Five years after being pegged a monopolist, Microsoft is coming under scrutiny for efforts to license its proprietary technology in accordance with antitrust legal demands from U.S. and European regulators.

Once upon a time there was a ’school’ that used predominantly Microsoft software. This ’school’ used PCs with Windows Servers and Windows XPs. The fact that this was a poor ’school’ meant that they couldn’t afford MS Office. They wanted to, but they couldn’t. So they installed the academic licences of StarOffice 7. All was good in the world.

Gaming giant Tattersalls has chosen to abandon Linux as it moves ahead with a $43 million project to streamline its multi-state Maxgaming poker machine business.

"Okay, I’ve watched a few of these articles floating about that apparently don’t speak any new information, but do try to come across as authoritative. It’s basically a waste of BLOG time and space. I always have to look with a critical eye when it appears the “chicken” is telling the “fox” everything is “okay” for them, and bad for that old “fox.” There is an interesting reality that is not captured by financial analysts, Gartner, or Microsoft."

The battles for energy efficiency aren't just being fought by chipmakers, server and PC vendors, and other hardware companies out there. There's a similar battle heating up on the OS layer between Microsoft and Linux.

The theory goes that Linux, the open-source operating system, will replace Windows as the preferred software to run servers. Over time, the cost advantage of software created by a community of developers would overwhelm the pricey Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) product.

"Time after time we warned that with the arrival of Windows Vista comes a novel lock-in strategy. It must not be ignored. Proprietary and patent-encumbered technology will be named “open” and then gradually extended. It is a trap which is disguised by disinformation and third parties like Novell and Ecma.

This strategy of lock-in stretches well beyond file formats. It also creates lethal and viral (as in “transferable”) integration of the server side and the desktop side. As mentioned many times before, all of this is happening quietly. It’s happening quietly for a reason. You never yell when approaching a rabbit."

It was a long time in coming. But Microsoft has finally acknowledged that its anti-Linux site had gone past the point of usefulness.

On August 23, Microsoft pulled plug on the “Get the Facts” site, replacing it with a new Windows Server “Compare” site.