In the never ending debate, "Is Microsoft a monopoly" that resurfaced on another thread (in forums, the only surer topic to reappear than Godwin's Law is the Microsoft monopoly argument), it was pointed out that at the time of the antitrust suit, Microsoft had several thousand competitors.
Now, first of all, let me say that most Americans have no idea what a monopoly is and why Microsoft is not one. Because that's not the topic of this article, however, I'm going to state that point and move on.
The problem that people seem to fail to recognize is that it is laziness, not corporate greed, that breeds monopolies.
Allow me to explain.
The average American doesn't want to expend any more effort than necessary to obtain results. The remote control is a clear example of this. Rather than get our butts off the couch to change the channel, we rely on the remote control to change it, freaking out when the batteries run down.
The truth is, even now, when critics of Microsoft claim the company is a monopoly, there are other options. Yes, it's true that MOST boxed computers come with Windows bundled, but it is not true that any of them are reliant on Windows to continue running. You can remove Windows, and install any one of a number of Linux based distros all the way from the most basic to distros with a shiny interface just as good as Microsoft's.
The argument against this, of course, is that with Linux you often have to find drivers for your hardware. While this is problematic, it's not impossible. Many newer versions of Linux support many different hardware options, and even peripherals often have Linux drivers.
There's also the issue of programs. Many programs are not compatible with Linux, and some run poorly on emulators such as WINE. The average end user doesn't want to have to filter through their options until they find what works. They want to buy something, plug it in, and have immediate functionality.
This is WalMart mentality. Whatever I can buy cheapest, at the lowest price. And it, not Bill Gates, is what is wrong with America.