Episode
The History of Microsoft - 1993
For Microsoft, 1993 is a stellar year as we introduce Microsoft Encarta, the first multimedia encyclopedia designed for a computer. The Microsoft BallPoint Mouse is launched into Space and Microsoft reports that the number of licensed users of Microsoft Windows now totals more than 25 million, making it the most popular graphical operating system in the world.
Previous Episodes:
1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992
1993 Revenue/Headcount
The 1993 fiscal year-end sales total $3,752,701,000. The 1993 fiscal Year employee headcount totals 14,430 people.
Official Subsidiaries Launched: Microsoft Colombia Inc., Microsoft Caribbean Inc. (Puerto Rico), Microsoft Corporation (Dubai Branch), United Arab Emirates, Microsoft Bilgisayar Yazilim Hizmetleri Limited Sirketi (Türkiye), Microsoft Kft (Hungary), Corporacion Microsoft Del Ecuador S.A. , Microsoft Maroc S.A.R.L. (Morocco)
Sales Offices Established:
January 27, 1993
Microsoft Select, a product-support program, is introduced to make it easier for large organizations to acquire and maintain Microsoft products.
February 25, 1993
Microsoft announces that it has gained ownership of the Windows trademark through its extensive use of the mark and industry-wide recognition of its successful Windows product. Under U.S. law, trademark registration is optional and merely facilitates trademark enforcement. The recent non-final action of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in rejecting Microsoft's application to register Microsoft's Windows trademark does not affect the trademark rights Microsoft has already acquired from its use of the mark. The action does not affect Microsoft's right to use the mark "Windows" or its rights in the Windows operating system products, which are protected by copyrights as well as issued and pending patents.
March 5, 1993
An article in Telecommunications Magazine talks about how using Queue Jockeys, professional radio DJs who host the Microsoft Product Support Service telephone waiting lines, has proved successful. The QJ program was designed, beginning in 1991, to provide a more customer-friendly alternative to the taped background music many companies play for callers on hold. The QJs receive information on the number of callers waiting on each line and the length of the longest wait from a PC hooked into a huge telephone switch that can manage up to 20,000 calls at a time. The QJs play a variety of music whose goal is to soothe but not irritate the person waiting, and the QJ lets them know how long their particular wait will be after each song.
March 22, 1993
Microsoft Encarta, the first multimedia encyclopedia designed for a computer, is available.
March 30, 1993
Microsoft announces the availability of the MS-DOS 6.0 Upgrade.
April 6, 1993
Microsoft BallPoint Mouse Launched Into Space: A new breed of mouse will be aboard the NASA space shuttle Discovery, scheduled to launch today. The Microsoft® BallPoint® Mouse will be attached to the Payload and General Support Computer running the space shuttle's primary scientific project, called the Atmospheric Laboratory for Science and Applications (ATLAS2). This mouse is the first input device used by NASA in the actual configuration available to general consumers.
April 14, 1993
Microsoft reports that the number of licensed users of Microsoft Windows now totals more than 25 million, making it the most popular graphical operating system in the world.
April 23, 1993
Frank Gaudette, Executive Vice President of Operations and Chief Financial Officer, passes away after an eight-month battle against cancer. He was 57. Gaudette came to Microsoft in September 1984, and in March 1986 he was instrumental in organizing the initial public offering. In his role as Executive Vice President, Operations Group, he was responsible for overseeing Finance, Manufacturing, Human Resources, and Investor Relations groups, the Information Technology Group, and Microsoft Press. He served a pivotal role as a member of the Office of the President.
April 27, 1993
Microsoft Mouse 2.0, with a sophisticated new ergonometric design, is available.
May 7, 1993
Former President George Bush and his 10-person staff upgrade their computers Mail 3.2 and Windows Remote Mail, thanks to the Dallas account team. The upgrade to mail products completes a transition for Bush and his staff to Windows and Windows-based applications.
May 24, 1993
Microsoft announces Windows NT and Windows NT Advanced Server 3.1 at Windows World 1993 in Atlanta, Georgia.
June 2, 1993
Plug and Play ISA Specification Version 1.0 Released: The distribution of Plug and Play ISA Specification 1.0 is announced at an implementation workshop hosted by Intel and Microsoft today. The workshop was designed to assist engineers in learning how to develop hardware that makes PCs easier to configure.
