Microsoft Announces Word for Windows, Version 2.0, With Features To Make Everyday Tasks Easy LAS VEGAS -- Oct. 21, 1991 -- Microsoft Corporation today announced MicrosoftR Word for WindowsTM version 2.0, a major new release of the internationally acclaimed word processor for the Microsoft Windows operating system. With this version, Microsoft focused on making everyday word processing tasks easier. The company made extensive use of its state-of-the-art Usability Lab to improve the usability of all key features, including the customizable ToolbarTM, Drag and Drop, Envelope Generator, Print Merge Helper, and Help for WordPerfectR Users, among many others. The new and improved features in Word for Windows v. 2.0 can be grouped into three major areas -- easy access to everyday tools, easy creation of great looking documents, and easy migration for users switching from other word processors, especially WordPerfect for DOS. "With dramatic usability improvements and an innovative feature set, we expect Word for Windows version 2.0 to have tremendous user appeal," said Mike Maples, Microsoft senior vice president of applications. "Users of other word processors should find the transition to this product both easy and rewarding." Designing for Usability -- A Dramatic New Approach to Software Design To optimize the usability of Word for Windows v. 2.0, Microsoft used traditional techniques such as listening to focus group comments, gathering feedback >from user letters, and analyzing product support calls. The company also used innovative "instrumented versions," which record user tasks and keystrokes over a period of time to learn which features are most used and how they are used. From the beginning, the Word for Windows v. 2.0 development team was encouraged to focus on end-user tasks, rather than on abstract feature design. The product was extensively tested throughout the development process by real users in the Microsoft Usability Lab which is staffed by professionals trained in the field of cognitive psychology. "Microsoft's investment in studying and testing usability has paid huge dividends," stated Walt Zilahy, manager of office systems at Travelers Insurance Company. "This product reduces the complexity of high end word processing features and brings them within the grasp of even casual users. It is very intuitive." Easy Access to Tools for Everyday Tasks Toolbar. From the very first view of the product, ease of learning and use changes are visible in the new customizable Toolbar. The features represented by buttons on the Toolbar were selected as a direct result of studies on instrumented versions. Now most needed features such as indenting a paragraph, spell checking and envelope creation are just a click away. "The expanded Toolbar has enhanced Word for Windows ease of use, making it much more intuitive," stated Johnnie Nero, manager of office information systems at Texas Instruments. "It brings the power of the product to the user's fingertips." Drag and Drop. Microsoft Word for Windows v. 2.0 is the first major word processor to let a user "drag and drop" text. With the new Drag and Drop feature, users can move words, sentences and even paragraphs by just clicking on highlighted text and dragging it to its new location. This feature simplifies the cut-and-paste method found in most Windows-based word processors and makes text editing easier than ever before. "It is obvious Microsoft really did their homework regarding usability," stated Greg Friedman, director of information services at Southern California Edison. "For example, the ability to select and drag text is a feature that is not only a pleasure to use, but the time we save producing and editing documents is clearly identifiable." Envelope Generator. Creating envelopes is a task that, until now, most people have done on a manual typewriter. With the new Envelope Generator in Word for Windows v. 2.0, addresses are automatically taken from a document, positioned correctly and printed on the envelope. Print Merge Helper. One of the most often used yet cumbersome word processing tasks is producing form letters for custom mailings. To make this process easier, Microsoft created a new visual Print Merge Helper that guides the user through the merge process step by step. This feature is the result of extensive usability testing. Bullets. With Word for Windows v. 2.0 it is easy to create and apply bullets to any list. Users can select >from a bullet palette of more than a hundred bullets, including standard business bullets and more specialized symbols such as hearts and arrows. Users can also easily control the amount by which they indent their text and see it in a sample box before applying it. Grammar Checker. One of the most requested new features was a grammar checker. Microsoft added one, based on Houghton Mifflin technology, and fully integrated it into Word for Windows v. 2.0. Graphical File Finder. The new File Finder allows users to see long file names, the subject, or contents of a document on screen before opening it. Users can also search using other criteria such as the date a file was created or saved. This valuable tool can dramatically cut time spent searching for documents. Tables. Word for Windows v. 2.0 also simplifies the creation and manipulation of tables. Users simply click on the table button on the Toolbar, visually highlight the number of rows and columns appropriate for the table being created, and a table appears on screen. Users can easily change the column width by clicking and dragging. To move