You are comparing a global standard everyone has to use to individual projects. The web is a standard, the rest are individual projects that no one is forced to

You are comparing a global standard everyone has to use to individual projects. The web is a standard, the rest are individual projects that no one is forced to use and all have n number of alternatives. They are completely different things. Here is the thing. Many people simply do not care about things like open source even though they may use it. Even when Stallman and Linus started many people didn't. Now the difference is these guys are doers and helped created a uniquely rich ecosystem that gives real choice to every forward generation and something to build on. But open source typically works with small team starting things and then growing. The out of control complexity, sometime gratuitous is a real blocker as you need large teams to implement right off the bat. Since open source cannot pay anyone or afford large teams in the beginning so this effectively rules out open source alternatives and choice. This is a pretty nasty outcome, but people have to care about these things just like Stallman and others did and fight it persistently with an eye on consequences of decisions taken today and undue complexity. The web in terms of browsers and corporate sponsored projects like Systemd come to mind. Both will need large teams to develop alternatives ie other corporates, and thus de facto rule out open source projects and choice.