By not developing such a plugin for firefox and chrome (which now account for much, much more than IE everywhere else in the world), they are, effectively, mandating IE.

How is the situation today any different than if Netscape never existed?

It is really important to look through the dry definitions. e.g., the super rich -- like the super poor -- are forbidden from panhandling. But effectively, it's a law that only applies to the poor; The wording does not matter.