It's A Microsoft World. Five years after running afoul of the Feds, Microsoft is as powerful than ever. Pushing a platform instead of products could make it stronger still. Why nothing seems to stop it.
Few people who have researched the company believe that Microsoft ran afoul of the Feds.
Can't really say that I blame Microsoft too much for this. After all, that whole business of the antitrust suit had all the earmarks of a shake down. Going after them for bundling a browser seems to have been quite a weak case indeed, especially when MS was strong-arming the OEMs to prevent them from offering dual boot systems or simply selling computers with no OS installed at all. They missed the strong case that could have done some real damage. Sounds all too much like a play for some juicy $$$ from some mighty deep pockets. Sounds more like MS is trying to see that it doesn't happen again.
Previously, MS seems to have been a rather apolitical company.