Ian Smith <ian@???> wrote:

> I've wondered if somehow Microsoft managed to get a majority of new
> PCs/laptops locked permanently to Windows, that would attract
> some antitrust/monopoly lawsuits, akin to the browser scenario some
> years ago.

It might, eventually. And then it would take years for the process to grind it’s way to a conclusion. Then more years for the inevitable appeals. In practical terms, by the time anything happened, any remedy would be moot as the damage would have been done and any competitive advantage taken advantage of.

Remember that in the browser wars, the EU mandated remedy really didn’t do anything - by the time it happened, it was largely moot. More details at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_wars

Simon