recognition, and multimedia. A nonstandard implementation might offer a short-term time
advantage for a particular feature, but a better solution would be to incorporate new
technologies directly into the PC architecture or systems software. If the goal is to unify all the
information in our lives, then we must bring the standard along carefully so that all the users
come along.
Because all the requirements for Information at your fingertips are interrelated, Microsoft's
role is key: We are positioned to solve many of these problems at a fundamental level, in the
underlying operating system. The ability to have a file system that stores objects, to have
different objects know how to act on one another, to locate things wherever in the world they
may be, to tie together applications and to share various functions such as charting and
outlining across applications, to expand these efforts into new kinds of technology such as
notebook computers and multimedia machines in the home--Microsoft is in a unique position to
unify all those efforts. As developers of operating systems and networks, we are required to
take a broader view, not just so our applications can run, but so an entire industry can prosper
and a whole generation of users can make the technological leap into the future.
This broad vision will take several years to unfold. We will introduce capabilities over time
in order to bring the user community along without disruption. Each step will need to preserve
compatibility. At each step we will work with independent software developers as we did when
we developed Microsoft Windows and OS/2. Tremendous synergy will develop when large
numbers of applications and information objects have been implemented according to the
standards we are developing. We are excited to be developing software that will let users
automate the handling of daily tasks and information processes without writing a single line of
code, but simply by showing the system what they want done. We are excited to be developing
software that will let users search for information from a greater range of sources than is
possible today and that will let them file and retrieve things more quickly and efficiently than
they can today. We are excited to be developing software that will let users create information
with greater richness and diversity than anything that can now be done on paper or with
current computer technology. We are excited that we can enable users to solve problems that
up until now could not be solved.
But Microsoft cannot do this alone. Fulfilling this promise requires the cooperation of the
PC industry and information providers. With their help we can deliver the computing power
that can do all this.
Microsoft is a registered trademark, and Windows and Information at your fingertips are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. OS/2 is a registered trademark, and Presentation Manager is a trademark licensed to Microsoft Corporation.