>> People want to make a safe bet. They don't want to put their chips on the Bob's Great New Software square and then wind up with a dead product.
>
>And this differs from Microsoft, how?

Good point. Still, Microsoft is perceived as a safer bet than the many fringe players who are far less well known.

I am not especially a Microsoft fan, BTW. But I do think the position and stability of the vendor are a legitimate factor when choosing tools.