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Technology Stocks : How high will Microsoft fly? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Brian Sullivan who wrote (58815)	6/14/2001 1:46:05 PM
From: Joseph Pareti	Respond to of 74651

Microsoft, RealNames Put UDDI in the Browser Source: Computergram International Date: June 14, 2001 Number: 4185 By Kevin Murphy Microsoft Corp and RealNames Corp will today unveil a method for web services developers to query Microsoft's UDDI business directory directly from Internet Explorer. Microsoft hopes the deal will drive business users to its implementation of UDDI, and developers to its Visual Studio.NET software. The deal is an extension of the companies' existing system for referring web searches to the search engine at Microsoft's MSN portal, part of a long-standing relationship between the two firms that puts RealNames technology in IE. For RealNames, the UDDI functionality is the first of an expected series of features it will add to its internet keyword system. It works like this. Under the existing arrangement, when a surfer types something into the IE address bar that doesn't look like a domain name, the browser refers the string to RealNames network of keyword resolvers. If these resolvers determine the string is not a registered keyword, it passes the query to MSN search. With UDDI functionality added, if a surfer types "uddi software" for example, these same RealNames resolvers will strip out the "uddi" and pass the query "software" to the company name search engine of Microsoft's instance of the UDDI registry at uddi.microsoft.com. The surfer's browser is directed to a results page of all the UDDI-registered companies with "software" in their name. UDDI, for Universal Description, Discovery and Integration, is a standard method of describing businesses, their services and protocols. It acts like a white, yellow and green pages for the internet. Microsoft and IBM Corp both have UDDI registries live, and Hewlett-Packard Co will launch one in September, with more expected. All registries carry the same data, exchanging additions, deletions and updates at least once a day. But in terms of functionality, the companies "compete like crazy" according to Microsoft group program manager Chris Kurt. Microsoft's registry uses Passport, for example, the authentication cornerstone of the .NET strategy, and Visual Studio.NET will have the ability to automatically generate code that can access web services as described in UDDI records. For developers of business software, the new arrangement makes life a little easier. For RealNames, which has yet to experience the explosive growth of adoption necessary to make its keyword system ubiquitous, the deal is a move in the right direction. It is believed that the command "uddi" is just the first of many it is to introduce. During an interview with ComputerWire, RealNames CTO Nico Popp hinted that the company may soon announce additional content features available directly through the IE address bar. Examples may be the ability to retrieve a stock quote by typing a command followed by a ticker symbol, or weather by typing a city name. It is not known if Microsoft will provide this content, but "Active Namespace", possibly the service's name, does have a certain Redmond ring to it. Microsoft, of course, also owns a big chunk of RealNames. Other partners are expected to be involved. In terms of revenue-generation for RealNames, a second part of the deal will see the company offer UDDI registrations as a value-add when companies register their brands as keywords. The company presumably hopes this will drive sales and acceptance of its domain name alternative.