> it is worth remembering that IE6 and all of its specific behaviors "won" through "raw competition".
It is worth noting that the findings in the antitrust actions in the US over Microsoft's illegal and anti-competitive behavior in establishing IE's dominance indicate that that claim is, at best, misleading.
I would argue the opposite, in fact - that it shows what happens with pure unrestrained competition. Which leads to monopolies and other forms of competition suppression, ironically, of course.
Regardless, we don't need to agree on that point. There are plenty of other examples in tech (and outside) of things winning through "raw competition" that are just not that good.