This dilutes the resources that can be effectively applied to application development, training andsupport. I've been in the software business for a loooooooooong time, and in more cases than not, programmers are a brilliant bunch that tend to be a bit undisciplined. The existence of enforced standards does have the effect of reigning in some creativity, but it establishes baselines that can be depended upon. From the perspective of the product provider it became a maintenance nightmare as customers modified their operating systems. When a problem occurred, it was often not clear whose code had failed.
Every company makes errors.