In Agreement With Microsoft, AOL Gets Cash And Flexibility.

Reports on the settlement of the antitrust suit between AOL Time Warner and Microsoft Corp. Consideration of the cooperative efforts of the companies; How AOL sued Microsoft on behalf of Netscape Communications; Assurance that Microsoft will not use its operating system and Internet Explorer browser to put AOL at a disadvantage; Views from investors in both companies with regard to the negotiations; Expectations from analysts for AOL to keep its instant messaging system exclusive.