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...but that's Windows, this is not. I don't see why Microsoft's mistakes should carry over.

On my keyboard, it's not even physically labeled as the "windows" key anway, it says "option" (or, if I didn't have things re-mapped, "command").

AFAIK (and this[1] seems to back it up), the Windows key has always been used for system-wide shortcuts since it's introduction in Win95.

(I apologize for the historical artifact of a webpage linked below)

[1]http://members.fortunecity.com/buchta/PCTourCD/files/win/Ove...

So has Microsoft broken the modifier function too?

My memory of Windows was that the Win key worked as global system modifier key. But it's been a while now...

In Windows tapping Win key opens Start menu, but holding it down allows it to be used as modifier. So opening Start menu is triggered by falling edge, if no other key was pressed in combination.

It works as a modifier if you press another key with it, else it focuses the Start Menu.

It was broken from the start, since it was introduced in conjunction with Win95 and at that point it was designed to trigger the Start menu with a single press.