no loss of quality.

This announcement represents another major step toward helping customers get the most value from their intranet using Office. Today, Office 97 provides users with powerful, easy-to-use tools to publish their documents to the Web. This capability has enabled customers to use their intranet as a collaborative tool -one of the most compelling reasons customers are moving to Office 97. More than 20 million Office 97 application licenses have sold in less than a year, making it the fastest-selling business productivity application in history. Moving forward, Office will continue to embrace open Web standards such as HTML, allowing customers to take advantage of the powerful productivity tools on all their desktops.

Symantec ships Visual Cafe 2.1 for Java

Symantec Corporation, the leading provider of Internet development tools, has announced the availability of Visual CafÇ for Java 2.1 Database Development Edition, an open standard, multi- platform, Rapid Application Development (RAD) tool for writing, debugging and deploying Java applets and applications that interface with Windows 95/NT-based relational databases.

Through integrated support of JDBC an open standard for Java to database communication and bundling of Symantec's dbANYWHERE middleware server solution, Symantec's Visual Page HTML authoring application, Netscape FastTrack Web server, Netscape Communicator Web browser and Sybase SQL Anywhere database Symantec's award-winning rapid application development environment Visual CafÇ for Java 2.1 Database Development Edition offers the most complete package for developing, prototyping and deploying database aware Java solutions.

"This power-packed incremental release, coming just one month after Version 2, underlines our commitment to keep our customers at the forefront of Java development, and to bring them open development platforms," said Mansour Safai, vice president of Symantec's Internet Tools division. "The Database Development Edition of the award-winning Visual CafÇ for Java development environment contains every essential, advanced feature that professional Java Internet and intranet developers tell us they need to create business-critical Java applications and applets that connect with enterprise databases."

Visual CafÇ for Java 2.1 Database Development Edition provides a powerful upgrade path for current owners of Symantec Visual CafÇ Pro through the integration of the development power provided by the latest Java technology and the most complete set of tools to enable Java applications to interface with relational databases. In addition to including all the features announced for Visual CafÇ for Java Professional Development Edition, Visual CafÇ for Java 2.1 Database Development Edition also includes an integrated JDBC development environment, enabling:

Development of Java applets and applications that can use any JDBC driver; JDBC construction support through the database wizard; JDBC API support through the database wizard; JDBC construction support through the dbNavigator.

Also included in this release is an updated dbANYWHERE Server (Version 1.1), which provides performance improvements and enhanced error message handling.

Symantec's Visual CafÇ for Java 2.1 Database Development Edition is available now for Windows 95/NT and is expected to sell for an Estimated Retail Price (ERP) of $499.95

Lexmark offers MarkVision in Win NT 5.0

Lexmark International Inc. has announced that it is working with Microsoft to deliver MarkVision Internet printer management in Windows NT 5.0. A beta version of MarkVision for Windows NT 5.0 with integrated support for Internet printing and printer management is included on the Windows NT 5.0 Beta 1 CD.

Using new interfaces provided by Microsoft in Windows NT 5.0, MarkVision works with the print subsystem and the Internet Information Server or Personal Web Server to deliver advanced status and printer management capabilities via any Internet browser on any platform.

From a Web browser, users can discover available printers via the Internet, determine what features a specific printer has, get real time status information for the printer, install the appropriate printer driver, print to the printer and view print job status. In addition, administrators can view printer configuration and settings, monitor printer status and remotely diagnose and resolve printer problems.

"Support for the Internet has been seamlessly integrated into the printing architecture of Windows NT 5.0 to simplify Internet printing and printer management," said Jim Livingston, Group Program Manager Windows NT Development at Microsoft. "We are pleased that Lexmark is supporting this capability by integrating the advanced printer management features of MarkVision."

"Because of the strategic importance of Windows NT 5.0 to our customers, we have focused on the tight integration of MarkVision into this environment," said Glenn Hudson, vice president and general manager of attachment products at Lexmark.

A beta version of MarkVision for Windows NT 5.0 is included in the interim CD release announced by Microsoft November 21 which includes Windows NT 5.0 Beta 1. Windows NT 5.0 Beta 1 is available to all registered beta testers and to subscribers of the Microsoft Developers Network (http://www.microsoft.com/msdn). MarkVision for Windows NT 5.0 will be generally available from Lexmark, free of charge, soon after the general availability of Windows NT 5.0.

