If you haven't already, you should definitely read "How Microsoft Lost The API War" (http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/APIWar.html) by Joel Spolsky. One of my favorite articles of all time -- it speaks to some of the things you raised... specifically how Microsoft intentionally let IE6 development come to a halt because it was no longer strategically beneficial to them (not because the DoJ interference made them stop). Also hints at the idea that the stability of IE6 for a while actually created a good environment for innovation in the web app space to take place because things we're changing all the time.