More stories on both sides of the Massachusetts software mandate, by John Carroll; David Berlind; & George Ou, all in ZDNet.

My bottom line is the same as Carroll's:

If ODF swept the business world and became a new, de facto standard for digital documents, I would have zero difficulties accepting the new world order. Where I have a problem is when special interests attempt to shoehorn a new standard onto an unwilling marketplace by playing the game of power politics.

Government is both absolutely critical to the proper functioning of a market economy, as well as its biggest threat. Massachusetts' attempt to redesign the shape of the marketplace by using its giant procurement club falls into the latter category.

Thanks for the links to Tony Healy, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Policy Innovation.