Giving credit where it's due, I can appreciate Microsoft for introducing XPS as an alternative to pdf.
There was a time, when not every software had "export to pdf". So, having a "print to pdf" meant installing (often pirated) Adobe Acrobat or installing a sketchy free(ware) printdriver software downloaded from sourceforge.
MS adding xps print driver to windows enabled sharing docs consistently (within windows ecosystem) without resorting to hacks.
I don't know why it didn't catch up. May be it was the general mistrust of anything MS, it arrived too late or it was something else.
Indeed, we need to give credit to MS for what they did. However, it didn't catch up as you mentioned, maybe due to timing, skepticism toward MS, or the complexity of moving from Adobe to MS for PDF management. I will dig a bit into it and come back later if I find anything interesting.
There was a time, when not every software had "export to pdf". So, having a "print to pdf" meant installing (often pirated) Adobe Acrobat or installing a sketchy free(ware) printdriver software downloaded from sourceforge.
MS adding xps print driver to windows enabled sharing docs consistently (within windows ecosystem) without resorting to hacks.
I don't know why it didn't catch up. May be it was the general mistrust of anything MS, it arrived too late or it was something else.