Microsoft, Microsoft, Microsoft

It felt like all Microsoft, all the time this week. CEO Steve Ballmer was attacked by an egg-throwing Hungarian, the company said it will support ODF and PDF in Office next year and it started the week by pitching another deal to Yahoo that involves buying assets and not the entire works. (Note to Microsoft: Take a weekend off already!)

1. Update: Microsoft to support ODF, PDF in Office next year and All eyes on how Microsoft pulls off ODF support: Microsoft is adding support for ODF (Open Document Format) and Adobe Systems' PDF (Portable Document Format) to Office next year in a service pack. Users will be able to save documents as ODF, PDF and XPS, as well as set ODF as the default file format. It's about time.

2. Yahoo postpones board meeting, director resigns: The Yahoo board's annual meeting was pushed back a few weeks until the end of July when all of the director seats will be up for re-election. Director Edward Kozel resigned from the board, which investor Carl Icahn hopes to replace with a slate of 10 candidates he's assembled. The meeting was to have been July 3; it's expected Yahoo will use the extra time to work through particulars of being acquired by Microsoft.

3. Microsoft puts new Yahoo deal on the table and Analysts: Microsoft likely eyeing Yahoo search assets: Microsoft proposed buying an unspecified part of Yahoo. Early bets were that the unspecified part involves search advertising. By week's end, with word that Yahoo had postponed its annual meeting, talk turned back to the likelihood of a full acquisition.

4. Facebook provides redesign details: It seemed like it would take an act of Congress to get any details, but Facebook finally let loose with particulars of its member-profile pages redesign. Profiles will consist of tabbed subpages for the subscriber's "activity feed," photos, personal information and applications. The aim is a return to a streamlined look.

5. Report: Apple to be hub of the digital home by 2013: Purveyors of the digital home will put Apple on top of that market by 2013, Forrester analysts said. Apple will dominate in digital homes with eight products along with services that connect PCs and digital content to TVs and stereos, J.P. Gownder and James McQuivey said in their market forecast. The Apple Store will be overhauled and the company will get into home installation services of digital entertainment systems, they predict.

6. Rising energy costs may usher in workplace changes: Rising gas prices are affecting company policies regarding telecommuting as well as leaving a mark on the IT job market overall. Workers are less likely to be willing to drive longer distances for work, because of rising costs. Some can shift to mass transport, while others are opting to work closer to home, limiting the talent pool geographically.

7. Microsoft's Ballmer attacked by egg-tosser: Steve Ballmer ducked behind a lectern when a student at Corvinus University of Budapest took to shouting and hurling eggs at the Microsoft CEO. The student wore a shirt that said "Microsoft = Corruption" in large block letters on the back. He rose from his seat seconds after Ballmer began a speech, shouted and then threw three eggs. Ballmer took cover as the first one whizzed by. He later joked that he was worried about keeping his suit clean because egg doesn't come off easily.

8. Xbox Live gamertag bans get out of hand: Provoking umbrage among some in the Xbox Live community, the "gamertag" of Richard Gaywood, a U.K. resident, was apparently banned by Microsoft filters because it includes the word "gay." Gamertags that contain sexual innuendo or offensive words are forbidden.

9. Why data-loss prevention tools scare the hell out of some: Content monitoring in data-loss prevention software can put the spotlight on shoddy business practices or potential legal issues, early adopters have found. "You move from ignorance to jeopardy," said Tony Spinelli, senior vice president of information security at Equifax. "A lot of regulators say when you know what's leaving your network, you have to disclose that."

10. Four secrets to becoming a rising IT star andSecrets to successful IT teams: Well, they aren't secrets anymore, but CIO offers four ways to become a rising star in IT, as well as secrets of successful IT teams. Good communication and collaboration are key and managers need to focus on both, which can be measured through Social Network Analysis. SNA tools can help IT executives document the worth of employee relationships and of connecting those with knowledge with those who need it.