However, I've been observing Microsoft since the Windows 2.0 era, and I can't completely discard the possibility that Microsoft actually would use 8.3 domain names. Using 8.3 names "for legacy compatibility" in unusual places is something they've done before.
That does sound like some kind of rational explanation.
p.s. Further proof that history's written by the victors, from that 8.3 wiki page:
"An 8.3 filename...is a filename convention used by old versions of DOS and versions of Microsoft Windows...Similar 8.3 file naming schemes have also existed on earlier CP/M, TRS-80, Atari, and some Data General and [DEC] minicomputer operating systems."
"Similar naming schemes also existed"! A strange way of saying "DOS copied CP/M's drive letter + colon + 8.3 filename exactly". ..and everything else.
DOS was built on CP/M standards and I heard there was a converter program to convert CP/M to DOS programs because the system API calls were almost the same.
Just like MacOS has UNIX API under it and so does Linux as they were based on Unix standards.
hehe come on, DOS was a quick copy/imitation of CP/M. That seems a funny way of describing it, dignifying what was a knock-off job. As if accused forgers or plagiarists were to say "Huh? I'm building on the standards of the earlier work."
I mean, fair enough (initially), Gates did try first to give the IBM gig to Kildall.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8.3_filename