I agree absolutely that we should not be forced to buy new versions of products because they have a feature we don't need, and I am not just talking about software. Cars seem to be coming out with driver aids galore that I never asked for and don't want to pay for but I have no choice... but that's another topic and don't get me started.

Bottom line is I do agree with you but I don't know what innovation is coming, even the innovators don't know that one... not yet anyway! Take the wheel a small change like a rubber tyre on the outside was a revolution in it's day then they made it hollow and filled it with an air inflated tube, then came the tubeless tyre we use today and there are designs and ideas on the horizon that will revolutionise the wheel on the horizon. We cannot say what revolution will come so I don't think software will ever become static. The automobile and wheel haven't and they have been around a lot longer than software.

There is a machine called marketing which steam rollers all of us into products we never asked for with features we don't want as the consumer we don't really have the ability to say "that's good enough for me". The automobile is proof of that and I think software is the same as any other product. I wish I could stay with the version that does what I need until the revolutionary version comes along but I know that's not going to happen.