So I'm a musician, I use a lot of pro-audio hardware and it's a miracle that some gear requiring 15 year old drivers are still willing to run on W10. I'd like to keep it that way if possible.

Now I understand the idea behind technical debt, however backward compatibility is one of Window's biggest strength, so if a new OS has to be designed, it should be considered carefully.

Obviously open source drivers when needed or strict class compliance should be what manufacturers strive for today.