Microsoft Releases Latest Virtual Machine for Windows

Award-Winning Virtual Machine Continues to Provide Fastest, Most Integrated Java Language Support

Redmond, Wash. - Dec. 7, 1998 - - Microsoft Corp. today announced availability of its latest Java Virtual Machine for the Microsoft® Windows® operating system, which continues to be the fastest execution environment for Java. According to widely used performance benchmarks, Microsoft's latest Virtual Machine outperforms competitors' most recent offerings by 30 percent or more. In addition, this version expands the options for developers who choose to integrate applications written in Java with the vast diversity of Windows-based software and services. An update to the Virtual Machine for Windows that shipped with Internet Explorer 4 is also being made available. Both of these versions include support for the Java Native Interface (JNI) to be in compliance with the recent ruling in the San Jose Federal District Court.

"By addressing the key customer requirements for faster performance and better integration with the rest of the computing environment, we've been able to make Windows the best place to run Java applications," said Tod Nielsen, general manager of developer relations at Microsoft. "We want to give developers the broadest choice in using Java to meet unique customer needs and achieve success in the marketplace."

Virtual Machine Offers Record-Breaking Performance and Broad Functionality

This release is the latest version of the Microsoft Virtual Machine, which for two consecutive years has won the PC Magazine Editor's Choice award for being the fastest and most compatible implementation in the industry. In addition to a new Just-In-Time Compiler that extends the Virtual Machine's performance leadership, this release also includes a number of new enhancements for developers. These enhancements speed the applications development cycle and simplify the integration of code written in Java with other languages, applications and services. The new Virtual Machine also continues to support both cross-platform applets as well as full-fledged Windows-based applications written in Java, providing customers with the widest possible range of solutions.

Customers will gain the following benefits from this latest Virtual Machine:

"As a Java developer, I've always preferred Microsoft's Virtual Machine because it provides the most functionality and best performance," said Eric Carlson, chief technology officer at Silknet Corp. "In practice, Microsoft's Virtual Machine offers the best of both worlds - the best support for basic, cross-platform Java and the ability to take full advantage of Windows."

Availability

This new Virtual Machine is available for customers with Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows NT® operating systems. Developers can immediately download this latest release of the Microsoft Virtual Machine for Java at no charge (connect-time charges may apply) from http://www.microsoft.com/java/. An update to the version of the Microsoft Virtual Machine for Windows that shipped with Internet Explorer 4 is also available from http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/mach.htm for end users who want to add just JNI support to their browser.

Internet Explorer users on the Macintosh and UNIX platforms who want JNI support can refer to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/mach.htm for information on using the native platform Virtual Machine that provides such support.

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