If consumers are not being hurt, there seems to be very little basis for the federal and state action against Microsoft. No one seemed to be raising a fuss when Netscape was giving its browser away. Even if you have Internet Explorer preloaded, you can still load Netscape. This can even be accomplished using Internet Explorer and cruising over to the Netscape site. Many consumers use both browsers on a regular basis.
Consumers are the real beneficiaries of the technology revolution.
Computers are continually becoming faster while also getting less expensive. Sure you have to spring for an upgrade every couple of years, but that is the cost of doing business. We all agree that tech support is atrocious but this is rampant throughout the industry, not just at Microsoft. It is hard to see how Microsoft has harmed consumers. The problem, according to the anti-Microsoft camp, is that consumer choice is threatened by the Microsoft monopoly, particularly when it is extended from the operating system market to the browser and beyond.