June 9, 1993
Microsoft unveils Microsoft At Work, a new software architecture which focuses on making the full functionality of digital devices easier to use, and on creating digital connections between all office machines (like faxes and printers) to allow information to flow freely among all device types throughout the workplace.
August 24, 1993
Excel 4.0 Becomes the World's Top-Selling Spreadsheet: Worldwide shipments of Excel surpass those of any other vendor for Windows, Apple Macintosh and MS-DOS combined. Excel has shipped more than 5 million new units worldwide.
September 14, 1993
Microsoft ships SQL Server for Windows NT. The shipment of SQL Server and related tools, interfaces and connectivity components for Windows NT underscores Microsoft's commitment to deliver a complete family of information management products for client-server computing.
October 4, 1993
Microsoft introduces the Microsoft Home brand, a broad range of consumer software products targeted at home computer users.
October 21, 1993
Release of a key specification for Plug and Play architecture is announced. ISA and driver interface specifications have already been released in final form, and the Plug and Play BIOS specification is currently available for final public comment. Plug and Play SCSI specification defines requirements for building host adapters, cables and peripherals, and integrating them into Plug and Play PCs, thereby removing low-level configuration options from end-user consideration.
November 1, 1993
The Microsoft Wish system has been created to make it simple for customers to send product improvement suggestions. It is a service that acts as a repository for customer feedback by entering all product suggestions into a central database. There is now a formal process by which these suggestions can be categorized and utilized by the product groups. Suggestions can be sent to Product Support Services via the "mswish" e-mail alias, an Internet e-mail address, a fax address, a Wish phone line, and a hardcopy mail address.
December 7, 1993
Microsoft announces its first software products designed especially for children: Creative Writer and Fine Artist.
Other Products Released in 1993: FoxPro 2.5 for MS-DOS and Windows, Office 3.0 for Windows, Microsoft SQL Server Network Integration Kit (NIK) for Novell Networks, Windows Printing System, Microsoft Profit for Windows, Visual Control Pack for Windows, Visual C++ for Windows, Microsoft Delta, TrueType Master Set for the Mac, COBOL 5.0, FORTRAN PowerStation 1.0, Microsoft SQL Server Network Integration Kit (NIK) for Banyan VINES, SQL Server Client-server Development Kit for Windows NT, Multimedia Viewer Publishing Toolkit for Windows 2.0, Dinosaurs, Multimedia Mozart:The Dissonant Quartet, Multimedia Stravinsky:The Rite of Spring, Musical Instruments for the Macintosh, Bookshelf 1993, FoxPro 2.5 Distribution Kit for MS-DOS and Windows, FoxPro 2.5 Library Construction Kit, The Multimedia Pack for Windows 3.1, Microsoft Remote Mail for Windows, Microsoft Mail 3.2 for PC Networks, Electronic Forms Designer, Microsoft Access Distribution Kit 1.1, Office Professional Edition 3.0 for Windows (includes Access for the first time), Word for MS-DOS 6.0, Visual BASIC for Windows 3.0, FoxPro Migration Kit 2.0, Microsoft Access 1.1, Windows Sound System Driver Development Kit, Test 2.0 for Windows, Golf for Windows, Multimedia Edition, Publisher for Windows 2.0, BallPoint® mouse 2.0, Arcade for Windows, Scenes Impressionists Collection, Scenes Outer Space Collection, Scenes Sierra Club, Windows for Workgroups 3.11, Visual C++ 32-bit Edition for Windows and Windows NT, Works for Windows 3.0, Publisher 2.0 CD-ROM Edition and Special Occasions Design Pack, Encarta Multimedia Encyclopedia, 1994 Edition, Art Gallery, Flight Simulator New York and Paris scenery packs, Flight Simulator 5.0, Office 4.0 for Windows and Mac, Word 6.0 for Windows, Word Assistant, MS-DOS 6.2, 32-bit FORTRAN development system for Windows NT, SNA Server for the Windows NT Advanced Server, Microsoft Mail Connection Gateway 3.2, Video for Windows 1.1, Microsoft Mail Software Development Kit (SDK) 3.2, SQL Bridge for Windows NT, Database Transfer Utility, Visual C++ for Windows 1.5,
Notable New Hires: Roger Heinen, Bob Frankston
In the World:
· IBM introduces the ThinkPad family of portable PCs.
