Early warnings debuted last month when Microsoft decided to make them available to everyone, not just selected customers (as it had been doing). They lack detail -- no specific information is given out -- but they do provide customers at least a feel for how many, and how critical, the fixes will be.
The patches are scheduled to release next Tuesday, December 14, and as usual, will be posted on Microsoft's security Web site before noon Pacific time.
As promised in November, Microsoft now also offers an e-mail notification service for the pre-release warnings. Users can sign up for the service here.