Microsoft® NetMeeting™ version 1.0 conferencing software is a standards-based, multipoint data conferencing product that supports application sharing and real-time voice communications over the Internet and corporate intranets. It melds the power of the PC with the global reach of the Internet to transform the everyday telephone call into a richer and more effective communication and collaborative experience. Features of NetMeeting 1.0 include multipoint application sharing, whiteboard, file transfer, chat, shared clipboard, and point-to-point audio conferencing. NetMeeting is part of the Microsoft NetMeeting communication and conferencing initiative, providing an open, standards-based operating system platform for enabling advancement of interoperable conferencing solutions.

Microsoft NetMeeting has several key advantages over other Internet telephone products:

• Applications sharing and data conferencing. Unlike most conferencing products, which enable only audio phone calls, NetMeeting allows users to have a much richer experience by sharing information on their PC with the people they are talking to.

• Multiparty calls. Most other products support only two callers, while NetMeeting allows numerous people to participate in a data call.

• Standards-based. NetMeeting is based on standards from the International Telecommunications Union, the same group that set standards for modems and makes the global phone system work. As a result, users of NetMeeting can talk to people with products from other vendors (such as Intel Corp. or PictureTel). In contrast, some other products are proprietary and leave their users stranded on an "island," able to talk only to users with the same product.

Major Feature Areas

NetMeeting 1.0 provides functionality for audio and data conferencing on the Internet or corporate intranets. Features include the following:

• Internet phone. Internet phone supports real-time point-to-point audio conferencing over the Internet or intranets, allowing voice calls to be placed to friends, family and associates around the world.

• Multipoint data conferencing. In addition to Internet telephone calls, NetMeeting allows users to make "data" calls in conjunction with their voice calls. Support for multipoint data conferencing allows two or more people to communicate and collaborate as a group in real time. In support of multipoint data conferencing, NetMeeting enables users to share applications, exchange information between shared applications through a shared clipboard, transfer files, collaborate on a shared whiteboard, and use a text-based chat feature.

• Application sharing. Application sharing enables users to share a program running on one computer with other people in a conference, allowing them to see the same data or information that they have on their PC. NetMeeting works with existing Windows® operating system-based programs, allowing applications to be shared transparently without requiring any special knowledge of conferencing capabilities. When an application has been shared, the other people in the conference see the actions that are performed as the person sharing the application works on the program (e.g., editing content, scrolling through information, etc.). In addition, the person sharing the application can choose to collaborate, allowing other people in the conference to take turns editing or controlling the application. Each member of the conference does not need to have the given application on his or her system — only the person sharing the application.

• Shared clipboard. The shared clipboard allows a user to exchange the contents of the clipboard with other participants in a conference. For example, a user can copy information from a local document and paste it into the contents of a shared application as part of a group collaboration. This capability provides seamless exchange of information between applications that have been shared and local applications, providing the familiar cut, copy and paste operations for use in a data conference.

• File transfer. The file transfer capability in NetMeeting enables users to send a file to a specific participant or all the participants in a conference. They can right-click on a person in the conference and choose to send him or her a file, or they can drag a file into the Microsoft NetMeeting window and have a file automatically sent to each participant in a conference. The file transfer occurs in the background as everyone continues sharing an application, using the whiteboard or chatting.

• Whiteboard. The whiteboard program is a multipage, multiuser drawing application that enables users to sketch an organization chart or a flowchart, draw a diagram, or display other graphic information. Whiteboard is object-oriented (vs. pixel-oriented), allowing users to move and manipulate the contents by clicking and dragging with the mouse. In addition, they can use a remote pointer or highlighting tool to point out specific contents or sections of shared pages. This capability extends the application sharing feature of NetMeeting by supporting ad hoc collaboration on a common drawing surface.

• Chat. Chat provides a text-based mechanism to communicate with participants in a conference. Chat can be used to communicate about common ideas or topics with fellow conference participants, or record meeting notes and action items as part of a collaborative process.

• User Location Service. The NetMeeting User Location Service (ULS) provides a dynamic directory mechanism in which users of NetMeeting can locate other users on the Internet or corporate intranets. Just as a telephone number is used to identify a person when placing a phone call, an IP address is needed to connect to another computer on the Internet; however, many Internet service providers assign a dynamic IP address to each computer when a connection is first established, thus requiring more than a static database query to map users with their IP address. The ULS server addresses this problem by maintaining a real-time database of user information along with the IP address that is active when NetMeeting is first started on a user’s computer. It then transparently connects two or more computers into a conference by simply selecting the desired users in a directory called up from within the NetMeeting program or from a Web page.

Key Features and Benefits

NetMeeting provides a rich set of data conferencing features that extend the telephone call into a more effective and productive experience. It offers a variety of features and benefits for end users, IS managers, and developers and Web producers.

For End Users

For end users, NetMeeting provides numerous key features and benefits:

• NetMeeting makes it easy to connect and communicate with friends and family over the Internet. NetMeeting makes it easy to find and connect to other users on the Internet around the world through the User Location Service. Users who are currently running NetMeeting show up in the list automatically, making connection as easy as finding the desired person and clicking the Call button with the mouse. Inclusion of Internet phone capabilities allows users to communicate in real time with voice over the Internet.

• NetMeeting extends the telephone call to enable rich multimedia communication. With NetMeeting, users can extend the telephone call to include graphics and data sharing. Users can share applications and data over the Internet to make a phone call more visual. They can easily share files. They can exchange images taken with a digital camera or scanned into the computer using the shared whiteboard, and they can use the text-based chat program to communicate.

• NetMeeting lets users get the most out of their PC on the Internet. NetMeeting lets users use the Internet for more than just browsing, allowing communication and interaction with other people around the world. They can use the multipoint data conferencing capability communicate, share ideas, and share information among groups of people. Integration with Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 provides support for being able to browse the Web and join a conference with other people directly from a Web page. In the future, users will even be able to use NetMeeting to access technical support directly, allowing the support person to walk them through the resolution of a problem rapidly.

Availability and Pricing

NetMeeting is now available for download over the Internet at no charge for use with Windows 95, and will be preinstalled on many PCs before the end of the year. NetMeeting is scheduled to be available for use on the Windows NT® operating system with the next major release. Support for the Apple Macintosh is expected in 1997.

NetMeeting can be downloaded from the Microsoft Internet Explorer Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/ie/.

For More Information

Additional information about NetMeeting is available from the NetMeeting Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/netmeeting/

Microsoft, NetMeeting, ActiveX, Windows and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. Apple and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer Inc.