· Intel announces the Pentium chip with 32-bit architecture and "screaming performance."
· Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization sign agreements recognizing each other and giving Palestine a degree of self-government.
· The number one and number two best-selling rock bands are Seattle-based Pearl Jam and Nirvana.
· Czech and Slovakia: Czechoslovakia separated into Czech Republic (Bohemia) and Slovakia.
· Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was observed in all fifty states for the first time.
· Golden Globe Awards: Scent of a Woman won the 50th Golden Globe Awards.
· Waco: Gun battle erupted at Waco Texas between FBI and Branch Davidians, leading to a 51 day siege that ended in the suicide deaths of everyone inside.
· Tommy: Peter Townshend's musical "Tommy," premiered in NYC.
· Cheers: Final "Cheers" on NBC after 274 episodes.
· Jurassic Attack: "Jurassic Park" opened, setting a then box office weekend record of $47,059,460.
· Earthquake: 7.8 earthquake hit Hokkaido Japan, 160 killed.
· Space: Mars Observer took first photo of Mars, from 5 billion km.
· Peace Treaty: Rwandan Hutu's & Tutsi's signed a peace treaty in Arusha.
· Toy Merger: Mattel & Fisher Price toys merged.
· Nolan Ryan: Nolan Ryan, 46, pitched his last game.
· Yeltsin: Supreme Soviet dismissed president Boris Yeltsin, leading Yeltsin to declare a state of emergency in Moscow and storm the Russian White House of the Parliament.
· Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico voted against becoming the 51st US state.
· NAFTA: The US House of Representatives approved NAFTA (North America Free-Trade Agreement).
· Brady Bill: The Brady bill passed, establishing a 5-day waiting period for handgun sales.
· Hubble Repair: Astronauts began repair of the Hubble telescope in space.
· European Free Trade Zone: 12 member European Economic Community sets up a vast free trade zone.
For Microsoft, 1993 is a stellar year as we introduce Microsoft Encarta, the first multimedia encyclopedia designed for a computer. The Microsoft BallPoint Mouse is launched into Space and Microsoft reports that the number of licensed users of Microsoft Windows now totals more than 25 million, making it the most popular graphical operating system in the world.
Previous Episodes:
1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992
1993 Revenue/Headcount
The 1993 fiscal year-end sales total $3,752,701,000. The 1993 fiscal Year employee headcount totals 14,430 people.
Official Subsidiaries Launched: Microsoft Colombia Inc., Microsoft Caribbean Inc. (Puerto Rico), Microsoft Corporation (Dubai Branch), United Arab Emirates, Microsoft Bilgisayar Yazilim Hizmetleri Limited Sirketi (Türkiye), Microsoft Kft (Hungary), Corporacion Microsoft Del Ecuador S.A. , Microsoft Maroc S.A.R.L. (Morocco)
Sales Offices Established:
January 27, 1993
Microsoft Select, a product-support program, is introduced to make it easier for large organizations to acquire and maintain Microsoft products.
February 25, 1993
Microsoft announces that it has gained ownership of the Windows trademark through its extensive use of the mark and industry-wide recognition of its successful Windows product. Under U.S. law, trademark registration is optional and merely facilitates trademark enforcement. The recent non-final action of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in rejecting Microsoft's application to register Microsoft's Windows trademark does not affect the trademark rights Microsoft has already acquired from its use of the mark. The action does not affect Microsoft's right to use the mark "Windows" or its rights in the Windows operating system products, which are protected by copyrights as well as issued and pending patents.
March 5, 1993
An article in Telecommunications Magazine talks about how using Queue Jockeys, professional radio DJs who host the Microsoft Product Support Service telephone waiting lines, has proved successful. The QJ program was designed, beginning in 1991, to provide a more customer-friendly alternative to the taped background music many companies play for callers on hold. The QJs receive information on the number of callers waiting on each line and the length of the longest wait from a PC hooked into a huge telephone switch that can manage up to 20,000 calls at a time. The QJs play a variety of music whose goal is to soothe but not irritate the person waiting, and the QJ lets them know how long their particular wait will be after each song.
