>> however tens of thousands of people demand 100% backward compatibility with all their ancient content

"Ancient content"? That's rather cold, but let's look at that idea for a moment, huh?

I have hundreds of files built in Bryce 1 and 2 that I can no longer access because Bryce 6 -- or 5.5, for that matter -- cant read them. They're not great files, by any stretch, but frankly, the program hasnt changed so much that I understand why this should be. It's the same bunch of Bryce primitives, using the same procedurals. But they're no longer accessible -- that, combined with the trainwreck that was Bryce 6.1, has made me reconsider whether I want to continue using the program at all.

Some of that, sure, is because I've moved on to more complex modeling and rendering programs. I use FormZ exclusively at work and have become pretty gosh-darn good at it. But I can look at files made in the earliest FormZ files in our company's archives, which date back to version 3.1, from six years ago, and have absolutely no problem opening them. I can also, if I want, continue to save them in that earlier format, although I have no idea why I would. Still, the option exists.

IMHO, backward compatability is essential in maintaining your user base, especially one as fast-changing as this one. You never know from week to week what new "developments" will succeed, and which will be dropped off the map (not to mention the ones that should be dropped off the map, but thats another discussion for another time). Without backward compatability for all that "ancient content" you seem to deride, many users would find complete libraries worthless... and when you factor in that this aint exactly a cheap hobby, that would royally PO the user base, to the point where Poser's existence would be far more threatened than by some inevitable change of hands to a new owner.

But consider further: in a thread over at That Site That Shall Remain Nameless Lest I Start To Hurl, it graciously re-released an old character mesh for a centaur, one that dates back to P3... and some folks, myself included, are having a blast re-discovering it and re-interpreting it with all the new bells and whistles that just weren't around when it was first released. As a result, it's become almost like new again... something we might all want to remember as we rush to get the latest bright 'n' shiny (and slightly buggy) version of Vickie. It lets us re-discover skills that seem to be getting lost, as we become more and more dependent on merchants to provide to our every whim, even on the most basic things.

I'm not saying that the ancient content isnt risable, particularly in light of what we have today, but it still serves its purpose -- and you never know when it might come in handy yet again. I've actually noticed a small wave of renewed interest in Posette: folks are re-rigging her to correct some of the boning issues, and others are creating new textures that allow the mesh to really shine. Still others are tinkering with the P4Guy and accomplishing the same ends -- not because they feel the figure is superior in any way, but because it's fun. Not everything has to depend on the latest REM or ROM or INJ pose to make it enjoyable... nor should it ever be.

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