blogs.zdnet: On Friday, Microsoft gave computer makers a six-month extension for offering Windows XP on newly-shipped PCs. While this doesn’t impact enterprise IT — because volume licensing agreements will allow IT to keep installing Windows XP for many years to come — the move is another symbolic nail in Vista’s coffin.

Also: Vista R.I.P.

heise-online.co.uk: After a recent meeting of the SC 34 committee, the ISO/IEC group responsible for OOXML, Groklaw are reporting that they believe Microsoft are trying to take control of the Open Document Format (ODF), the uncontroversial open document format standard.

itworldcanada.com: The world's biggest software company is best known for its proprietary technologies, but a technology center opened this year may contribute to enterprise interoperability. And yet the skepticism remains

newsweek.com: Last year I was meeting with the CEO of a PC company who offered to give me a demo of his company's gorgeous new top-of- the-line notebook loaded with Windows Vista. He flipped open the laptop, pressed the power button, and … nothing. We waited. And waited. It was excruciating.

blogs.techrepublic.com: I know, I know…you’re wondering why this is in the open source blog. The reason is simple: I have used open source operating systems for a long, long time now. I have championed against Microsoft for over ten years. But when Techrepublic liked the idea of me writing some Vista content for them, I couldn’t say no.

itwire.com: Steve Ballmer is many things: Microsoft CEO, 43rd richest person on the planet, monkey dancing video star. Wikipedia says that he has "been known to be very passionate in expressing his enthusiasm." We have 10 reasons to suggest (tongue in cheek) he should be in a rubber room eating soft fruit...

it.toolbox.com/blogs/locutus: Life without walls is the title of microsoft's new advertising campaign. It is yet another example of microsoft taking someone else's idea and trying to claim it as their own. This has put me in rant mode because for a long time there has been a quote floating around in the Linux camp.

businessgeeks.org: I’ve been an Ubuntu Linux user since the Breezy Badger days of Ubuntu and ever since that day I installed Ubuntu Linux, I never looked back into using Microsoft Windows or any its variants. With a license copy in my possession, I figured I’d take Windows Vista on a drive for the next couple of weeks and see if it really what people say about it.

news.cnet: Who knew that when eWeek's Peter Galli wrote in 2007 about Microsoft fracturing the open-source community, Galli would become the very person to help strengthen Microsoft's role in the open-source community?

blogs.zdnet.com: The second Microsoft commercial featuring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld is out (being broadcast tonight during Big Brother on CBS) and at least this time, there were some funny scenes. And there was clearly a message this time.

itwire.com: Challenged by my iTWire colleague and Linux lover Sam Varghese to come up with 40 reasons to lose Linux and vote Vista, I’ve done just that.

itwire.com: iTWire colleague David M Williams has written an article entitled “5 reasons to upgrade from Windows Vista to Linux”. Windows Vista has been out for almost two years now, has received an excellent first service pack, and is running very well even on older hardware, with my own now-older system as a great example.

blogs.zdnet: The long-awaited $300 million ad campaign that Microsoft launched to counter Apple’s successful “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” campaign aired during the Thursday night kickoff to the NFL season. Did you see it? I missed it on TV but caught it on YouTube.

telegraph.co.uk: Do I now have to reinstall Windows XP (and Ubuntu) or if there are ways of retrieving files from the Windows partition using Linux?

itmanagement.earthweb.com: Sam Ramji is a busy man. As Microsoft’s senior director of platform strategy, his job is a big one: overseeing the company’s initiatives in Linux and open source. Wait a second – Microsoft’s strategy in open source? Yes, that’s right.