I had a slightly more complicated approach.

1996: started 3d with Bryce 2.
Tried Vue 1.2. Found that it had copied a number of things from Bryce. Did not like the interface. Stayed with Bryce.

1999 Metacreations abandoned Bryce. I was still using version 4 at the time.
Downloaded a trial version of Vue 3. It crashed several times during my tests and I did not like its default render quality. Uninstalled it.

2001: I was using Bryce less and less and saw the whole user community melt away or switch to more promising apps.
I myself switched my interests towards photography

2006: found that DAZ had purchased Bryce and that version 6 at last had a significant improvement: IBL. Bought it for $6 and started to play with it. 
Sent a few emails to former contacts about Bryce 6 and one of them (Luc Bianco) replied that Vue was the fast moving app at the time. Saw a video at Youtube that detailed the functions of Vue 6 Infinite.
Installed a demo of Vue 6 Pro Studio and played with the functions Bryce has been deprived from for so many years: realistic atmosphere model, ecosystems, material management panel. I then purchased Infinite and now use it for most of my images. 

From what is said above, it seems that:

• many of us are from the former Bryce user base. It is striking to see how largeand faithful it was and how Corel and DAZ let it dwindle entirely. Most of the Bryce users of 1998 no longer use it, but many of them have not switched to Vue.
• some of us came to Vue after using a demo.

It may be a tad late, but this discussion could prove interesting for the E-On marketing stuff in these times of intense Vue 7 promotion.

Fantasy pictures, free 3d models, 3d tutorials and seamless textures on Virtual Lands.