both engines. Microsoft provides four agent characters for free, which can be downloaded from the Microsoft Agent website. These are called Peedy, Merlin, Genie, and Robby. Some characters also shipped with Microsoft Office up to version 2003 as the Office Assistants and with Windows XP as search assistants. New Agent characters can also be created using Microsoft's development tools, including the Agent Character Editor. Agents can be embedded in software with Visual Basic for Applications and in web pages with VBScript, and automated tools for the purpose of simplifying this exist. However, web page agents are only compatible with Internet Explorer, since alternative browsers like Opera or Mozilla Firefox do not support ActiveX. Additionally, users of Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows XP and later or owners of Microsoft Office 2000 and later are the only ones who have Agent software pre-loaded on their computers; others have to download the software and install it manually. Support after Windows XP In Windows Vista, Microsoft Agent uses Speech API (SAPI) version 5.3 as its primary text-to-speech provider. (In previous versions of Windows, Agent uses SAPI version 4, which is not supported in Windows Vista and later.) Beginning with Vista, multilingual features of Microsoft Agent under a particular language version of the OS are not supported; that is, Agent will function in other languages only under a localized Windows version of the same language. Microsoft announced in April 2009 that all Microsoft Agent development and support will be discontinued with the release of Windows 7. Microsoft is no longer offering licenses or distributing the SDK. However, due to customer feedback, Microsoft has provided an installation package of the Microsoft Agent core components for use on Windows 7. The download supports SAPI 5.3 compatible speech engines, and also contains the character “Merlin”, which shipped with Windows Vista. See also Embodied agent BonziBuddy Microsoft Office Assistant Microsoft Voice Command Cortana Microsoft Bob References External links Agent Speech processing software Windows components Computer-related introductions in 1995 Products and services discontinued in 2009