It’s Tuesday’s IT Blogwatch: in which the state of Massachusetts thinks it likes Office 2007 after all. Not to mention why not to mess with two yuppies in a BMW…

Eric Lai has the scoop:

Massachusetts today released draft specifications that would allow state workers to continue using Microsoft’s Office Open XML (OOXML) format. The latest proposal comes about two years after state IT officials kicked off a raging political battle by unveiling  specifications that would have required state workers to use applications that support only "open" technologies like the OpenDocument format (ODF).
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According to pages 18-22 of the proposed Massachusetts Enterprise Technical Reference Model 4.0, OOXML, along with ODF, plain text and HTML formats, meets the IT division’s criteria for an open document format. Other formats that are not considered open but could be used by Massachusetts state employees include Adobe Corp.’s Portable Document Format and Rich Text Format.
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Microsoft has played hardball by lobbying hard in Massachusetts and other states, and to the federal government. On the other side, ODF supporter IBM has also lobbied governments.

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That’ll be Thursday’s IT Blogwatch then: in which Microsoft responds to Google’s antitrust complaint about Vista’s desktop search features. Not to mention the seven most annoying things about the future…

Gregg Keizer reports:

Microsoft Corp. has agreed to make changes to Windows Vista’s desktop search and indexing tool, but it did not concede, as Google Inc. charged, that the feature violated a 2002 antitrust settlement … In Vista SP1, Microsoft will allow users and computer manufacturers to select a default search program by using the process already in place for choosing a default browser or media player.
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Google’s complaint revolved around whether Vista’s search was a new feature, as Google claimed, or an extension of a feature in earlier editions of Windows, as Microsoft said. The point was important, since by the 2002 settlement agreement … Microsoft must help rivals build software that runs smoothly on Windows.

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‘Twas a busy weekend of finger pointing with the DoJ pointing to Google, which pointed to Microsoft, which beckoned its former attorney — at the DoJ! Not to mention effective procrastination …

Joe Wilcox blows the whistle:

Back in November, a mystery company filed a legal complaint about Windows Vista. The company has been revealed to be Google, in a breach of legal protocol.
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Suddenly there is chatter about the Google complaint, as seen in a New York Times story posted [Saturday], with a Sunday dateline. The public disclosure, which fingers Google as the November complainant, violates the court’s protocol for protecting the privacy of companies filing complaints. Apparently, there is division among some states and the Justice Department about the Google complaint.
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As for the complaint: Apparently, Google contends that Windows Vista’s built-in search feature is anticompetitive because the search indexer can’t be turned off. So, for people choosing Google Desktop Search, there would be two indexers running, which allegedly would degrade performance and the overall end user experience.

Wow. It’s Wednesday’s IT Blogwatch: in which hundreds of IT professionals tell Microsoft to, "Put up or shut up." Not to mention American Dad vs. Family Guy…

Jeremy Kirk has the scoop:

In an unconventional request, some users of Linux and other open-source software are inviting Microsoft Corp. to sue them. The users have put their names on a public wiki as a way of protesting Microsoft’s recent claims that Linux and other open-source software infringe on at least 235 of its patents. They’ve listed the open-source OSes and software they use, along with frequently snarky comments.

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Zing! It’s IT Blogwatch, in which Sun’s blogging CEO tut-tuts Microsoft for its latest open-source threats. Not to mention a drag-racing competition based on power saws and lots of beer …

Jonathan Schwartz, Sun’s blogging CEO, looks at Microsoft’s latest bull-in-the-china-shop routine, relates how open-sourcing Solaris and participating in other free software projects has revived Sun, and then hands out some free advice to the Redmond executive corps:

You would be wise to listen to the customers you’re threatening to sue — they can leave you, especially if you give them motivation. Remember, they wouldn’t be motivated unless your products were somehow missing the mark.

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Zing! It’s IT Blogwatch, in which Sun’s blogging CEO tut-tuts Microsoft for its latest open-source threats. Not to mention a drag-racing competition based on power saws and lots of beer …

Jonathan Schwartz, Sun’s blogging CEO, looks at Microsoft’s latest bull-in-the-china-shop routine, relates how open-sourcing Solaris and participating in other free software projects has revived Sun, and then hands out some free advice to the Redmond executive corps:

You would be wise to listen to the customers you’re threatening to sue — they can leave you, especially if you give them motivation. Remember, they wouldn’t be motivated unless your products were somehow missing the mark.

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Duck! It’s Friday’s IT Blogwatch: in which Microsoft offers low cost software to developing countries. Not to mention the continuing stooorrry of Stumpy, the four^W three-legged duck…

Steven Schwankert said:

Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates launched an initiative here [in China] Thursday aimed at bridging the digital divide … involves offering governments a $3 software package called the Student Innovation Suite. It includes Windows XP Starter Edition, Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 [and some other stuff] … The suite will be available by the end of this year to qualifying governments that are working to supply PCs to students in order to promote technology skills. In 2008, Microsoft will extend its availability to all countries with economies defined as low- or middle-income.

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Duck! It’s Friday’s IT Blogwatch: in which Microsoft offers low cost software to developing countries. Not to mention the continuing stooorrry of Stumpy, the four^W three-legged duck…

Steven Schwankert said:

Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates launched an initiative here [in China] Thursday aimed at bridging the digital divide … involves offering governments a $3 software package called the Student Innovation Suite. It includes Windows XP Starter Edition, Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 [and some other stuff] … The suite will be available by the end of this year to qualifying governments that are working to supply PCs to students in order to promote technology skills. In 2008, Microsoft will extend its availability to all countries with economies defined as low- or middle-income.

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