Compaq quickly compromised; they didn't even last the 60 days Microsoft had given them.
The time was just over two weeks, after a meeting with their internal senior executives.
Compaq's CEO, Eckhard Pfeiffer, sent a reply to Microsoft and quickly, on all computers newly manufactured in May, Microsoft's Navigator browser was added back.
This matter was no secret within the industry; many of their peers strongly sensed it.
Microsoft was deliberately choosing to punish Compaq, to warn other computer manufacturers.
Setting other things aside, this was also Microsoft's public statement to those business partners who did not act entirely as it demanded.
It wanted to make it clear to them the consequences of disobedience; there may be countless computer manufacturers, but there's only one operating system.
Fearing retribution from Microsoft, most computer company executives declined to discuss these matters with news organizations.
