re: Division by zero = infinity?
I think it is, like you say, part of a trend to (try to) mitigate run-time problems. MS isn't the first to do so...Javascript, for example, returns either positive or negative infinity, and 0/0 returns the mysterious constant NaN, or Not a Number (mysterious because NaN != anything, even itself).
I work in the finance industry, though, a sector which has traditionally done its level-best to avoid having to use "infinity," either positive or negative. And "NaN?" Hah! In banking, everything is a number!
:-)