March 22, 1993
Microsoft Encarta, the first multimedia encyclopedia designed for a computer, is available.
March 30, 1993
Microsoft announces the availability of the MS-DOS 6.0 Upgrade.
April 6, 1993
Microsoft BallPoint Mouse Launched Into Space: A new breed of mouse will be aboard the NASA space shuttle Discovery, scheduled to launch today. The Microsoft® BallPoint® Mouse will be attached to the Payload and General Support Computer running the space shuttle's primary scientific project, called the Atmospheric Laboratory for Science and Applications (ATLAS2). This mouse is the first input device used by NASA in the actual configuration available to general consumers.
April 14, 1993
Microsoft reports that the number of licensed users of Microsoft Windows now totals more than 25 million, making it the most popular graphical operating system in the world.
April 23, 1993
Frank Gaudette, Executive Vice President of Operations and Chief Financial Officer, passes away after an eight-month battle against cancer. He was 57. Gaudette came to Microsoft in September 1984, and in March 1986 he was instrumental in organizing the initial public offering. In his role as Executive Vice President, Operations Group, he was responsible for overseeing Finance, Manufacturing, Human Resources, and Investor Relations groups, the Information Technology Group, and Microsoft Press. He served a pivotal role as a member of the Office of the President.
April 27, 1993
Microsoft Mouse 2.0, with a sophisticated new ergonometric design, is available.
May 7, 1993
Former President George Bush and his 10-person staff upgrade their computers Mail 3.2 and Windows Remote Mail, thanks to the Dallas account team. The upgrade to mail products completes a transition for Bush and his staff to Windows and Windows-based applications.
May 24, 1993
Microsoft announces Windows NT and Windows NT Advanced Server 3.1 at Windows World 1993 in Atlanta, Georgia.
June 2, 1993
Plug and Play ISA Specification Version 1.0 Released: The distribution of Plug and Play ISA Specification 1.0 is announced at an implementation workshop hosted by Intel and Microsoft today. The workshop was designed to assist engineers in learning how to develop hardware that makes PCs easier to configure.
June 9, 1993
Microsoft unveils Microsoft At Work, a new software architecture which focuses on making the full functionality of digital devices easier to use, and on creating digital connections between all office machines (like faxes and printers) to allow information to flow freely among all device types throughout the workplace.
August 24, 1993
Excel 4.0 Becomes the World's Top-Selling Spreadsheet: Worldwide shipments of Excel surpass those of any other vendor for Windows, Apple Macintosh and MS-DOS combined. Excel has shipped more than 5 million new units worldwide.
September 14, 1993
Microsoft ships SQL Server for Windows NT. The shipment of SQL Server and related tools, interfaces and connectivity components for Windows NT underscores Microsoft's commitment to deliver a complete family of information management products for client-server computing.
October 4, 1993
Microsoft introduces the Microsoft Home brand, a broad range of consumer software products targeted at home computer users.
October 21, 1993
Release of a key specification for Plug and Play architecture is announced. ISA and driver interface specifications have already been released in final form, and the Plug and Play BIOS specification is currently available for final public comment. Plug and Play SCSI specification defines requirements for building host adapters, cables and peripherals, and integrating them into Plug and Play PCs, thereby removing low-level configuration options from end-user consideration.
November 1, 1993
The Microsoft Wish system has been created to make it simple for customers to send product improvement suggestions. It is a service that acts as a repository for customer feedback by entering all product suggestions into a central database. There is now a formal process by which these suggestions can be categorized and utilized by the product groups. Suggestions can be sent to Product Support Services via the "mswish" e-mail alias, an Internet e-mail address, a fax address, a Wish phone line, and a hardcopy mail address.
December 7, 1993
Microsoft announces its first software products designed especially for children: Creative Writer and Fine Artist.
