[b2600]

Never understood the comparison re: Microsoft and Google. At the time of the Microsoft litigation (and still), they were the dominant OS. The OS wasn't/isn't free. It restricted competition esp. browsers. Google is (mostly) free and ad based. They can't keep other search engines off the internet. They're just what people use (so far).

[pcwalton]

Windows was (and is) effectively free, in that the vast majority of users got it with their purchase of a PC.

Furthermore, "they can't keep other search engines off the internet; they're just what people use" could equally well be said about browsers in 1998. Microsoft never prevented anyone from downloading and installing Netscape.

[pfg]

OEMs pay for those Windows licenses, that's definitely not what anyone would call "free". It's like saying CPUs are effectively free because the vast majority of users got one with their purchase of a PC. Sure, you didn't send any money to Intel or AMD directly, but you still paid for it.