John Doe writes:

The real reason it remains the dominant operating system, as has
been explained many times before, is because of network effects and
a positive feedback loop.

If that is the real reason, then it cannot be a result of anything
that Microsoft has done. You've contradicted yourself.

The problem is that the operating system maker can kill off
applications makers. So it should be prevented from making
applications, or the end result will be no choice of applications
either.

The operating system maker cannot kill off anyone, or would it want
to. The greater the number of applications that run under its OS, the
better.

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