Backward compatibility

Backward compatibility... Is it worth the time and effort? It depends on the circumstances and the technology in question. The fact that USB 2.0 is backward compatible with USB 1.1 is an absolute lifesaver for me. The fact that Firefox is capable of rendering some of most horribly-written, deprecated, typo-laden HTML with grace is another case where backward compatibility shines through. Over time, I've made a habit to always upgrade my software when updates are available. Arch Linux makes this easy for me. A simple `pacman -Syu` automates the process for me. Software developers release new versions of their software for a reason: 1) They have fixed some bugs 2) They have added new features 3) They have improved existing features 4) Any combination of the above The result is (almost) always an improved piece of software. This is a very optimistic point of view on my part, but it is usually true. Thus, I feel obligated to download their new, improved version. As a result, I am always living on the bleeding edge in terms of software. So I don't care too much about backward compatibility in relation to software. If it works with my hardware, I'm okay with it. Yes, Vista works fine on my hardware too, but I'm not going there. I wiped that baby from my hard drive in a flash... What do you think about backward compatibility? Any thoughts, anonymous commenters?