I’m not so sure...the Microsoft of 2015 clearly isn’t the Microsoft of 1998...IMO, Internet Explorer 4.0, per se, was a halfway decent browser...a bit ahead of its time, even.
Some of the strange bugs that characterised it were a product of the computers of its time; they hardly show up, if ever, on modern hardware; a 486 with 16MB of RAM was literally the *bare minimum*; you would be quite hard-pressed to run Windows alone *anyway*.
In an alternate universe where Microsoft did not resort to its underhanded business tactics, Internet Explorer would have won out anyway...as web developers started using CSS and HTML 4.01, it would have become quite clear that Netscape 4.x would become a train wreck. (It had a hard time rendering pages even with a minimum of CSS!)
Do you remember Mono (.Net for Linux), MFC for Unix, Microsoft Java for starters?
Agree. I don't know about you, but I'm liking what Satya Nadella is doing with Microsoft these days.
I recently received a technology briefing (complete with working versions of software) on how Microsoft is actively combatting bot-nets around the world and shutting down DDOS attacks. The work they're doing is really incredible, including the capability of zooming down to the physical address level of the IP address acting as a bot or spewing out malware. I cannot do justice describing in writing what I saw Microsoft doing at this briefing.
I can tell you that the FBI now coordinates many of the bot-net take downs with Microsoft. It's really incredible to see the two working together.
Just adding to your point that the Microsoft of 2015 is not the Microsoft of 1998. Not even close.
Would the Microsoft of 1998 announced the next version of Windows as being FREE for Windows 95/Windows 3.11 users? HELL NO they wouldn't have. And yet, Windows 10 will be a free upgrade to Windows 7/8.x users.
I'm liking the new Microsoft. Will be buying their stock on the upcoming split.