There's really little to keep it from turning into that. In fact, I don't see any way it couldn't be decades long, if the plan is real windows compatibility.

There's really little to keep it from turning into that. In fact, I don't see any way it couldn't be decades long, if the plan is real windows compatibility. However, I think that the points I detailed under the potential new Alky design would keep things considerably simpler (though I think it's unlikely anyone would pick up the design). As I said, I think the absolute key is a focus on maintainability. Everything comes from there.