I could almost be willing to agree that old versions shouldn’t expect to get bug fixes and tech support. But an old version should at least still work as it did the day it was released.

“The developer wants you to upgrade” is never a compelling reason to upgrade. Plenty of software gets worse and worse with every release, so it’s critical to at least allow users to stay on the older, better versions.

> But an old version should at least still work as it did the day it was released.

Developers can't commit to maintaining old web-facing APIs forever.

Right, the line has to be drawn somewhere. I shouldn’t be locked into design decisions or be expected to write adapter code for a handful of users who insist on running a version of my app that was released two years ago.

Yeah, so don't worry about those edge cases. When their version stops working, they'll either update, because it isn't working, or they'll delete it; either way, problem solved.

As I developer I understand the perspective you're talking about. As I developer I will only support the newest version, and possibly one or two legacy branches of an app. If someone emails me about a bon supported version issue, I do what nearly every other dev does; tell them to update to the newest version or figure out a solution themselves. I do NOT force software onto their computer, nor cause full screen popups demanding they update. That is incredibly invasive, and not worth the trouble for either of us.

> it’s pretty frustrating to have a small group of users using years-old versions emailing in expecting bug fixes and support.

Why? The dev just says "the issue is fixed in the current release" or "we can only support current releases". Job done.