Not just old software, but with a lot of open source software you usually have a spectrum of choice between more basic, lightweight software and more elaborate,

Not just old software, but with a lot of open source software you usually have a spectrum of choice between more basic, lightweight software and more elaborate, heavyweight software. Think LXDE vs XFCE vs KDE vs Gnome as desktop environments, or nano vs Sublime vs Code/Atom vs IntelliJ as text editors, for example. However, when it comes some software areas prone to capture, there's not only no choice, but rather a multitude of incompatible-by-design options. Due to WFH, I need to have four different bloated chat/videoconference software on all the time which all offers the same features to me. When I want to watch a live stream, I need to open YouTube or Twitch or Facebook Live which all offer the same basic functionality but no one is interested in standardizing their interface so I can just point my familiar video player to it (at least without it breaking all the time due to cat-and-mouse fights between the platform and open source developers). I'm not generally in favour of regulation, but mandating some basic degree of interoperability so platform and software can compete separately seems like the only option.