I read somewhere (probably Raymond Chen's blog) that there were different camps at Microsoft. One recognized that backwards compatibility was a very powerful f

I read somewhere (probably Raymond Chen's blog) that there were different camps at Microsoft. One recognized that backwards compatibility was a very powerful feature. The other thought that there had to be a limit, infinite compatibility was too great a tax to pay forever. The camps have traded power and influence over the years. Personally I think compatibility has been a huge boon for Microsoft. If you need to throw everything away and start over, why would you stick with Windows?