This is a clear example of "catch 22" situation: a) we won't implement this change because it's incompatible with the design; b) the design was set 10 years a

This is a clear example of "catch 22" situation: a) we won't implement this change because it's incompatible with the design; b) the design was set 10 years ago and never changed since then, so there's no reason to doubt it's sound.