Got here when looking for a way to make SSMS properly escape CSV separators when exporting results.

Guess what? – this is actually an option, and it is unchecked by default. So by default, you get broken CSV files (and may not even realize it, esp. if your export is large and your data doesn’t have commas normally) – and you have to go in and click a checkbox so that your CSVs export correctly!

To me, this seems like a monumentally stupid design choice and an apt metaphor for Microsoft’s approach to software in general (“broken by default, requires meaningless ritualistic actions to make trivial functionality work”).

But I will gladly donate $100 to a charity of respondent’s choice if someone can give me one valid real-life reason for this option to exist (i.e., an actual scenario where it was useful).