Upgrade mailings were sent out to all *registered* users
via the US Postal Service on Friday, 4/6.

For Immediate Release

MICROSOFT DEBUTS NEW APPROACH TO PROGRAMMING
IN C PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM VERSION 6.0

BOSTON, Mass. -- April 10, 1990 -- Microsoft today
announced MicrosoftR C Professional Development System
version 6.0, an integrated system of powerful programming
tools that offers unmatched productivity benefits for
professional DOS*, WindowsTM and OS/2 programmers. Designed
with a new approach for today's larger, more complex
applications development, the product automatically manages
a variety of project details that were previously handled
manually and provides new views into programmers' code.
Another area of major improvement is the underlying compiler
technology: Compiled programs are typically 7 to 10 percent
smaller and 10 percent faster than previously with Microsoft
C version 5.1.
With C 6.0, Microsoft debuts its new Source
Browser, a tool with which programmers can interactively
browse through a project database, reviewing the
relationships and use of variables, functions, definitions
and macros in their code.

"The software industry relies on Microsoft C,"
said Bill Gates, chairman and CEO at Microsoft Corporation.
"Customers say they want dependable tools that will allow
them to write fast applications in less time. We've built C
6.0 with this objective in mind."
The new C Professional Development System includes
an integrated development environment called Programmer's
WorkBench, an extensible foundation on which all tools are
run. The environment supports the Source Browser; a highly
optimized C compiler with new language features; and a
redesigned and enhanced version of the Microsoft CodeViewR
debugger.

ENHANCED DEVELOPER PRODUCTIVITY THROUGH PROGRAMMER'S WORKBENCH
Programmer's WorkBench is an integrated
development environment with an open architecture. Taking a
project-centered approach, it integrates the editor, Source
Browser project database, build and add-on tools, and
CodeView debugger. The environment, which is identical under
both the MS-DOSR and OS/2 operating systems, has an
intuitive user interface, as well as the intelligence to
remember details and settings between sessions.
"The Microsoft Programmer's WorkBench is the first
integrated development environment that lets me do
`industrial-strength' development" said Louis Linder,
applications project manager at New York Life. "Its flexible
dynamic multiwindowed interface, array and structure
expansion features, and CodeView's full memory usage make C
6.0 a winner."
Microsoft is publishing programming interfaces
that will allow other vendors to offer tools that can
seamlessly run in the Programmer's WorkBench environment,
further simplifying programmers' development projects. Sixty
vendors have pledged to support C 6.0; 12 announced their
products today.

SOURCE BROWSER PROVIDES NEW VIEWS INTO SOURCE CODE
Also accessible from the Programmer's WorkBench is
the Source Browser, a tool that allows access to a highly
detailed project database created by the compiler itself.
During the compilation and linking process, compilers create
a huge amount of information. With the Source Browser, this
wealth of information is now accessible.
Programmers and now quickly view the calling
sequence of a program, find the definition of a variable or
function, visit all references to a variable or function,
and jump immediately to a point in the source code in which
the variable or function appeared.

SOPHISTICATED CODE GENERATION FROM OPTIMIZING COMPILER
Microsoft distinguished itself as the optimizing
compiler leader with Microsoft C version 5.0 and has now
implemented sophisticated global optimizations in Microsoft
C version 6.0. The compiler now offers users more control
than ever before -- with the flexibility to turn
optimizations on and off at different points within a single
program.
An incremental DOS and OS/2 compiler and linker
for initial application building and prototyping compiles up
to 80,000 lines per minute on an 386(TM)-based machine.

NEW LANGUAGE FEATURES GET MORE OUT OF THE INTEL 80X86
ARCHITECTURE
Microsoft has added two new language features and
an in-line assembler to take advantage of more features in
the Intel 80x86 architecture:
o Based pointers. This new type of pointer combines
the flexibility of a 32-bit pointer with the size and
speed advantages of a 16-bit pointer.
o Register-based parameter passing. For faster
function calling, programmers can now pass up to three
parameters in registers.
o In-line assembler. The in-line assembler lets
programmers edit and debug assembler code within C,
without going through a separate assembly step.

MICROSOFT CODEVIEW VERSION 3.0 FOR FASTER, EASIER DEBUGGING
In response to user requests, the industry-
standard CodeView debugger has been given a new face and
next-generation debugging technology, making it a more
useful tool than ever before. With 500K of extended memory,
CodeView 3.0 takes less than 20K on an 286-based or higher
DOS machine. With the CodeView, debugger programmers can
also view multiple source files and memory locations at once
and dynamically record and replay debugging sessions,
including all input.
Because it is part of Programmer's WorkBench, the
CodeView debugger automatically saves all breakpoints, watch
windows and other settings between sessions, unlike other
debuggers, which require programmers to reinitialize all
settings each time they enter their debugger.

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
Microsoft C version 6.0, which runs on either MS-
DOS or PC-DOS version 3.0 or higher or OS/2 version 1.0 or
higher, is available from Microsoft retail outlets for $495.
Upgrade pricing for users of Microsoft C version 5.1 or 5.0
is $125 and $250 for users of previous versions.
In response to user requests, the Microsoft C 6.0
package includes both 3.5-inch and 5.25-inch disks.
Microsoft will provide C 6.0 on a CD-ROM disk upon request.
Microsoft C 6.0 is available immediately from
Microsoft retail dealers.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ "MSFT") develops,
markets and supports a wide range of software for business
and professional use, including operating systems, languages
and application programs, as well as books, hardware and CD-
ROM products for the microcomputer marketplace.
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*As used herin, DOS refers to the MS-DOS and PC-DOS
operating systems.
Microsoft, MS-DOS, CodeView and the Microsoft logo are
registered trademarks and Windows is a trademark of
Microsoft Corporation.
386 is a trademark of Intel Corporation.

For more information contact:
Microsoft Corporation
Kathryn Hinsch
(206) 882-8080
The Waggener Group
Carrine Greason or Marianne Allison
(503) 245-0905