The irony is that a successful V5 for Poser would probably do more to get people to upgrade to 09/2010 than any of the proposed alternatives. The Great White Hopes will have to overcome habit, brand loyalty and the Daz PR machine. A 'transformed' V4 is still lacks the magic number 5, no matter how cleverly presented. SM remains where they were, dependent, to at least some degree, on Daz to bolster upgrades and future sales. Daz is still free to contemplate future moves. In that sense, the status is still quo and this may not be the apocalyptic event, merely a heated border skirmish that will simmer down with any fundamental conflict remaining unresolved.

I don't think either company is big enough to successfully break out of their symbiotic relationship - for now. If they agree that new technology like weight mapping is the way to go, then IMO, they should have reached a compromise to their mutual benefit. Perhaps Daz could have done more to reassure SM about long term compatibility and perhaps SM could have made concessions as well. People will express their opinions as to which party bears the blame. I see it as more short term thinking on both sides and a failure to look after the best interests of a small (mostly discretionary) market in hard times. Maybe it's time to say a pox on both their houses until they hammer out a realistic interoperability agreement.

"Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H. L. Mencken