If a developer writing in C/C++ is targeting Windows, then bringing in `<windows.h>` (and associated headers) is almost guaranteed, especially if said developer wants to work with native APIs (unless said program will rely on MinGW/Cygwin/Msys2, which are arguably worse, since they drag in an entire Linux directory tree per application).

This is just part of the cost of developing cross-platform, and I'm sorry, but to me, dismissing this as 'going out of one's way' is just being sloppy.