Yeah. Like I said, Microsoft had the emulator. NTVDM on x64 is handled just like MIPS or Alpha, by using the SoftPC emulator. It's just a new CPU architecture.

They had a proven and tested emulator yet they chose not to build it for the new x64 CPU architecture. It turns out that it wasn't too hard to build for the new architecture either. That's the crux of my confusion.

It's not like SoftPC was new and unproven code. It doesn't feel like it would have been a major endeavor to keep supporting it.

Obviously, I don't know Microsoft's telemetry told them re: the number of 16-bit application users. I know it impacted a number of my Customers (some of whom are running DOSBox today to keep old fit-for-purpose software working) and I don't support a ton of offices or people.

It seems out of character for Microsoft to make their Customers throw away software.