Re: So Google can win the competion with Search...
"Sure, everybody used Windows only because the MS Gestapo forced them one by one, not because Windows applications were available and better"
Everybody used Windows at the outset because it was tied to DOS, initially. They used DOS because everyone used IBM and IBM, to their great regret, chose to use MSFT to create the PC OS. After the app providers all lined up on IBM's OS, which happened to not be IBM's OS, MSFT had their dominant position as porting was a large effort. Even so, not arguing that they got their dominant position through anti-competitive tactics. After they got the position though, they most definitely retained the position through anti-competitive tactics... that is a finding of fact in US Federal Court, not just my opinion. Abusing the OEMs, which they certainly did do, was not even the worst of it. The situation which got them dragged into court was their outright shameful treatment of Mosaic/Netscape. Mosaic invented the internet browser in modern form. A huge innovation. MSFT came to them and offered to wrap it into Windows and pay a royalty to Mosaic. As MSFT dominated the computer market, Mosaic took their deal. Microsoft turned their tech into IE and eventually created proprietary ActiveX to lock down websites into IE.... the shameful bit was that MSFT, despite having a license to print money, decided to snake Mosaic. When Mosaic came to MSFT asking about their royalties, as their tech was running on every computer, MSFT told them to read their contract. They were entitled to a percentage of web browser sales. As MSFT decided to bundle IE with the price of Windows, web browser sales amounted to $0. So Mosaic was entitled, according to MSFT, to zero dollars.... Totally unnecessary on MSFT's part. Mosaic wasn't even asking for that much money. They just pushed them around because they could and that's how they operate.
Lotus was the market share leader by a mile in productivity. MSFT had developed apps going back to Mac 2 and they were as Steve Jobs' once described them "terrible." Their original MultiPlan spreadsheet software was hammered by Lotus 1-2-3. They took over productivity because of its connection and integration, technically and in pricing bundles, with Windows.
Android and Windows are not at all similar situations. Google makes all of their money on Android via search and a tiny bit via Play Store. That is their monetization. They don't prevent people from using other browsers and search engines, but they default to Google.... much like Microsoft does in Windows with Edge and Bing in addition to charging you. Google has never told an OEM on Android that they can't ship another OS or must pay them if they ship another OS in the same way Microsoft did with Windows... telling OEMs that they still had to buy a Windows license even if they shipped Linux PCs. Nothing even comparable.... A comparable situation, which does not exist, would be if Google told Samsung and Lenovo that they can't use Android any longer unless they stop making Windows PCs. Never happened.... Also, Microsoft makes more cash on Android directly than Google does. It is amazing. Microsoft just shook down the OEMs, Told them that they would sue them into the ground for supposed violations of MSFT phone patents, as laughable as that is. The OEMs just decided to pay off MSFT as they didn't want to get in a multi-year lawsuit with MSFT over patents. Google themselves is the only Android phone maker that just told MSFT to go ahead and sue them over these bogus patents because they were not going to pay MSFT to license their supposed phone patents. MSFT decided to just go away. Made the mistake of picking on someone their own size.
There are alternatives to using Google or fb for online advertising. Microsoft actually runs a pretty large one. There are many alternatives to Google's DoubleClick ad network. Rubicon for instance. Many others.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
