Microsoft Agent 1.3

Microsoft Agent

A screenshot of a menu in Microsoft Agent 1.3.
Name	Microsoft Agent 1.3
Developer(s)	Microsoft
Initial release	June 30th, 1997
Written in	C++
Operating system	Microsoft Windows
Discontinued?	Yes

Microsoft Agent 1.3 (also known as Microsoft Agent Beta 3) is a development release of Microsoft Agent released on June 30th, 1997. It is the earliest confirmed version of Microsoft Agent known to exist besides Microsoft Agent Beta. Not much information is public about this release of Microsoft Agent.

Demos

In 1997, Argo Technologies launched a web demo called "Program the Agent" that utilizes Genie, Merlin, and Robby. When the website is visited, it will attempt to load Microsoft Agent 1.3. However, as this file was replaced by Microsoft Agent 1.5 on the server, the EXE version of Microsoft Agent 1.3 remains lost. The "First Genie Internet Bank" demo also uses Microsoft Agent 1.3.

<object id="Agent" name="Agent" classid="clsid:F5BE8BD2-7DE6-11D0-91FE-00C04FD701A5" codebase="http://activex.microsoft.com/controls/agent/MSagent.exe#VERSION=1,3,0,0" align="baseline" border="0" width="32" height="32"> </object>

Gallery

• 
  A screenshot of the copyright menu in Microsoft Agent 1.3.
• 
  A screenshot of the taskbar icon that shows up when Microsoft Agent 1.3 is running.
• 
  Screenshot of the speech input menu in the Microsoft Agent 1.3 properties.
• 
  Screenshot of the output menu in the properties of Microsoft Agent 1.3.

Trivia

• This version was initially suspected to be Microsoft Agent Beta 2.0. The reasons for such an assumption include the timeline of the releases and the fact that the installation INF file for Microsoft Agent 1.5's change logs mentioned changing the version string from Beta 2 to 1.5. However, Argo Technologies' Agent InfoSpace website refers to this version and its demos as beta 3.
• All screenshots of Microsoft Agent 1.3 are in black and white as they came from the Microsoft Agent software kit book.
• It is extremely similar to Microsoft Agent 1.5 due to similarities in the menus and both versions having a taskbar icon for Microsoft Agent when a character is loaded.
• It was publicly accessible at one point for developers in the Microsoft Developer Network.