Windows freezes plotting large line plots (PR#7856)

This is already addressed in R-patched: we do ask you to check
before filing a bug report so as not to waste our time.
 (It was also discussed on R-help: see the archives.)

It is a bug *in Windows* and not one in R: nothing an application
can do should be that fatal (and this is a perfectly legitimate
Windows GDI call).  I trust that you will file a bug report in the
correct place.

From the CHANGES file:

   The support for mitred lines encountered a Windows problem
   with a dramatic slowdown if more than 1000 or so segments
   were plotted in a polyline.  We now plot in bunches of 1000,
   which is less accurate but  works around the Windows problem.

On 12-May-05 ripley@stats.ox.ac.uk wrote:

This is already addressed in R-patched: we do ask you to check
before filing a bug report so as not to waste our time.
 (It was also discussed on R-help: see the archives.)

It is a bug *in Windows* and not one in R: nothing an application
can do should be that fatal (and this is a perfectly legitimate
Windows GDI call).  I trust that you will file a bug report in the
correct place.

From the CHANGES file:

   The support for mitred lines encountered a Windows problem
   with a dramatic slowdown if more than 1000 or so segments
   were plotted in a polyline.  We now plot in bunches of 1000,
   which is less accurate but  works around the Windows problem.

Clearly a neccessary change, even though it is less accurate.
But does this change apply only to Windows compilations (i.e.
conditional compilation), or will we all have to put up with it?