LAS VEGAS - Nov. 19, 1998 - - Microsoft Corp. this week garnered top awards from leading PC-industry publications, including the prestigious PC Week Best of Show Award for Microsoft^® SQL Server™ 7.0 and the PC Magazine Technical Excellence Award in the development tools category for the Visual Studio^® development system version 6.0.

In addition to awards for 12 products, Microsoft received the PC Week Corporate Partners Candor Award, given yearly to a company that exhibits outstanding openness and honesty in sharing technology vision with corporate customers and for placing high value on customer suggestions and needs.

Microsoft SQL Server 7.0, launched at COMDEX/Fall '98 on Monday, won PC Week's Best of COMDEX Award in the Best Productivity Software category, in addition to the Best of Show Award. In the application development area, Visual Studio shined, winning both PC Magazine's Technical Excellence Award and PC/Computing's Most Valuable Product Award. In the Web browser software category, Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 won PC/Computing's MVP Award. Office 97, Internet Information Server 4.0, PhotoDraw™ 2000 business graphics software, the Outlook^® 98 messaging and collaboration client, Project 98, Publisher 98 and Site Server 3.0 Commerce Edition were all given MVP awards from PC/Computing.

MSN.COM displayed continued momentum by placing second, ahead of Excite, in the PC Magazine Technology Face Off at COMDEX. Portal category winners were determined by audience vote based on overall features and search capabilities.

"This is terrific news - a real credit to the developers who worked on these products and to customers who have provided us with feedback," said Steve Ballmer, president of Microsoft. "The judges are tough and exacting, so winning praise for our products from them is rewarding and real motivation for us at Microsoft to keep working on great products."

Also of note, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen was inducted into the Computer Reseller News Hall of Fame on Monday, Nov. 16, in recognition of his achievements as a computer industry visionary. He joins Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, who were inducted into the hall last year.

At COMDEX, Microsoft received awards for the following products:

• Microsoft SQL Server 7.0

• Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0

• Microsoft Office 97 Professional Edition

• Microsoft Outlook 98

• Microsoft PhotoDraw 2000

• Microsoft Project 98

• Microsoft Publisher 98

• Microsoft FrontPage^® 98 Web site creation and management tool

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0

• Microsoft Internet Information Server 4.0

• Microsoft Site Server 3.0, Commerce Edition

In addition to receiving awards honoring its own products and technologies, Microsoft is pleased to recognize the following independent software vendors (ISVs) whose products, built on the Microsoft platform, received awards at COMDEX/Fall '98. Each of these ISVs is a member of the MSDN™ ISV program, a free program offering a comprehensive range of business and technical benefits for ISVs of Windows^® operating system-compatible products.

• Symantec Corp.
• Adobe Systems Inc.
• Intel Corp.
• ScanSoft Inc., a Xerox Co.
• Network Associates Inc.
• Macromedia Inc.
• Infoseek Corp.
• Marketwave
• Citrix Systems Inc.
• Mijenix Corp.
• Xpoint Technologies Inc.
• Cisco Systems Inc.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Microsoft, Visual Studio, PhotoDraw, Outlook, FrontPage, MSDN and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.