csoth1 [/url]":3r1lj051]To be honest the reason it's optional now is probably for the one Windows for all platforms initiative. Phone and tablet OEMs haven't historically allowed the level of openness ...

Therefor, a whole world of alt-OS and open source programming has appeared around this, and it's now gigantic (it's thanks to this that servers can run, ticket machines, and even particle colliders!) ...