HP Expands Web Services Alliance with Microsoft; HP Provides Additional Support for Microsoft .NET and XML Web Services Development; Joins Visual Studio .NET Integration Program.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 9, 2002

Continuing its leading role in the development of manageable XML Web services, HP (NYSE:HPQ) today announced that it has joined the Microsoft Visual Studio .NET Integration Program. Specifically, HP will build and integrate XML Web services developer tools and components into Visual Studio .NET, an industry-leading application development environment.

As part of HP's overall strategy to increase the return on its customers' IT investments, the new offerings will be designed to enable developers to improve productivity, reduce development time, increase return on application and infrastructure investments, and deliver enhanced XML Web services applications on multiple platforms.

HP's participation in the Microsoft Visual Studio .NET Integration Program expands the global initiative the two companies launched in September to accelerate the next generation of computing with .NET and Web services. This initiative builds upon the companies' longstanding relationship, combining HP's expertise in IT infrastructure technology and services with Microsoft's .NET development capabilities.

As the first technology partner to be endorsed by Microsoft Corp. as a "worldwide prime integrator" for Microsoft .NET technologies, HP provides technology and expertise that can significantly improve the developer experience across the development lifecycle of applications as far ranging as XML Web services, enterprise and service provider infrastructure technologies, applications and services, and printing and imaging.

"We are pleased to expand our collaboration on Web services and Microsoft .NET with an initiative that will enable business leaders to realize a greater and more rapid return on application development," said Mike Rank, general manager, HP Developer Resources Organization. "Our tools will allow a wide variety of developers to design and develop manageability into applications and Web services up front, ultimately increasing the value of those software offerings."

"We are delighted to welcome HP as a member of the Visual Studio .NET Integration Program," said Dan Hay, lead product manager in the Developer Platform and Evangelism Division, Microsoft Corp. "Developer productivity is a critical success factor in the enterprise, and the addition of HP resources will enhance the functionality and flexibility that Visual Studio .NET provides."

Developing Manageable XML Web Services

For HP, the future of XML Web services application development lies at the intersection of Java(TM) and .NET interoperability -- where HP is working to support developers by integrating value-added technologies in the development environments they prefer.

Combined with HP's support for Java-based initiatives, this integration with Microsoft Visual Studio .NET provides developers with a rich management fabric, expediting the design, development, deployment and support of XML solutions based on HP technology and services.

Developing for the Enterprise

By providing a range of enterprise platform offerings, such as tooling support for high-end, continuous-availability HP NonStop servers, HP enables customers to consolidate many existing application development activities.

HP NonStop server customers and partners can leverage the HP Enterprise Toolkit (ETK)-NonStop Edition within the Microsoft Visual Studio .NET integrated development environment to edit, compile, build and deploy mission-critical applications for HP NonStop servers written in a variety of programming languages.

The toolkit has been well received by enterprises that are using it to reduce development costs and derive significant productivity gains through the ability to move development activities onto Windows-based PCs.

"HP's ETK toolkit is enhanced and provides more detailed feedback than the previous version," said Cary Jeffers, manager of Government and Retail Development, eFunds. "Our application developers are utilizing ETK-NonStop Edition for testing for configuration and authorization servers. ETK provides HP NonStop platform enhancements to Microsoft Visual Studio .NET development environments, while preserving .NET's intuitive interfaces and general look and feel.

"We've begun initial product testing, and ETK enables faster compilations and the ability to accurately locate and report errors, speeding development time and making the overall process more efficient."

About .NET

Microsoft .NET is software that connects information, people, systems and devices. .NET connects a broad range of personal and business technologies, enabling the access and use of important information, whenever and wherever it is needed. Built on XML Web services standards, .NET enables both new and existing applications to connect with software and services across platforms, applications and programming languages.

About HP

HP is a leading global provider of products, technologies, solutions and services to consumers and businesses. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing. HP completed its merger transaction involving Compaq Computer Corporation on May 3, 2002. More information about HP is available at http://www.hp.com.

Java is a U.S. trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the possibility that the market for the sale of certain products and services may not develop as expected; that development and performance of these products and services may not proceed as planned; and other risks that are described from time to time in HP's Securities and Exchange Commission reports, including but not limited to HP's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended July 31, 2002 and reports filed subsequent to HP's annual report on Form 10-K, as amended on January 30, 2002, for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2001. If any of these risks or uncertainties materializes or any of these assumptions proves incorrect, HP's results could differ materially from HP's expectations in these statements. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.