Wow, a lot of good information, not sure if Poser is finished, as you ask. But I am a lot like you in the history. I started with Poser 4, went all the way up to current version today of Poser. However, as much as I Know how to manipulate Poser, I decided to give Daz3d Studia a try. I read all the tutorials and help guides while learning, asked question from some of the best image creators, took a good 2 weeks to get a basic understanding, then went forward at a good pace.

Now that being said, I now have the abilities to use both programs, which I like personally. I still use Poser because it is an old friend and I know what to expect, however I have a new friend now and enjoy learning new techniques, and I really do believe Daz3d Studio is an incredible piece of software, and it is FREE, that carries weight. Iray renders super fast, if your computer has the good components to carry it.

So whether Poser is going away or not, I am ready to use both programs and will be quite happy with them both, being able to use old models and new models in both,(with the exception of Genesis 3).

If you have the time and space and computer power, I feel opening your abilities to both softwares can benefit you.