Antitrust regulators are evaluating trial versions of Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 8 as part of ongoing activities to make sure Microsoft is complying with U.S. government determinations.
Microsoft and antitrust regulators also reported that they were focusing on reviewing and extending the documentation that the company is making available as part of the Microsoft Communications Protocol Program (MCPP). Release dates are also being set.
The details were revealed in a joint report published today. New York, California, Florida and other states have authored part of the report, focusing on the application, while Microsoft has authored the other half with a focus on compliance.
The update was the first since the first status report published on February 29, which is valid for 6 months, according to the report published by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Compliance reviews are part of a decree of November 2002, which was extended this year to 2009. The technical committee (TC) defined by the plaintiffs and led by Craig Hunt, a California technical expert, said he continues to evaluate Internet Explorer 8 to find out "any remaining Middleware-related problems".
Internet Explorer and its integration with the operating system Windows was the central focus of antitrust cases. As part of the final judgment in these cases, Microsoft must disclose middleware interfaces and service protocols.
CT also reported that Microsoft has recently provided access to a new Windows 7 build for review. TC reported that it would validate compliance and that it would conduct middleware-related tests to make sure the bugs fixed in Windows Vista do not reappear on Windows 7.
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