Correct - MS' fortune came from the network effects of their system, but they had to be successful in the first place for those to work in their favor.
This book has some good history of "the early years", when it wasn't clear that MS would be the winner that took all:
This book has some good history of "the early years", when it wasn't clear that MS would be the winner that took all:
http://www.squeezedbooks.com/book/show/10/in-search-of-stupi...