I wrote several apps for people that use the Outlook object model to send emails (book group appointments and the like). All of these apps would have broken if Microsoft had changed the rules.

Then Microsoft should have disabled the ability for outlook to send automated messages by default, and then given the end-user the ability to turn the feature on by hand (and only by hand). Turning the feature on would be accompanied by a warning message. They should have done this YEARS AGO.

The majority of users spreading viruses with the Outlook Virus Construction Kit do not use the automation features. In fact, out of all the Outlook users, I would say that the ones using automation are an incredibly small percentage, and would not have been inconvenienced by such an option.