Backward comparability[sic] may actually work to prevent forward progress.
there is rarely enough room in the mass market for entirely new and incompatible platforms.
Ah, the one formula that works in this industry! Ship
ostensibly-compatible products that break just enough with each iteration that the end user winds up repurchasing all software and hardware every N years. It's the subscription model with no need for subscriptions.
A small list of notable implementors:
* Apple Macintosh (Classic -> PowerPC -> OS X -> Intel)
* Microsoft Windows (3.x -> 9x / NT -> XP -> Vista)
* Commodore-Amiga (KS/WB 1.x -> KS/WB 2.x and beyond)
Of course, the popularity of ROM switchers demonstrates how CBM failed to herd developers into patching and rereleasing incompatible titles.
