p2pnet.net News:- Microsoft said it’ll allow security companies, “to disable certain parts of the Windows Security Center in Vista when a third-party security console is installed” to try to allay European Commission, “antitrust concerns, and also vowed to ship Vista in Europe at the same time as the rest of the world,” says CNET News.

“In response, the Commission issued a statement Friday warning that Microsoft’s actions didn’t mean Vista would not infringe European laws,” says the story.

“Both sides agree that the commission has not given the ‘green light’ for the commercial launch of Vista to business users next month and to retail customers in January,” says Guardian Unlimited. “But Brad Smith, the group’s general counsel, has said Microsoft accepts it is obliged to comply with antitrust law and is convinced the revised Vista does comply.

Microsoft has agreed to make three key changes, “in the form of binding commitments to address long-standing EU concerns about ‘bundling’ software into its operating system,” says the story:

“First, users can now choose their own search engine, making it and not necessarily Internet Explorer 7 the default search tool on their computers.

“Second, after complaints from rival security software companies such as Symantec, it has agreed to create a new set of codes (APIs) that will enable rivals to gain access to Vista’s core or kernel. Mr Ballmer said these would be available from last night.

“Third, it agreed that its new fixed-layout document format, XML, similar to that of Adobe’s PDF files, will be scrutinsed by a standards setting body and that the licensing terms under which the format is made available to rival software companies will be revised.”

Also See:
CNET News – Did Microsoft get lucky in Europe?, October 16, 2006
Guardian Unlimited – Cold war between Microsoft and European Commission thaws, October 16, 2006

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