Apparently changing even the simplest aspect of Microsoft Window can involve multiple layers of lawyers and international specialists. David Vronay, research manager for the Windows User Experience Compliance team details the efforts needed to update the Minesweeper mini-game for Windows Vista.
Vronay notes that while North Americans only see mines in movies they are a real threat in many parts of the world and thus are not consider suitable for being part of a game. The solution: Flower Garden, hunting for flowers. However this simple change means new graphics, new install routines, determining which locale gets which version by default, and new documentation.
Finally some locales don’t want normal Minesweeper as an option at all, and Vronay doesn’t even know how that was dealt with! (via Ars Technica)