The only problem I see with this analogy is that Microsoft makes money when developers pull new users onto their platform ($50 per Windows license), which makes

The only problem I see with this analogy is that Microsoft makes money when developers pull new users onto their platform ($50 per Windows license), which makes it a much more symbiotic relationship. I am interested in seeing if these Twitter apps are still going to be pumped out in such a ferocious speed once Twitter starts to charge per use of their API.