Why so many versions?

[kmh72756]

I've tried to search for posts that mention some kind of explanation but can't find any, or at least I can't figure out what keyword might be productive.

Why are there so many versions of Beyond Compare?

It would be easily understood if, for example, you were just supporting version 3 while version 4 was being hashed out.
But to also have version 2 seems counter productive.

If I were an existing customer, why wouldn't I upgrade (eventually) to version 4.
Or better yet, if I am a new customer, why on earth would I ever consider buying version 2 or 3?

[Aaron]

We always host the most recent minor release of our major versions, for past customers to have that patch available. Any minor update is always free for the respective major version (any BC3.x user can update to the latest 3.3.13 for free). We still have older BC2 and even BC1 customers, running old minor releases, which need it to update. Or, if they move machines, they can use it to reinstall the application.

The latest BC major release (BC4) is the recommended product and purchase. Some users are in restricted, corporate environments which require a gauntlet of internal testing before upgrades can be purchased; for these users, continuing to offer BC3 is helpful for them.