Camera Raw objects convert to "2010" if opened

Question

My workflow involves DNG’s that have had basic corrections and sharpening applied with Lightroom 2.x. I open these as object layers in Photoshop, giving me the flexibility to still make adjustments to Camera Raw settings if needed. With PS12 and ACR 6.x, the simple act of opening these smart layers immediately converts their “process” (under the “Camera Calibration” tab in ACR) type from LR 2.x-compatible “2003” mode to “2010 (current).”
“Process” changes how sharpening and noise reduction behave, and is meant to provide compatibility with the “older” “2003” settings, which are still very much alive for users of PS10-11 and all LR (production, not beta) users.
PS12/ACR6 automatically applies the “2010” process whenever the ACR dialog is accepted, whether during file open or layer open, even if you never open the tab that “process” lives in. While ACR changes the mode, it leaves sharpening and noise settings unchanged, resulting in significant over-sharpening of the raw images. I can go to this tab and manually reset the mode to “2003,” but I really shouldn’t have to.
ACR 6 should default to using whatever “process” it finds in the raw file’s xmp, and remain in that mode unless the user explicitly changes it. If there are no previous settings, then ACR would default to the “2010” process. If (for some reason) users want the new-file default to be “2003," then create a preference in ACR to make that happen.
This would allow me to not worry about “process” toggling behind my back on “old” files, and would allow PS 12 to properly respond to all files; those that have had settings changed in ACR 5.c or 6.x, as well as unprocessed ones.

Answer 1

That's a bug and should be fixed in the release version of ACR 6.1.