The EU Commission and Microsoft have done a draft of a deal. Lunch, anyone? They will do market testing of the browser screen for a while. And they have worked out a kind of draft solution on interoperability standards. Both solutions are working off of two suggestions Microsoft proposed itself.
Here's Microsoft's statement, glowing with happiness that their two proposals, with some changes suggested in the last month or so by the EU Commission, have basically been adopted, if the test works out. And here's Neelie Kroes' blog with her announcement:

Now the Commission has agreed to formally market test proposals made by Microsoft that, if adopted, would offer current and future users of Windows software in Europe a meaningful choice between Internet Explorer and its competitors.
Currently Windows users (most computer users) do not get an upfront choice because Microsoft ties Internet Explorer to the Windows PC operating system. Under the new proposal users would be offered 12 browser options on a 'choice screen' appearing on their computers. This is the sort of effective and unbiased choice we have been looking for, so today is another positive step towards this outcome.

Are they pre-installed? Or only IE and you get to install any alternative if you so choose? What do you think? You have to download them. We all know how much people love to do that. Not. Nice when you get to choose your own solutions. Here are the EU documents, the press release and the documents relevant to the case. ECIS has put out a statement, pointing out some issues that seem not to be addressed and indicating it will be involved in the testing process, monitoring:

ECIS and its member companies will analyse the commitments to verify their ability to ensure that Microsoft respects both the letter and the spirit of the settlement. The original Microsoft proposals published in July were inadequate in many respects. It is particularly important that any settlement includes vigorous enforcement mechanisms including regular monitoring to ensure that Microsoft lives up to its part of the deal and that users' choice of browsers is truly unbiased as Commissioner Kroes has promised.

Hmm. I hope the EU Commission doesn't let Microsoft run a "Get the Facts" type of "market testing". But remember, the "market" means you. Technically this isn't a final decision, but absent negative feedback, it is. Even with it, it probably is. Let me show you.

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