tmhg has made some valid points. OS4 versioning and pricing seems quite random and gives no confidence about the future. If I had bought OS4.1 I would expect free upgrades to OS4.1 until OS4.2 is released. Just like Windows service packs or AmigaOS boing bags are free and always have been.
By preannouncing FE weeks/months ahead Hyperion have shot themselves in the foot somewhat, as no one is likely going to buy the existing version of OS4 now for hundreds of dollars and not get any updates.
I agree that the situation is not ideal, but I don't think that anyone involved thought that AmigaOS4.2 would take this long to complete. My disappointment with the whole situation is how Hyperion handled previous promises and announcements regarding what would be included within AmigaOS4.2, which tied their hands. In my mind, maybe it would have been better to just release everything that is completed and tested now as AmigaOS4.2 and apologize for the missing promised features that have taken longer to implement than anticipated, but we all know how critical some members of our community are and there is not any single path that Hyperion could have taken that would have satisfied everyone.
I see no problem is asking for an interim paid update prior to all of the promises made for 4.2 being completed, as I don't mind paying programmers for their time and effort. I don't care what version numbers they use, but as I just wrote, some people would have criticized Hyperion no matter what they did. Users who wish to continue supporting Hyperion's efforts to move forward will buy this latest update, and those who disagree with their actions for what ever reasons, will not.
It certainly is not easy being a Next Gen Amiga user, it never has been easy, but look at the progress that is being made in several areas of our community and I hope you can find something to be happy about and enthusiastic with your support of that part of our community. Knowing a little about your past software development, I would hope that the recent announcements regarding incredible speed increases for FPGA 68k soft cores, would excite you and possibly give you more incentive to do more new programming for the 68k Amiga platforms and clones (but let's not go off topic about that here). Just saying that I think there are better things to do with our time and energy than to complain about a 30 Euro update.
Personally, if I had any criticism of any of our remaining programmers, payment for their time and effort would not be one of them. We have so few knowledgeable programmers left in our community, let us not drive any of them away by complaining about something as trivial as a 30 Euro request for an update.
Your points are valid, but I don't see them as very important in the larger scope of what is going on in our community.