REDMOND, Wash. - June 16, 1999 -To mark the availability of the newest version of Microsoft^® FrontPage^®, the world's best-selling Web site creation and management tool, Microsoft Corp. today announced that 12 leading Internet service providers (ISPs) will offer Web site hosting incentives to users of FrontPage 2000. The promotions range from 60 days of free Web site hosting to savings of up to $500 on setup and installation fees (some offer restrictions apply). In addition, customers can now select from more than 1,000 ISPs registered as part of the FrontPage Web Presence Provider (WPP) program; the number of WPPs has doubled in under a year and continues to grow rapidly.

The 12 companies offering Web site hosting promotions and the more than 1,000 registered Web Presence Providers each fully support FrontPage Server Extensions. While the extensions are not required for hosting a Web site created with FrontPage, they help users take advantage of rich functionality in FrontPage without having to know programming. Examples of functionality that users get through the FrontPage extensions include the ability to easily add full text search, page hit counters, discussion groups, and exciting new forms and database functionality. Users can find a list of registered FrontPage WPPs online at http://www.microsoftwpp.com/wppsearch/ and a list of the offers available through these leading hosting providers at http://www.microsoftwpp.com/wppsearch/inbox.htm. Providers interested in participating in the WPP program can find more information at http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/wpp/becoming.htm.

"We're delighted that leading Internet service providers are offering users of FrontPage 2000 special promotions on their hosting services and that we're seeing such strong growth in the overall number of Web Presence Providers supporting FrontPage," said Tom Bailey, leading product manager for FrontPage at Microsoft. "The enthusiasm for FrontPage 2000 in the ISP community underscores its popularity as a Web site creation tool and ensures that our customers have an array of opportunities to get great Web-hosting services that make the most of FrontPage 2000."

The following 12 ISPs making promotional offers to users of FrontPage 2000 serve a broad range of customers, from home users to small, medium-sized and large businesses: AT&T, Bell Atlantic Electronic Commerce, Best Internet Communications Inc., Concentric Network Corp., EarthLink Network Inc., Hiway Technologies Inc., Interland Inc., Interliant/Sage, MindSpring Biz, PSINet Inc., UUNET and Verio Inc.

FrontPage 2000 Now Available at Retail

The FrontPage Web site creation and management tool debuted in 1995 as the first creation and management tool to enter the Web site publishing category. Today, four years and five versions later, the product continues to define the category with FrontPage 2000. FrontPage 2000 offers seamless integration with Microsoft Office, as well as new tools that let users create exactly the site they want. Expanded site management tools help make updating sites easy and enhance users' ability to collaborate with others when creating Web sites. New features include an integrated Editor and Explorer, shared Office menus and toolbars, HTML source code preservation, the ability to design for specific browsers, fully customizable business-ready

Themes, support for the latest Web technologies such as cross-browser Dynamic HTML and CSS 2.0 positioning, and 13 new site management reports.

Microsoft FrontPage 2000 is available now for the same estimated retail price as the previous version: $149 for new users ($109 for Office* users after a $40 mail-in rebate) and $59.95 for licensed users of previous retail versions of FrontPage**. (Some restrictions apply to both offers - see products for offer details.) Computer users worldwide can obtain information about Microsoft FrontPage at http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/ and about other Microsoft products at the company's World Wide Web home page at http://www.microsoft.com/.

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.

*Qualifying products follow: Microsoft Office, Professional, Standard, Small Business Edition, Developer or VAR edition version 4 or later; Microsoft Word version 6 or later; Microsoft Excel version 5 or later; Microsoft PowerPoint^® version 4 or later; Microsoft Access version 2 or later; Microsoft FoxPro^® version 2.6 or later; Microsoft Visual FoxPro^® version 3 or later; Microsoft Publisher 97 or later; Microsoft PhotoDraw™ 2000 or later; or Microsoft Project Version 4 or later for MS-DOS^®, Windows^® and Windows NT^® Workstation.

**Qualifying products follow: Microsoft FrontPage versions 1.1, 97 and 98 for Windows 95 or later, Windows NT Workstation and Windows NT Server (FrontPage Express does not qualify for version upgrade).

Microsoft, FrontPage, PowerPoint, FoxPro, Visual FoxPro, PhotoDraw, MS-DOS, Windows and Windows NT 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.