Today was a great day for Microsoft…or not.  The company finally reached a deal with the European Commision in the never ending fight concerning Microsoft attempts to impose IE as a unique browser for Windows and not willing to help the developers build compatible software with MS products. The measures that Microsoft will take are (quoting their press release):

• ensures that PC manufacturers will continue to be able to install any browser on top of Windows and make any browser the default
• PC manufacturers and users will be able to turn Internet Explorer on and off
• for the next five years in Europe, PC users who are running Internet Explorer as their default browser will receive a ballot screen that will enable them to easily download and install another browser if they would like
• PC users can make any other browser the default if they prefer. They can even turn Internet Explorer off, although there’s no need to turn off Internet Explorer in order to use a different browser or make another browser the default.
• developers throughout the industry, including in the open source community, will have access to technical documentation to assist them in building products that work well with Microsoft products
• Microsoft will also be required to support certain industry standards in its products and to fully document how these standards are supported. Microsoft’s proposed undertaking will make available legally-binding warranties that would be offered to third parties.

You can read the full press release here.