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This sounds like the most common reaction to users accidentally causing errors in data: lock everything down and only allow a very specific operation, and complain loudly and specifically (i.e., incomprehensibly) if they get out of line, in order to protect the data. Did someone find a new way to screw up? Add another restriction.

I sometimes wonder why these interfaces are so freaking common for anything not facing the general public.

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>I sometimes wonder why these interfaces are so freaking common for anything not facing the general public.

It's simple, the choice is to either use it or find a new job. Quitting is not easy or practical to many people.

Even the general public faces such choices with atrocious bank, DMV, govt sites etc. written 10 years ago in with CGI or ASP. (and a COBOL backend).

Yep and sites like this get the back button treatment if they're public sites, but you don't know about it until you start working there when it's intranet crud.

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