Governments often have to mandate. For example in both Australia and Britain (home of the British Imperial measuring system still staunchly supported by the US) laws had to be passed to enforce the introduction of the Metric System. Such enforcement is unlikely in the US where arguements citing either the value of market forces or the importance of freedom of speech can be cynically invoked. Basic software will become a commodity because Goverments will see it as being in their countries best interest. And like introducing the Metric System it will just take a little longer in the US.