This function dates back to Windows 3.1, back when a powerful computer had 4MB of memory, and your typical computer had much less. Software development kits cost thousands of dollars, and the expectation was that if you bought one, it was because you were a professional developer who understood how the system worked down to a very low level. Programming was hard because nobody expected it to be easy.

https://devblogs.microsoft....0210928-00/?p=105737