Note to Massachusetts politicians: Bill Gates may be on his way out, but his lobbying juggernaut isn't going anywhere. A case in point is the struggle in the Bay State over the Open Document Format, an open standard for saving documents that competes with Microsoft Office's proprietary file formats. The state government's policy favors ODF, but Microsoft is using both public philanthropy and behind-the-scenes lobbying to undermine it.

The software giant made headlines and raised eyebrows last week by donating $30 million in software to Massachusetts schools. It was a seemingly generous gift, worth some $800 per student according to Standards Blog, but one that may have come with strings attached. Since Word and other Microsoft software don't support ODF, accepting the gift would mean a blow to the state's plans for ODF.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is continuing an invidious lobbying campaign against Massachusetts's controversial CIO. Although an amendment that would have limited the CIO's power to mandate ODF was recently defeated, the Standards Blog reports that the fight isn't over: "I am told by an informed source that the amendment lives on." The Microsoft-friendly proposal will be voted on separately, according to the blog. Slashdot users are already conducting a vigorous debate. Some see Microsoft's software gift as a good thing regardless of motive, while others are a bit more cynical: "Microsoft offered $30 million in software licenses. That's not money. That's advertising."

What do you think? Is Microsoft's supposed charity really a move to quash competition? Leave a comment below.