> They were effectively forced to let the web be an open field by antitrust cases
They won that case on appeal though, and Mozilla wasn't a factor until years after the fact.
The more accurate read of the early-00s browser wars was that MS "won" with IE (95% market share!) and then pretty much lost the stomach (or focus/budget/etc.) to advance the web in any way.
The specter of further anti-trust action still hung around. It's only been relatively recently that it has become apparent that the country's leadership is not interest in trust breaking anymore. But now Microsoft is playing catchup.
They won that case on appeal though, and Mozilla wasn't a factor until years after the fact.
The more accurate read of the early-00s browser wars was that MS "won" with IE (95% market share!) and then pretty much lost the stomach (or focus/budget/etc.) to advance the web in any way.