you are free
It's not that easy on Linux. Often, keeping an older version of some program involves using a really out of date distro like Debian stable, compiling a bunch of crap yourself, or hoping that someone has decided to make binary packages for the old version that work on your distro.
Why are you trying to force us all to keep using the same UI you are using just because you're so used to it?
If anyone's forcing anything on anyone, it's really GNOME 3 which is doing the forcing. This is what upset me the most about GNOME 3 - it seems you deliberately removed and hid a ton of configuration options that existed in GNOME 2. Why do you need to install an extra program to change the theme, the fonts, put back the minimise/maximise buttons, disable GUI animations, etc? Why is it no longer possible to specify a custom GUI colour scheme like it was in GNOME 2?
Why isn't the classic style interface easily available as an option? Well I suppose there's the 'fallback mode' which works like GNOME 2, but I heard that it was going to be 'deprecated' and removed at some point.
It's either innovation and having to learn new things, or the stagnation of keeping things exactly as they used to be.
Great. How would you like me to come over to your house and innovate things for you? "I don't think you should have your TV here. It'd increase usability and look better over here. Alright, btw we're going to paint all your walls white because that's how Apple does it. Looks nice right? Of course it does. Oh this toaster is awful, it has far too many buttons. Better replace that right away"
You probably aren't even going to read this anyway. But whatever. Sorry if this is inflammatory, it's just that I used GNOME 2 for six years and really liked it. It had some problems but it was good. I felt like GNOME 3 took everything I liked and threw it away, and at the same time tried to force everything I hated on me.
Flash Player for Linux being so far behind that some websites failed to display content,
How long ago was this, 2004?
I'm going to write my own WM for X now.
hah hah yes, and then they'll kill your ass by making Wayland the standard. You won't be able to write your own window manager and etc etc.
Get hold of portable property. -- Charles Dickens, "Great Expectations"