I mean if anyone is ruining the quake experience its those who get some lame pleasure from cheating their way through a game. Well fine you've still got ver 2.01 which is about as stable a version as anyone could ask for. So just play that. Unless you had the intention of cheating I'd think you'd want the most security conscious version available. Ok I know it'd take getting used to the new physics, but isn't that worth it to reduce or eliminate cheaters.
Answer is Yes.
Finally on the bugs issue. You should be aware that 1.53 is not a downgrade its an upgrade for the shareware users just as there is a GameSpy beta 2 upgrade for the registered beta that was actually available before qw 2.20 came out and works perfectly with 2.20 and 2.21. They couldn't possibly enjoy the game at all, they are just getting paid of their words. Maybe if you had made some points as to why you dislike Unreal, there might be some merit to your statements. And just because the people you surround yourself with tend to agree with your opinions, that invalidates everyone else's opinion.