A deal has been reached between Microsoft and the US government, but the ink is not dry and last-minute changes could be made before the federal judge signs off on the deal.
There will be a three-month process to review the deal, before it wins final approval.
The first step is getting approval from the 18 US states and the District of Columbia, who joined the federal government in the case.
They pressed for much stronger penalties against the software giant, and are now reserving their stamp of approval.
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said that there was optimism amongst the states that they might be able to join the US government in the settlement agreement.
Some have hinted they might pursue the case on their own if necessary.
Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly has given the states until Tuesday to review the agreement.
Road to approval
The government and Microsoft, however, will have to win much wider approval for the agreement.
The three-month review process includes a 60-day period for public comment.
And the agreement could face withering criticism from Microsoft's foes in the marketplace and by interest groups strongly critical of the software giant.
Ed Black of the Computer and Communications Industry Association began to lobby against the agreement soon after word came out that the government and Microsoft were close to settling the case.
'Microsoft got off scot-free'
Armed with a copy of the final settlement agreement proposed a year ago in settlement talks, he said the new agreement was "a total capitulation."
After the deal was announced on Friday, he said, "independent industry analysts say that Microsoft got off scot-free."
Three consumer groups condemned the pact Thursday, even before all the details were announced.
"The potential for Microsoft to continue to misbehave under this reported arrangement is enormous," said the Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union and the Media Access Project.
But the landmark anti-trust suit has created not only a strong anti-Microsoft lobby but has also given rise to a number of groups in Washington in Bill Gates's corner.
Groups such as the Association for Competitive Technology that said Thursday the deal might harm the industry and set bad precedents, said the ACT's Jonathon Zuck.
The press conference following the release of the agreement was only the first war of wars between Microsoft's opponents and allies in the review process.
Appeals court review
However, even if the judge signs off on the agreement, the appeals court could still overrule the pact.
In 1995, US District Judge Stanley Sporkin refused to sign an agreement between the Justice Department and Microsoft.
But the Appeals Court overruled Judge Sporkin and a federal appeals court later replaced Judge Sporkin with Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson - the man who ordered the company be broken in two.
The Appeals Court later removed Judge Jackson from the case.
All this suggests that the final word has not yet been spoken. The Department of Justice and Microsoft may have a deal.
But Microsoft's lawyers can't say farewell to the courtroom yet.