rows and columns the user simply drags and drops them. Easy Creation of Great Looking Documents WordArt. WordArt lets users manipulate text and fonts. Users can add excitement to their documents by creating interesting text effects, such as curved, rotated or even upside down text. Columns. Columns are only a mouse click away with the new column button that lets users easily change one-column documents into multi-column documents. Borders and Shading. Adding borders and shading is now easy. Users can choose from a wide variety of options to get the look they want. Drawing. The new drawing feature lets users create or enhance visuals for a document. This is especially valuable for desktop publishing tasks. Charting. With the new charting capabilities in version 2.0, which are the same as in Microsoft Excel, users can present data in great looking 3-D form. Easy Move for WordPerfect Users Help for WordPerfect Users. With the goal of making it easy for WordPerfect for DOS users to transition to Word for Windows, Microsoft has added Help for WordPerfect Users to version 2.0. With this feature, the user selects a WordPerfect command from a menu or types in a WordPerfect command they know, and then watches as Word for Windows v. 2.0 gives instructions or a demo of the equivalent command in Word for Windows. Over time, the former WordPerfect user learns the Word for Windows commands and no longer needs the Help feature. This lets WordPerfect users make an easy transition to Word for Windows. Easy File Conversion. Users of version 2.0 will find conversions to and from all major word processors, including WordPerfect for DOS, Word for DOS, MultiMateR and WordStarR. Other New Features Object Linking and Embedding. New object linking and embedding (OLE) capabilities let a user embed information from any Windows application that supports OLE. For example, if a user embeds a worksheet from Microsoft Excel into a Word for Windows document, the user can double click on the worksheet to access Microsoft Excel. Multilingual Spelling Checker. For users who create documents in multiple languages, Word for Windows v. 2.0 provides support for multilingual spell checking. The user marks the text as written in a foreign language. Then, while the document is being spell checked, Word for Windows automatically uses a foreign language dictionary that corresponds to that text. The switch to the different speller is seamless. Foreign language dictionaries are available separately. Equation Editor. It is easier than ever to add equations to documents with the new graphical Equation Editor. This feature is especially useful for engineers and scientists. Pricing, System Requirements and Availability Word for Windows v. 2.0 will be available in November 1991 through resellers for a suggested retail price of $495. System requirements include: Microsoft Windows environment version 3.0 or later; a PC using 80286, 80386 or higher microprocessor; 2MB of memory recommended; EGA or higher resolution monitor; minimum installation requires 5 MB hard disk, maximum installation (all options) requires 15 MB, one double-sided disk drive; Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device recommended. Users of Microsoft Word for Windows and other full-featured word processors, including WordPerfect for DOS, Microsoft Word for DOS systems, DisplayWriteR or MultiMate, can upgrade to version 2.0 for $129. Users who acquired Microsoft Word for Windows version 1.1 after Oct. 1, 1991 can upgrade for free. Microsoft Word for Windows 2.0 has been localized to meet the language-specific needs of international markets. The English version of Microsoft Word for Windows v. 2.0 will be available in more than 120 countries worldwide. French, German, French- Canadian, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian and Finnish versions are scheduled to be available in the first half of 1992. Arabic, Russian, Czech and Hungarian versions are planned. Microsoft Corporation offers a complete family of applications for Windows. Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPointR, Microsoft Mail and Microsoft Project are designed to work well together and are integrated to provide a comprehensive computing solution. They share consistent interfaces, so once users have learned one application, they are well on their way to learning the others. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ "MSFT") develops, markets and supports a wide range of software for business and professional use, including operating systems, network products, languages and applications, as well as books, hardware and CD-ROM products for the microcomputer marketplace. ######### * As used herein, DOS refers to the MS-DOSR and PC-DOS operating systems. ** All prices listed are U.S. suggested retail prices. Microsoft, MS-DOS and PowerPoint are registered trademarks and Toolbar and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. DisplayWrite is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. WordStar is a registered trademark of MicroPro International Corporation. MultiMate is a registered trademark of Multimate International Corporation, an Ashton-Tate Company. WordPerfect is a registered trademark of WordPerfect Corporation. WordStar is a registered trademark of MicroPro International Corporation. CorrecTextR Grammar Correction System developed by Houghton Mifflin Company; underlying technology developed by Language Systems, Inc. English spelling software developed by Houghton Mifflin Company, publishers of The American Heritage Dictionary.