Windows to become the web?

Mike Holderness SEATTLE, Thursday 07/12/95

Windows 95 users will from next year have a seamless World-Wide Web interface to their own computer, their local network and the internet. In what observers saw as a late -- but probably just- in-time -- U-turn to head off a serious threat from the internet and World-Wide Web tools such as Netscape, Microsoft founder Bill Gates announced a wide range of changes to company strategy on Thursday in Seattle. A senior vice-president of the company later agreed that Microsoft had "fouled up" in not reacting to the internet earlier.

The company will next year ship the "Internet add-on" to Windows 95. No specific date or price was given -- a Microsoft vice- president later would only say "less than $100 and more than $3". The product will allow users to give their entire system the "look and feel" of the Web.

There was more immediate financial fall-out from Gates's announcement of its Internet Explorer 2.0 web browser: "here's the deal: our browser is free". Recently-floated Web browser manufacturer Netscape, which had dropped 9 3/4 cents to 161 1/4 on Wednesday in anticipation of Microsoft's announcements, fell a further [??] cents by the end of Thursday. Microsoft stock rose 4 5/8 on Wednesday and [??] after the announcements.

The Microsoft Network will by the end of next year have changed from a relatively enclosed online service into an internet information provider. Users will be able to access large parts of MSN regardless of which internet service provider they use.

Microsoft aims "to replace TV as the number 1 after-school activity" for children with a range of WWW services for them. In the next year they also plan to launch 12 multi-user computer games, starting with an internet version of an aerial dogfight game.