Formed in September 1997, The Microsoft Agent Ring was the largest of its kind, collection of websites featuring Microsoft Agent technologies, and a Top 100 Web Ring for many years on the original WebRing.org and later RingSurf.com.

Microsoft Agent is a free technology for Microsoft Windows 98/2000/XP, providing unprecedented technology to create innovative, new conversational interfaces for applications and Web pages. It provides powerful animation capability, interactivity, and versatility, with incredible ease of development. 

Microsoft Agent is a technology that provides a foundation for more natural ways for people to communicate with their computers. It is a set of software services that enable developers to incorporate interactive animated characters into their applications and Web pages. These characters can speak, via a text-to-speech engine or recorded audio, and even accept spoken voice commands. Microsoft Agent empowers developers to extend the user interface beyond the conventional mouse and keyboard interactions prevalent today.

Enhancing applications and Web pages with a visible interactive personality will both broaden and humanize the interaction between users and their computers.

If you have Genie, Merlin, and Robby Characters,
please see the Agent Ring Introduction

Press Releases

2009-04-01 - Microsoft Agent Discontinued in Windows 7 and later  :(

Microsoft discontinues Microsoft Agent in Windows 7 and later.  Although Microsoft Agent has been discontinued in Windows 7 and later, MASH and this website will remain for historical reasons and to still provide access for existing Windows XP users around the world.

2000-07-05 - Microsoft Agent Expands Support for Foreign Languages With Release of New Text-to-Speech Engines

Enhanced User Interface for Software Applications and Web Sites To Speak to Millions of Users Worldwide in Their Own Languages.

1998-10-12 - Microsoft Agent 2.0 Released

The Innovative Technology That Will Enhance Human-Computer Communication In Upcoming Products, Including Office 2000, Is Available for Download Now.

1997-09-08 - Microsoft Agent 1.5 Released

New Technology Supports Interactive Characters for Internet and ActiveX-Based Applications, Enabling More Natural User Interfaces. Note:  Microsoft Agent 1.0 was never officially released.

1996-10-28 - First Microsoft Agent Beta Announcement

ActiveX Technology for Interactive Software Agents

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Questions or Comments

All comments and suggestions are welcome.

Gordon Bell
gordon@msagentring.org

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