Why does the default MS spellchecker treat some language nuances as bad?

Question

I've noticed that the default settings on the MS spell checker will be triggered on some common phrases, and suggest a more direct approach to describing stuff. What is the reason behind this? Do people find it valuable to get suggestions about replacing "at all times" with "always", and so on? Sometimes it will react to nuances that were intentional, and replacement phrases that were written to avoid a repetitive expression style.What's the reason behind all this?

EdTechAndrew · Accepted Answer

This has always been a problem it seems. Microsoft now handles grammar and spelling themselves, but originally they licensed software called CorrecText.
This article from when CorrecText originally released in the 80s, https://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/06/business/the-executive-co..., ends with discussion saying "One big problem in designing Correctext,... has been 'overflagging,' or excessive sensitivity to minor errors."
Seems like that problem still hasn't been solved...

extasia · Answer

In some cases it's useful, for instance I've found it catches me being overly verbose sometimes, which I suppose marginally aids clarity.The signal to noise ratio is fairly low though, a good chunk of the suggestions are just stylistic preference (as you point out)