Replacing Event keyCode

Hello guys,
 
Apparently the W3C spec forbids replacing the keyCode in an event.
 
This has seriously harmed the functionality of our internal web based system because IE 9 is now shipping with new computers and it is in compliance with this particular spec requirement.
 
I have implemented many “datatypes” for input widgets in our web based system which includes almost 900 forms.  The input datatype functionality exceeds that of most ERP systems.
 
All of the work-arounds for this I have found are clumsy and I have yet to find one which does not force us to lose some amount of functionality.
 
I respectfully request that this decision be reconsidered for future versions of the spec.
 
Also, IE has supported “-1” for the tabindex to prevent items such as optional buttons from being included in the tab sequence.  I believe all browsers could benefit from this feature.  It is the only one which repeatedly shows up as an error when I validate my html using the W3C validator.  I would like to suggest that this be added to future specs.  If IE ever eliminated support for tabindex=”-1”, it would be disastrous for our users.
 
Thank you,
 
Roger Smith
Anderson Equipment Company
Pittsburgh, PA
412 504-4176