Transition ActiveX Technology
Do Young Rhee (dyrhee@microsoft.com)
Sun, 04 Aug 1996 01:21:03 +0900
July 26, 1996
Microsoft Announces Decision to Transition ActiveX Technologies to an
Independent Standards Body
Microsoft Committed to Formalized, Open Process
REDMOND, Wash. - July 26, 1996 - Microsoft Corp. today announced plans
for fulfilling its vision of openness for ActiveX? by transitioning the
technology to an industry-standards body. A working group of customers,
ISVs, and platform vendors will convene in August to determine the
process for transitioning ActiveX into the control of an independent
organization. The group will be an independent, customer-driven
organization in which Microsoft is one of many members with an equal
vote in decision making.
Microsoft's contribution to this process will include specifications and
source-code reference implementations on multiple platforms, including
UNIX? and Apple? Macintosh?. Key technologies in the ActiveX reference
implementations include the Component Object Model (COM) and the
recently introduced Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM), which
binds objects together over networks such as the Internet. Microsoft
will also contribute the trademarks associated of ActiveX to be owned
and managed by the group.
ActiveX is an open, cross-platform set of technologies for integrating
components on the Internet and has been widely adopted by corporate MIS
and ISV communities. As the leading commercial object model, ActiveX is
used by millions of application and content developers today. Hundreds
of independent software vendors currently market over 1,000 ActiveX
controls.
"Microsoft's decision to turn ownership of the ActiveX framework over to
an independent third party is good for the network industry in general,
and customers in particular," said Jamie Lewis, president of The Burton
Group, an industry analyst firm specializing in network computing. "OLE
and DCOM - now called ActiveX - constitute the most widely used object
framework, but as technologies owned and controlled exclusively by
Microsoft, they were not vendor-independent solutions. In the hands of
a neutral standards body, ActiveX can become a vendor-independent
solution, enabling interoperability while allowing both developers and
customers to take full advantage of their existing investments in OLE
and DCOM technologies."
"A component object model is the fundamental technology that enables
objects on all platforms to interoperate," said Paul Maritz, senior vice
president of the platforms group at Microsoft. "The current broad
adoption of ActiveX attests to the value of this technology in
addressing an important customer need. We are now formalizing the
standardization of ActiveX because on the Internet, it is critical that
customers can rely on cross-platform, vendor-neutral standards."
"Microsoft's intent to submit ActiveX to a standards process is further
evidence of the new openness they have displayed since becoming serious
about the Internet," said Ward Harold, architect, MCI Communications.
"ActiveX is a promising technology. The DCOM component is a natural
extension of DCE into the object technology space. I'm sure that
submission of this specification will help ActiveX from the local LAN to
the wider world of the Internet."
"The direction to make ActiveX a powerful cross-platform standard
ensures that ActiveX will continue to provide the broadest choice for
customers with investments in all platforms" said Larry Sikon, director
of technical services at Montgomery Securities.
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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Microsoft, ActiveX and Windows are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other
countries.
UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries,
licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Ltd.
Apple and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer Inc.
For more information, press only:
Christian DeNike, Waggener Edstrom, (206) 637-9097, cdenike@wagged.com
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional
information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at
http://microsoft.com/corpinfo/ on Microsoft's corporate information
pages.
Thanks,
Doyoung Rhee
(02) 531-4628 , dyrhee@microsoft.com