Robert Herbold, Microsoft's chief operating officer, anticipated the settlement would have ''very, very little, if any at all'' financial impact on the company.
Microsoft's stock rose $1.62 1/2 to close at $138.62 1/2 in Nasdaq trading.
Microsoft corporate spokeswoman Mich Mathews said, ''We thought it was important to put this issue behind us so we can now focus on the core of the issue. And that's whether the company can continue to update and have good products.''
''In order to put the compliance question behind us Ñ we always believed we were in compliance, but there was a lot of controversy over the court's order Ñ so we decide to offer new options which resolves the current dispute. So by doing this we put the focus back on where it belongs Ñ the substance of the case here and in the courts of appeals.''
''This case is about several issues that are important to consumers and the future of the American software industry. We believe that software developers should have the right to continue to innovate and build great new features into the products. And we believe that consumers should decide what goes into software technology, not the government.''