Remember we've changed a considerable amount of dependencies and minimums in the last 9 months. If your browser is IE6, IE7, if you're on Windows XP, If your server or database aren't at our new minimum or if you used bbPress then upgrading past 3.0 is not an automatic "no brainer".

There comes a time when we have got to realize that we have to wait for technology and the people using said technology to catch up with us. The more we go shooting off, the more likely we are to move a higher percentage of people to "edge cases" and only focus on those who we deem part of the "in-crowd".

Can we also dismiss the myth that every single WordPress install becomes insecure the very second a new release comes out? It isn't true.

I know this isn't the most popular opinion, but we have a very high barrier for entry with WordPress once you're past the initial learning curve (which is nice and simple). With a 4 month development cycle (3 months coding and 1 month testing), that's not alot of time to stay up to date if you're not a full time WordPress developer.

@Andrea @Andrea_R -
I really don’t even know why the question is being asked – should people still support WordPress 2.0 because some people use it?

That's not the question being raised though. WordPress 3.0 came out last year. We're not discussing backward comparability for 12 versions, but 2 versions. Seriously, 2 versions. And each of those versions have had a UI change with it. The next version has a UI change as well.

@Otto -

The Simple Google Connect plugin I released today also requires 3.3

Wait, so you're releasing code that won't work with the CURRENT version of WordPress?

And you're doing it intentionally to force people who are happy with THEIR platform to use a system YOU want them to use?

May I remind you of Wheaton's Law:
http://toomanyposts.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/wheatons-law.png

If your users really want to use your plugin/theme, then find out that they must upgrade, they will.

The problem with this mate is that you presume that every user has the capability to do so, without ever considering the risk. A great many small companies do not see the RoI on a website as we technical people do, and the risk of upgrading is just too much.

We never talk about why users don't upgrade in their terms, only in terms of why we think they should. How can we address the needs of others, if our solution is for them to just think like us?