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		Microsoft Office adotpts HTML standard as compaion file format Take HTML edititng further. full story Symantec ships Visual Cafe 2.1 for Java A necessity for professional Java Internet developers. full story Lexmark offers MarkVision in Win NT 5.0 Delivers advanced Internet printer managaemnt. full story

		Microsoft Office adotpts HTML standard as compaion file format Microsoft Corp. has announced a commitment to use HTML, an open Internet standard, as the companion file format to its own proprietary format in the next version of Microsoft Office. This landmark design decision will let anyone on any platform read business documents created by Microsoft Office, including documents with rich formatting elements like Microsoft Excel charts and OfficeArt drawings. In addition to viewing, Office customers will be able to edit HTML files with all the rich document creation tools already found in Office. Taking HTML editing further, Office documents stored in HTML will enable "round-tripping" by implementing Extensible Markup Language (XML) technology to preserve all the Office-specific formatting in a document. In its next version, Microsoft Office will be re-engineered to support both HTML and the current binary file formats. HTML support in Office will enable seamless round-tripping, which means that a customer can save an Office document in HTML and open it back up in Office without losing any important Office data such as PivotTable dynamic views or complex charts. Implementation of XML within the HTML document makes it possible to preserve Office-specific functionality, enabling Office and Web-browser users to exchange richly formatted documents with no loss of quality. This announcement represents another major step toward helping customers get the most value from their intranet using Office. Today, Office 97 provides users with powerful, easy-to-use tools to publish their documents to the Web. This capability has enabled customers to use their intranet as a collaborative tool -one of the most compelling reasons customers are moving to Office 97. More than 20 million Office 97 application licenses have sold in less than a year, making it the fastest-selling business productivity application in history. Moving forward, Office will continue to embrace open Web standards such as HTML, allowing customers to take advantage of the powerful productivity tools on all their desktops.

		Symantec ships Visual Cafe 2.1 for Java Symantec Corporation, the leading provider of Internet development tools, has announced the availability of Visual CafÇ for Java 2.1 Database Development Edition, an open standard, multi- platform, Rapid Application Development (RAD) tool for writing, debugging and deploying Java applets and applications that interface with Windows 95/NT-based relational databases. Through integrated support of JDBC an open standard for Java to database communication and bundling of Symantec's dbANYWHERE middleware server solution, Symantec's Visual Page HTML authoring application, Netscape FastTrack Web server, Netscape Communicator Web browser and Sybase SQL Anywhere database Symantec's award-winning rapid application development environment Visual CafÇ for Java 2.1 Database Development Edition offers the most complete package for developing, prototyping and deploying database aware Java solutions. "This power-packed incremental release, coming just one month after Version 2, underlines our commitment to keep our customers at the forefront of Java development, and to bring them open development platforms," said Mansour Safai, vice president of Symantec's Internet Tools division. "The Database Development Edition of the award-winning Visual CafÇ for Java development environment contains every essential, advanced feature that professional Java Internet and intranet developers tell us they need to create business-critical Java applications and applets that connect with enterprise databases." Visual CafÇ for Java 2.1 Database Development Edition provides a powerful upgrade path for current owners of Symantec Visual CafÇ Pro through the integration of the development power provided by the latest Java technology and the most complete set of tools to enable Java applications to interface with relational databases. In addition to including all the features announced for Visual CafÇ for Java Professional Development Edition, Visual CafÇ for Java 2.1 Database Development Edition also includes an integrated JDBC development environment, enabling: Development of Java applets and applications that can use any JDBC driver; JDBC construction support through the database wizard; JDBC API support through the database wizard; JDBC construction support through the dbNavigator. Also included in this release is an updated dbANYWHERE Server (Version 1.1), which provides performance improvements and enhanced error message handling. Symantec's Visual CafÇ for Java 2.1 Database Development Edition is available now for Windows 95/NT and is expected to sell for an Estimated Retail Price (ERP) of $499.95

		Lexmark offers MarkVision in Win NT 5.0 Lexmark International Inc. has announced that it is working with Microsoft to deliver MarkVision Internet printer management in Windows NT 5.0. A beta version of MarkVision for Windows NT 5.0 with integrated support for Internet printing and printer management is included on the Windows NT 5.0 Beta 1 CD. Using new interfaces provided by Microsoft in Windows NT 5.0, MarkVision works with the print subsystem and the Internet Information Server or Personal Web Server to deliver advanced status and printer management capabilities via any Internet browser on any platform. From a Web browser, users can discover available printers via the Internet, determine what features a specific printer has, get real time status information for the printer, install the appropriate printer driver, print to the printer and view print job status. In addition, administrators can view printer configuration and settings, monitor printer status and remotely diagnose and resolve printer problems. "Support for the Internet has been seamlessly integrated into the printing architecture of Windows NT 5.0 to simplify Internet printing and printer management," said Jim Livingston, Group Program Manager Windows NT Development at Microsoft. "We are pleased that Lexmark is supporting this capability by integrating the advanced printer management features of MarkVision." "Because of the strategic importance of Windows NT 5.0 to our customers, we have focused on the tight integration of MarkVision into this environment," said Glenn Hudson, vice president and general manager of attachment products at Lexmark. A beta version of MarkVision for Windows NT 5.0 is included in the interim CD release announced by Microsoft November 21 which includes Windows NT 5.0 Beta 1. Windows NT 5.0 Beta 1 is available to all registered beta testers and to subscribers of the Microsoft Developers Network (http://www.microsoft.com/msdn). MarkVision for Windows NT 5.0 will be generally available from Lexmark, free of charge, soon after the general availability of Windows NT 5.0.

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