[GioM]

In the 90s, yes. But in the early 80s when there were dozens of different computer architectures competing, the rise to dominance of MS-DOS brought about the standardization of computer hardware on a single platform.

That, in turn, led to lower prices as hardware was commoditized, and to accessibility for millions worldwide who could never before buy a computer.

[snapdangle]

So illegal practices are okay as long as they result in lower prices for the consumer?

Actually, this reasoning checks out with current interpretations of monopoly law. Carry on.

[kazinator]

The way I remember it, IBM PC's (and clones thereof) were quite expensive compared to many existing home computers.

[wallflower]

Before Windows (technically 3.1, the breakthrough mainstream version), getting your computer to print something to a printer required the software (e.g. WordPerfect) to handle the printer driver itself.

Before Windows 95, to connect to the internet you had to do a fair bit of config.sys and network driver tweaking and use Peter Tattam’s Trumpet Winsock. Windows 95 incorporated TCP/IP into the operating system, paving the way for Netscape Navigator to reach quick adoption.

Standardization helped accelerate the growth of personal computing. While they were not necessarily open standards or the best standards, not having to worry about custom printer drivers freed up companies and software developers to write more apps...

Which brings us to Microsoft Visual Basic. The JavaScript of its time. Before VB 4, you had to know and understand Charles Petzold’s WinAPI books to make a Windows app. Arguably, some apps were poorly designed or implemented but it bulldozed the way to wide usage of applications for business.