When programs grovel into undocumented structures (2003)

Even knowing all that, I would still blame Windows for foisting an unnecessary, unwanted upgrade.

Just quasi-freeze the thing already into a strict maintenance mode.

I would also blame Microsoft for creating that situation in the first place. It's severely ironic that a "certain company" would have a program that is so important that Microsoft has to scramble to put in compatibility hacks for undocumented behaviors to keep the program running --- yet somehow that "certain company" doesn't have the rapport with Microsoft to proactively collaborate on a more proper solution.

Microsoft's behavior creates a double standard: some players in the ecosystem are important enough that their dependencies on undocumented behaviors are catered to ... and then there is the rest.

Everyone depending on undocumented behavior should be left hung out to dry equally, or else catered to equally.

Document the backwards compatibility hack and make it work for everyone, or don't do it.