That example doesn't bother me too much, though there are plenty of smart folks who would disagree. I don't like IE's dominance, which dates back to exactly wha

That example doesn't bother me too much, though there are plenty of smart folks who would disagree. I don't like IE's dominance, which dates back to exactly what you describe (vs Netscape). But the outcome is that the Internet became a mass phenomenon. I don't think it would obviously have been so if Netscape and MS charged for browsers. Heck, companies used to charge for TCP/IP stacks. Dumping looks pro-consumer in this context.