With a vision of extending the Windows 95 desktop out to the world, Microsoft is busy building seamless World Wide Web access for
the Microsoft Network
, or MSN. Microsoft licensed the NCSA (National Center for Supercomputing Applications) Mosaic Web Browser from Spry International and, more significant, bought minority interest in UUNet, the world's largest ISP (Internet service provider).
Microsoft is now extending both, enhancing Mosaic to support the Windows desktop (e.g., drag and drop, right mouse-clicks, and so on) and branching UUNet into more sites worldwide. Currently, the Internet access points are limited -- we had to call in to New York from New H
ampshire -- but Microsoft intends to open many additional lines shortly.
The enhanced browser, a component of the Microsoft Plus Windows 95 Companion Pack, accesses the Web through your own service provider, across the LAN (if you have a LAN-based connection), or via MSN. The Plus Pack sticks an Internet icon on the Windows 95 desktop.
You click on this icon to launch the browser, starting off in a Microsoft Web page that serves as an opening menu. From there, you can take a tutorial, go surfing on your own, or search for specific subjects using the Lycos Internet catalog. Once you're out of Microsoft's page, you're navigating the Web just as you would expect, jumping across various sites by clicking on hyperlinks or hopping directly to specific addresses.
From the menu bar, you can create a desktop shortcut to any site, build a list of favorite sites, or pull up a history window of recently accessed pages. You can drag and drop text or images to the desktop or to other applications. To c
apture an image to disk, you simply point at the image, click the right mouse button, and select Save As.
Where to Find
Microsoft Corp.
Redmond, WA
(206) 882-8080
fax: (206) 936-7329
www.microsoft.com
screen_link (27 Kbytes)
Windows 95
MSN: Desktop Internet