Other Products Released in 1993: FoxPro 2.5 for MS-DOS and Windows, Office 3.0 for Windows, Microsoft SQL Server Network Integration Kit (NIK) for Novell Networks, Windows Printing System, Microsoft Profit for Windows, Visual Control Pack for Windows, Visual C++ for Windows, Microsoft Delta, TrueType Master Set for the Mac, COBOL 5.0, FORTRAN PowerStation 1.0, Microsoft SQL Server Network Integration Kit (NIK) for Banyan VINES, SQL Server Client-server Development Kit for Windows NT, Multimedia Viewer Publishing Toolkit for Windows 2.0, Dinosaurs, Multimedia Mozart:The Dissonant Quartet, Multimedia Stravinsky:The Rite of Spring, Musical Instruments for the Macintosh, Bookshelf 1993, FoxPro 2.5 Distribution Kit for MS-DOS and Windows, FoxPro 2.5 Library Construction Kit, The Multimedia Pack for Windows 3.1, Microsoft Remote Mail for Windows, Microsoft Mail 3.2 for PC Networks, Electronic Forms Designer, Microsoft Access Distribution Kit 1.1, Office Professional Edition 3.0 for Windows (includes Access for the first time), Word for MS-DOS 6.0, Visual BASIC for Windows 3.0, FoxPro Migration Kit 2.0, Microsoft Access 1.1, Windows Sound System Driver Development Kit, Test 2.0 for Windows, Golf for Windows, Multimedia Edition, Publisher for Windows 2.0, BallPoint® mouse 2.0, Arcade for Windows, Scenes Impressionists Collection, Scenes Outer Space Collection, Scenes Sierra Club, Windows for Workgroups 3.11, Visual C++ 32-bit Edition for Windows and Windows NT, Works for Windows 3.0, Publisher 2.0 CD-ROM Edition and Special Occasions Design Pack, Encarta Multimedia Encyclopedia, 1994 Edition, Art Gallery, Flight Simulator New York and Paris scenery packs, Flight Simulator 5.0, Office 4.0 for Windows and Mac, Word 6.0 for Windows, Word Assistant, MS-DOS 6.2, 32-bit FORTRAN development system for Windows NT, SNA Server for the Windows NT Advanced Server, Microsoft Mail Connection Gateway 3.2, Video for Windows 1.1, Microsoft Mail Software Development Kit (SDK) 3.2, SQL Bridge for Windows NT, Database Transfer Utility, Visual C++ for Windows 1.5,
Notable New Hires: Roger Heinen, Bob Frankston
In the World:
· IBM introduces the ThinkPad family of portable PCs.
· Intel announces the Pentium chip with 32-bit architecture and "screaming performance."
· Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization sign agreements recognizing each other and giving Palestine a degree of self-government.
· The number one and number two best-selling rock bands are Seattle-based Pearl Jam and Nirvana.
· Czech and Slovakia: Czechoslovakia separated into Czech Republic (Bohemia) and Slovakia.
· Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was observed in all fifty states for the first time.
· Golden Globe Awards: Scent of a Woman won the 50th Golden Globe Awards.
· Waco: Gun battle erupted at Waco Texas between FBI and Branch Davidians, leading to a 51 day siege that ended in the suicide deaths of everyone inside.
· Tommy: Peter Townshend's musical "Tommy," premiered in NYC.
· Cheers: Final "Cheers" on NBC after 274 episodes.
· Jurassic Attack: "Jurassic Park" opened, setting a then box office weekend record of $47,059,460.
· Earthquake: 7.8 earthquake hit Hokkaido Japan, 160 killed.
· Space: Mars Observer took first photo of Mars, from 5 billion km.
· Peace Treaty: Rwandan Hutu's & Tutsi's signed a peace treaty in Arusha.
· Toy Merger: Mattel & Fisher Price toys merged.
· Nolan Ryan: Nolan Ryan, 46, pitched his last game.
· Yeltsin: Supreme Soviet dismissed president Boris Yeltsin, leading Yeltsin to declare a state of emergency in Moscow and storm the Russian White House of the Parliament.
· Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico voted against becoming the 51st US state.
· NAFTA: The US House of Representatives approved NAFTA (North America Free-Trade Agreement).
· Brady Bill: The Brady bill passed, establishing a 5-day waiting period for handgun sales.
· Hubble Repair: Astronauts began repair of the Hubble telescope in space.
· European Free Trade Zone: 12 member European Economic Community sets up a vast free trade zone.
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