Look at network effects to pick the right tool, API etc. TCP/IP won out because of the internet. The competitors were mostly LAN protocols, like Novell’s IPX/SP

Look at network effects to pick the right tool, API etc. TCP/IP won out because of the internet. The competitors were mostly LAN protocols, like Novell’s IPX/SPX and Microsoft’s SMB, that became superfluous once networks were connected to the internet - none of those protocols had any reason to exist in the presence of TCP/IP. I remember trying to convince a Netware fan of that in the late 90s though - he wasn’t having it.