If you've been wondering when the axe would fall on the Massachusetts effort to adopt ODF - now we know. And it's a big -- and potentially lethal -- one.

Here is an almost word for word transcript of the Oct. 31 MA hearing. There were a number of developments.

An article by the Globe's Hiawatha Bray gets many details wrong, but provides the last warmup for Monday's ODF hearing.

Yesterday, Microsoft made the following statement: "We have no plans to directly support the OpenDocument format at this time." Is that really news, or do we just want it to be?

For a week I've been hearing rumors that Microsoft was working behind the scenes to scotch Massachusetts' plans to standardize on OpenFormat. Those rumors have now been confirmed.

Only a short time ago Corel and Microsoft each said "no way" to supporting OpenDocument. Now they're both saying something different -- and they're both hoping that you're not paying too close attention.

A reporter asks me what I know about a challenge to the adoption of OpenDocument in Massachusetts.

Microsoft says that they're not yet willing to support OpenDocument, but will do so if their customers demand it. It looks like they won't have to bother, because someone else is going to do the job for them.

What do you do when the chance of a lifetime comes along to break out of the basement? If you're Corel, you stick your head in the sand.

David Berlind has done a great job of doing some deep digging on what the players knew, and when they knew it, as Massachusetts made its OpenDocument decision. I interviewed all of the same players (and more)while the decision was being made, and fill in some of the gaps.