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PointCast Inc.
BackWeb Technologies
Another way Microsoft is using its browser to line up content companies is with hype-ridden “push” packages: direct delivery of news and other information to your desktop without surfing. Push purveyors PointCast and 
BackWeb both entered “strategic alliances” with the Redmond behemoth, to develop their software for Microsoft platforms and support Microsoft’s frivolous Channel Definition Format. In return, Microsoft co-markets their products and gives their channels prime placement in the Internet Explorer 4 package.
