CompuServe links to Win 95

Electronic News, June 10, 1996

Redmond, Wash.--Microsoft and CompuServe formed an extensive alliance which will put CompuServe on every Windows 95 desktop. CompuServe will also license Microsoft's new "Normandy" platform for commercial Internet service providers and web publishers. CompuServe CEO Bob Massey described the agreement as "a significant opportunity for us (CompuServe) to expand distribution channels and be part of the most successful desktop operating system in the world."

Under the agreement, CompuServe will deploy Microsoft's Normandy throughout its entire suite of on-line services, including the CompuServe Information Service, WOW! and Sprynet. All three services will be made available to Windows 95 users, with icons for the services included in a folder on the Windows 95 desktop.

Microsoft's Internet Explorer will also be included as the default browser on CompuServe installation software. The partnership is a key step in CompuServe's "Red Dog" initiative, announced last month, through which it plans to put its content on the World Wide Web (EN, Data Net, May 27). Mr. Massey stated, "Microsoft is a crucial component of our new strategy to bring CompuServe services to the Internet." He added, "This strategic alliance between two long-standing industry leaders puts CompuServe in a position to rapidly implement our plans to strengthen our core business and expand our world-class online services by using Internet technologies."

CompuServe will be the first customer of MicroSoft's Normandy platform, which is based on Windows NT. Its features include an Internet Mail Component, supporting SMTP and POP3 protocols; a News Component, implementing the NNTP Internet protocol for Windows NT Server; an Internet News Component; a Chat Component; a White Pages Component, which stores information about service users; a Personalization Component, which uses Microsoft ActiveX technology to help create individualized content; an Information Retrieval Component, which indexes documents to ease retrieval; a Replication Component for publishing large websites to multiple servers; and a Security Component based on the Microsoft Internet Security Framework.

The Normandy platform will be available on a limited preview basis starting this August and is scheduled for broad release during the fourth quarter of this year.